French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (2024)

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I love French Dip Sandwiches, but don’t love the time it takes to make the classic version. Enter my super speedy method! Roast Beef lunch meat and store bought Au Jus are jazzed up with a few extra ingredients to make this whole sandwich taste amazing and come together in about 15 minutes. It’s a killer dinner and so so delicious with Macaroni Salad or Potato Salad.

French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (1)

French Dip Sandwiches in 15 Minutes

I know that title seems a little unbelievable, but it’s true! I’ve rigged the classic French Dip Sandwich and shaved down as much time as possible to create a fast but still delicious and flavorful sandwich you are going to love. With the help of your broiler and a few store bought ingredients, you will be enjoying these French Dips in no time. Makes amazing lunches or fast dinners.

French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (2)
French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (3)

Main Ingredients Needed

Here is the really short list of grocery items needed to make these French Dips at home!

  • Au Jus Gravy Mix– a powdered mix when whisked together with water creates a really tasty base for our Au Jus dip. This is the Au Jus Mix I used, but feel free to use the brand you prefer.
  • Roast Beef– thinly sliced lunch meat. I look for the roast beef that has the least amount of fat in the deli case. That’s just my preference, though. Use a brand you like.
  • Garlic + Bay Leaves– used to flavor the au jus so it tastes more homemade
  • Hoagie Rolls– I like toasting the exterior of these rolls just a touch before opening them up and toasting the insides. The toasting is completely optional, but I do find that it helps them hold up a little better.
  • Butter-used to butter the inside of the toasted rolls
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How to Make French Dip Sandwiches

Again, this is a speedy recipe. No special equipment or tools needed. For increments and more specific directions, check the recipe card at the bottom of this post, right before the comments.

Step 1: Make the Au Jus + Warm the Beef

Whisk powdered Au Jus together with water in the bottom of a pot or deep skillet. Mine called for 3 cups of water, but double check yours to make sure that increment of water to powder is correct. You want to make it according to package directions.

Smash two cloves of garlic and add them to the au jus. Add the bay leaves. Transfer to stove and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and add in the roast beef to warm. Keep meat warm over low heat.

French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (5)
French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (6)

Step 2: Toast and Butter Your Rolls

While au jus/meat is warming, toast your hoagie buns. I like to toast the bottoms of the rolls, and toast the insides. Watch your bread closely as you don’t want it to burn. The toasting is definitely optional but it helps keep your bread together when you add the juicy meat. Also optional, but feel free to spread butter on the exterior of the roll too. It miiiight be overkill, but man is it good.

Once the insides of the bread are toasted, spread 1/2 tablespoon of butter onto each half and rub with raw garlic clove. SO much flavor is added when you rub the bread with the garlic. Don’t skip this step! It makes such a difference.

Step 3: Assemble the French Dips

Divide the meat between each bottom half of the sandwich and add the provolone cheese, 1 slice per sandwich. (You can always add more if you like it cheesy.) Broil again briefly to melt the cheese; should take 30 seconds to 1 minute since the meat is already hot.

Add the top, cut in half and serve with hot au jus.

French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (7)
French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (8)

Favorite Sides for Hot Sandwiches

While the warm French Dip Sandwich is really filling and delicious on its own, here are a few tasty sides that would made this meal more complete:

  • Fruit Salad
  • Classic Coleslaw
  • Homemade Kettle Chips
  • Caesar Salad
  • Ambrosia
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Love French Dip Sandwiches? Try these other Favorites:

  • Egg Salad Sandwiches
  • Low Carb Bagel Sandwiches
  • Easy Chicken Melts
  • Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sliders

Anyways, I hope you love love love this recipe as much as my family has come to love it! It’s a simple dinner that has made our dinner menu three weeks in a row. While I love spending the time on classic recipes from time to time, sometimes its nice to have a quick recipe in your back pocket for those busy nights. Enjoy, friends!

French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (10)

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5 from 4 votes

French Dip Sandwiches

Make this homemade French Dip Sandwich recipe at home in no time. Slow-cooked flavor with a few store-bought ingredients and little effort.

servings 4 sandwiches

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 Powdered Au Jus Mix
  • 3 cups water to make the au jus, check package directions
  • 3 cloves garlic divided
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 14 oz Roast Beef Lunch Meat
  • 4 Hoagie Buns/Rolls
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 slices provolone cheese

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Turn oven onto broil. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

  • Whisk powdered Au Jus together with water in the bottom of a pot or deep skillet. (Mine called for 3 cups of water, but double check yours to make sure that increment of water to powder is correct. You want to make it according to package directions.) Smash two cloves of garlic and add them to the au jus. Add the bay leaves. Transfer to stove and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and add in the roast beef to warm. Keep meat warm over low heat.

  • While au jus/meat is warming, toast your hoagie buns. I like to toast the bottoms of the rolls, and toast the insides. Watch your bread closely as you don't want it to burn. The toasting is definitely optional but it helps keep your bread together when you add the meat.

  • Once the insides of the bread are toasted, spread 1/2 tablespoon of butter onto each half and rub with raw garlic clove.

  • Divide the meat between each bottom half of the sandwich and add the provolone cheese, 1 slice per sandwich. (You can always add more if you like it cheesy.) Broil again to melt the cheese; should take 30 seconds to 1 minute since the meat is already hot.

  • Add the top, cut in half and serve with hot au jus.

Notes

To make this more Macro Friendly, simply reduce the butter by half OR omit it completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 2124mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 521IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 557mg | Iron: 5mg

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwich Recipe - Lauren's Latest (2024)

FAQs

What is a standard French dip? ›

French dip, a sandwich traditionally consisting of sliced roast beef (though pork, ham, turkey, and lamb are sometimes used), served on French bread, and eaten au jus (“with juice,” referring to the flavourful drippings of the meat left over from roasting).

Which LA Eatery lays claim to the invention of the French dip sandwich? ›

Inventors of The French Dip

In 1918, the French Dip Sandwich was created at Philippe's by accident and the rest is history.

What is the difference between French dip and Italian beef? ›

The French Dip comes with jus. The Italian Beef comes with gravy. Both are referring to basically the same thing, though quality is obviously going to vary from place to place. I personally prefer asking for gravy rather than trying to navigate the jus/au jus problem with a server.

Who owns Philippe's the original? ›

Are you owned by the Mayor? (Former Mayor Riordan) No, Philippe's has been owned by the same family since 1927 – the Martin/Binder/Downey family.

What is on classic French Dip & Swiss? ›

Roast beef. Swiss. Sub roll. French au jus sauce.

What is the difference between beef dip and French dip? ›

A French dip sandwich, also known as a beef dip, is a hot sandwich consisting of thinly sliced roast beef (or, sometimes, other meats) on a "French roll" or baguette.

Who made the first French dip? ›

Philippe's was established in 1908 by Philippe Mathieu, who claimed the distinction of having created the “French Dipped Sandwich.” One day in 1918, while making a sandwich, Mathieu inadvertently dropped the sliced french roll into the roasting pan filled with juice still hot from the oven.

Why do they call it a French dip? ›

There is further uncertainty about why the dish is called the French dip. It could be due to Philippe's heritage, the French roll it is served on, or because the police officer's name was French. The second restaurant that claims to have invented the French dip is Cole's, also known as Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet.

What is an interesting fact about the French dip? ›

It comes with a special sauce called jus which is usually made with the juice and fat that came off the roast beef when they were cooking it. It was not originally from France; two restaurants in Los Angeles, California, Cole's and Philippe's, both claim to have invented it.

Can I use beef stock instead of au jus? ›

Not usually. Beef broth describes a liquid usually made by boiling beef bones and offal in water with some aromatics until the flavor in the solids flavor the liquid. Au jus describes a way of serving meat in its own juices or in a sauce made from its juices, which may include broth.

What sandwich is Chicago famous for? ›

The Italian beef sandwich is one of the top foods Chicago is known for and is beloved throughout the city and surrounding suburbs alike.

Is beef gravy the same as au jus? ›

Like gravy, jus (pronounced zhoo) starts with the drippings from cooked meat. Unlike gravy, however, it is not thickened with flour; instead, the liquid is reduced until it reaches the desired consistency, which is usually thinner than gravy.

How do you pronounce Philippe the original? ›

Philippe's (pronounced Phil-ee-peez) claims to have invented the French dip sandwich over a hundred years ago.

What is the history of Phillippes Los Angeles? ›

Although French immigrant Philippe Mathieu launched the restaurant in 1908 at its first location at 300 N. Alameda Ave., it wasn't until he moved the eatery to 246 Aliso St. in 1918 that he would make his serendipitous mistake, inadvertently dropping a roll into pan drippings from a roast and serving it to a customer.

Who owns Philippe Chow? ›

Stratis Morfogen - Founder - Philippe Chow Restaurant Group / Philippe and Ciano Restaurants | LinkedIn.

Is cheese standard on a French dip? ›

The classic French Dip Sandwich is a hot sandwich boasting tender thin slices of beef layered on a long French roll, often with melted cheese, then dipped in a flavorful sauce made from the pan juices called “au jus,” French for “with broth” or “with juice.”

What is French dip sauce made of? ›

To make it, you're going to place your roasting pan with the beef drippings on the stove top before adding your onions, garlic, thyme, beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cook until slightly thickened. Soon, you'll have the most delicious dipping sauce to complete your French dip.

What makes a French dip French? ›

There is further uncertainty about why the dish is called the French dip. It could be due to Philippe's heritage, the French roll it is served on, or because the police officer's name was French. The second restaurant that claims to have invented the French dip is Cole's, also known as Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet.

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