Italian Beef Crescent Pinwheels are a simple, crowd-pleasing appetizer or weeknight dinner. The bottom crust bakes up crisp while the cheese melts into the tender shredded beef for a savory, satisfying bite.
Bring these to backyard barbecues, potlucks, or family dinners—guests will keep asking for more.
What are Italian Beef Crescent Pinwheels?
These pinwheels start with slow-cooked Italian-style beef flavored with Italian seasoning, garlic, beef broth, and banana peppers. The shredded beef is layered onto rolled-out pizza dough, topped with provolone, rolled into a log, then sliced and baked into pinwheel shapes.
They’re delicious served with the reserved cooking liquid for dipping (au jus) and pair well with a green salad, fruit salad, or roasted vegetables.
Ingredients:
Use these ingredients to make tender slow-cooked Italian beef pinwheels that are easy to prepare and full of flavor.
- Chuck roast
- Beef broth
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Butter, sliced
- Banana peppers (plus some jar liquid)
- Pizza dough (premade)
- Provolone cheese
How to make Italian Beef Crescent Pinwheels:
Below is a concise, SEO-friendly overview of the preparation. Follow the steps for reliably tasty results.
Spray the slow cooker with nonstick spray and place the chuck roast in the pot. Pour in the beef broth and season with Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Top the roast with slices of butter.
Spread banana peppers evenly over the roast and add about 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the jar to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the roast and shred with forks; reserve the cooking liquid for dipping.
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, unroll the pizza dough and roll it to about 1/8 inch thickness.
Arrange provolone slices evenly over the dough, then spread a thin layer of the shredded Italian beef over the cheese.
Roll the dough tightly into a log. Slice the log into about 10 even pinwheels, roughly 1 inch thick, and place them cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake 18–20 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Serve warm with the reserved au jus for dipping.
Tips for success:
These tips help you customize and achieve the best results every time.
- For a casserole version, place the shredded beef in a casserole dish, cover with rolled dough, brush with an egg wash, and score slits for steam to escape.
- Arrange the pinwheels in different patterns—rings or spokes make an attractive presentation for parties.
- Turn the filling into sandwiches by serving the shredded beef on rolls with provolone and the au jus for dipping, creating a French dip-style sandwich.
Other pastry to use
Although this recipe uses premade pizza dough, you can substitute other pastry if preferred: puff pastry, pie crust, or crescent roll dough all work well. These alternatives are often available in the refrigerated or freezer sections, or you can make dough from scratch and freeze portions for quick future meals.
Add vegetables to beef crescent rolls
Banana peppers add a bright tang, but you can include more vegetables for extra texture and flavor. Good options include:
- Roasted red peppers
- Corn
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Mushrooms
- Fresh bell peppers
How to store:
To refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
To freeze: After baking, cool completely and freeze in an airtight bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in an air fryer to crisp the exterior or warm in the microwave if preferred.
To meal prep: Assemble the pinwheels up to the baking step, wrap them individually, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake the next day for fresh-baked results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crescent dough is flakier and slightly sweeter, while pizza dough is chewier and better suited for heartier, bread-like crusts.
If you prefer a different protein, pork shoulder can be substituted and slow-cooked similarly to produce tender shreddable meat.
Provolone works great, but you can swap in mozzarella, Havarti, Muenster, Swiss, or even a sprinkle of Parmesan for variation.
Print the Recipe Card
This versatile recipe makes a great weeknight dinner or party appetizer. If you enjoy easy roll-up recipes, try other crescent-style ideas to expand your menu.
Italian Beef Pizza Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 pound chuck roast
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup butter, sliced
- 1/3 cup banana peppers, plus 2 tablespoons liquid from the jar
- 1 package premade pizza dough
- 9 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker pot with nonstick cooking spray and add the roast.
- Add beef broth, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Top with butter slices.
- Spread banana peppers over the roast and add 2 tablespoons of jar liquid.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Remove the meat and shred with forks; reserve the cooking liquid.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out pizza dough to about 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
- Layer cheese slices evenly over the dough, then spread shredded beef over the cheese.
- Roll the dough into a tight log, slice into 10 pieces about 1 inch thick, and place cut-side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake 18–20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with reserved au jus for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.