If you love a good cheesesteak sandwich, you are going to love these easy Philly cheesesteaks. Good old-fashioned Philadelphia cheesesteaks are the ultimate comfort food and are really easy to make. These classic cheesesteaks are made with thinly sliced steak, peppers and onions, cheese, and a delicious toasted buttery hoagie roll. These are the perfect sandwiches to make for an easy dinner, for game day, or just because.
Why you need to make these Philly Cheesesteaks!
If you are like me, cheesesteaks are that dish that you order out whether it is in the city, at a game, or at your favorite sub shop. Making your own Philly cheesesteaks at home is very easy and the ingredients are so much better than what you get when you order takeout.
I am always looking to make my favorite restaurant sandwiches at home because it saves money and the quality of the ingredients is always going to be better. In addition this this Philly cheesesteak sandwich, I make my own Chacarero sandwich, rotisserie chicken sandwiches and Italian roast beef sandwiches, pot roast sandwich, pimento cheese sandwich, all with this goal in mind.
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History of Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches
The story behind the original Philly cheesesteaks is that in the 1930s, two brothers named Pat and Harry Olivieri who ran a hotdog stand in an Italian market in South Philadelphia wanted to offer sandwiches. These sandwiches were grilled beef and onion sandwiches.
These two Italians later opened a store called Pat's King of Steaks which continued to sell these sandwiches to the masses. The cheese addition later came when a rival restaurant opened across the way adding cheese.
These sandwiches are an iconic sandwich of Philadelphia and continue to be loved by people today.
Ingredients
There are not many ingredients that go into making an authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich. It is all about choosing the right ingredients to make it authentic and cooking it the right way.
Here is what you will need:
- Steak. I chose sirloin steaks for this recipe since the traditional ribeye steak that is used to make Philly cheesesteaks has skyrocketed in price. You can go with ribeye steaks if you prefer. Either steak will produce a really tender meat after cooking.
- Provolone cheese. No American cheese here! Provolone is the only cheese to use to make a Philly cheesesteak! I like using mild provolone cheese because of its neutral flavors.
- Philly cheesesteak seasoning. This is a spice blend of salt, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Worcestershire sauce. Not pictured above but it is part of the seasoning as well.
- Green bell peppers. Not red and green, just green! If you love mushrooms, you can also add these in.
- Yellow onion.
- Amoroso rolls. This is the authentic Philly cheesesteak roll. More on that below!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making these easy Philly cheesesteaks, couldn't be any simpler. I will show you the steps to make the cheesesteak and tips below to make it authentic.
Saute peppers and onions then remove to a plate.
Brown thinly sliced steak over high heat.
Add peppers and onions to the steak.
Place provolone over the top and toss it in to melt through the steak.
Ok, you see how easy it is to make these Philly cheesesteaks. It is very simple.
- Cook peppers and onions in a large skillet and then remove from the pan.
- In the same pan the peppers and onions cooked in, add your thinly sliced steak and cook over high heat until nice and brown. If your steak has lots of moisture coming out of it during cooking, drain that out so the meat will brown.
- Once the steak is fully cooked you add the peppers and onions back into the pan and then add your seasoning.
- The last thing you do is add the provolone and toss that into the meat, peppers, and onions.
Don't forget about the bread when you are making these cheesesteak sandwiches. You do not want to serve bread that is not prepped.
To prepare your bread correctly for a Philly cheesesteak, you want to open up the roll almost all the way leaving one side attached. Then place the roll face down in a buttered skillet to toast up.
You can do this step before or after cooking the cheesesteak filling.
Tip: When making these cheese steak sandwiches, you want to make sure the cheese is fully melted through so that it coats the meat and veggies. You do not want the cheese sitting on top of the ingredients.
Making an authentic Philly cheesesteak
Now that you know how easy it is to make these cheese steak sandwiches, here are all the tips to make it as authentic as possible.
Best bread for Philly cheesesteak
Choosing the bread for your Philly cheesesteak may not have crossed your mind but in Philly, there is only one roll that you use and that is an Amoroso roll. You can find these at many grocery stores and the label on the packaging is "Amoroso".
For me, I do not have access to these rolls where I live so if this is the case for you too, you can easily go to your favorite sub shop that makes cheesesteak sandwiches and ask to buy rolls there.
Best cheese for Philly cheesesteak
There is only one cheese that you should use for a Philly cheesesteak and that is provolone cheese. I prefer a mild provolone and not a sharp one.
The provolone cheese will melt beautifully into the meat, peppers, and onions.
Philly cheesesteak seasoning
You may not have thought about what seasoning a Philly cheesesteak needs but do not forget it! Without seasoning, your Philly cheesesteak will taste bland.
A simple blend of garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and a little Worcestershire sauce will really elevate your Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.
Best steak for Philly cheesesteak
As I mentioned in the ingredients list, a traditional Philly cheesesteak uses ribeye steaks. You can use those other cuts of beef if you prefer in this recipe but I find that sirloin steaks are more economical and tastes just as good.
Variations and Substitutions
You can customize this recipe to suit your taste. This Philly cheese steak recipe is for how to cook it like you were ordering one in Philly. Add or take away based on what you like. Maybe you:
- Add red peppers
- Make it spicy- add red pepper flakes to the meat and veggies. You only need about ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to do this.
- Use hoagie rolls- If you cannot find the authentic amoroso rolls used to make Philly cheesesteaks, you can use hoagie rolls.
- Make a homemade au jus to dip these sandwiches in!
Storage
The Philly cheesesteak filling (meat, peppers, and onions) can easily be made ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To reheat, just place the cheesesteak filling in aluminum foil and seal. Place in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Top tip
Remember that making these cheese steak sandwiches is all about being easy. If you prefer a more economical cut of meat, choose a less expensive but tender steak. If you love red peppers, add those in. These cheesesteaks will be great any way you make them.
FAQ
You want to make sure you slice your steak very thin. As thin as possible. It helps to freeze the steak ahead of time and then slice it frozen to get paper-thin slices.
The best cheese for a Philly cheesesteak sandwich is mild provolone cheese.
Yes. You can make the filling of Philly cheesesteaks ahead of time and just reheat it in aluminum foil that is sealed in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. Once heated, add to the prepared Amoroso rolls that are traditional when making these cheesesteaks.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these easy Philly cheesesteak sandwiches:
Easy Philly Cheesesteaks
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
- 4 petite sirloin steaks
- 4 Medium sized hoagie rolls Amoroso rolls if you can find them.
- 6 slices Provolone cheese
- 1 Green pepper sliced thin
- 1 Yellow onion sliced thin
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
Cheesesteak sesaoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Place your sirloin steaks in the freezer for 30 minutes to get them stiff and frozen but not too hard to slice.4 petite sirloin steaks
- After your 30 minutes, remove your steaks from the freezer and with a large sharp knife slice your steaks into very thin slices. Almost shaved.
- Once this is done, set aside. In a large heavy bottom skillet or griddle heat your oil on medium heat.1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
- While your pan is preheating thinly slice your pepper and onion and mince your garlic.1 Green pepper, 1 Yellow onion, 2 cloves Garlic
- Once this is done, your pan should be pre-heated and you can go ahead and add your thinly sliced steak to the pan.
- Make sure the steak is spread evenly around the pan and not overlapping. You want to get it nice and browned.
- Once the steak is browned, remove it from the pan on to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan your cooked the steak, add your pepper, onion and garlic to the pan and a pinch of salt and saute until the vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes).
- Once your veggies are done, mix all the ingredients together in the pan (the steak, onion, garlic and pepper). Now add your Worcestershire sauce and seasoning and mix well.1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Add the slices of provolone to the top of the cheesesteak mixture and toss it with the meat.6 slices Provolone cheese
- Turn off the heat and cover and wait 1 minute for the cheese to melt all through your steak mixtures.
- While the cheese is melting, slice open your hoagie rolls.4 Medium sized hoagie rolls
- In another large flat bottom pan add butter.
- Place hoagie rolls face down in pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until toasted.
- Do this for all the rolls.
- Divide the cheesesteak mixture into 4 sections.
- With a large spatula, scoop up one section (you may want two spatulas) and place inside the hoagie roll.
- Repeat with all the rolls and remaining filling.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Annabeth says
They were so delicious! Definitely making these again
Melissa says
Love hearing that 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
Bethany says
We've made these cheesesteak sandwiches twice already and can't get enough of them! They are so delicious. They are so much better than the ones you order out too.
Melissa says
I am so glad you are enjoying them! I love them better than takeout too 🙂