Philly Cheesesteaks are a favorite sandwich for good reason.
Thinly sliced steak is simply seasoned, and tucked into a soft bun with golden caramelized onions, and gooey cheese.
This cheesesteak recipe is as good as it gets; hearty, easy to make, and oh, so delicious!
A Cheesesteak Sandwich is the Perfect Meal!
- It’s made with simple ingredients and but it has lots of flavor!
- Philly Cheesesteaks are a favorite, and they’re so easy to make.
- These are on the table in about 30 minutes, great for a weeknight meal.
- This is a simple version with just beef and onion but you can change it up with green peppers or mushrooms.
What is a Philly Cheesesteak?
The Philly cheesesteak sandwich was created by Pat Olivieri, a hot dog vendor, in the 1930s! Pat ran a hot dog cart in Philadelphia and served cheesesteaks one day for lunch. Fast forward 90+ years, the Olivieri family still runs Pat’s King of Steaks, serving up this iconic sandwich.
This Philly cheesesteak recipe may seem simple, but with thinly sliced steak, melted cheese, and fried onions in a hoagie roll, it’s truly perfect.
Ingredients For a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
Steak – Ribeye is the gold standard for its tenderness and rich flavor. Round steak or sirloin are also great options. Season with a touch of kosher salt and black pepper.
Onions – Caramelized onions are subtle and sweet. Use a white onion or sweet onion and feel free to add sliced green peppers or sauteed mushrooms if you’d like.
Cheese – I love topping this cheesesteak recipe with Provolone cheese. Other favorites include Cheez Whiz or American cheese. Melt the cheese on the steak right in the pan, add the toasted roll, and flip the beef over with a spatula.
Buns – Hoagie rolls are easy to find in almost any supermarket. This recipe toasts them with garlic butter for extra flavor. Italian, pretzel, brioche, or even hot dog buns will all work!
How to Make Philly Cheesesteak
- Cook onions in a large skillet until tender and golden. Set aside.
- Thinly slice, season, and cook the beef (per the recipe below).
- Stir in the onions and melt the cheese on top of the meat in the pan.
- Top with toasted hoagie rolls and use a spatula to flip the meat over into the bun.
This homemade Philly cheesesteak is one of the best, hearty sandwiches! Keep it simple or top it with cheese whiz, lettuce, tomatoes, and a side of french fries.
Feeding a Crowd? Try Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches for an easy make-ahead meal!
Leftovers
It’s best to store the fixings separately from the hoagie rolls. Keep the meat mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze, scoop the mixture into a zippered bag and label it with the date. It should keep about a month in the freezer.
To thaw, refresh the flavors with a few dashes of salt and pepper and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Hearty Sandwiches We Love
Did you love these Philly Cheesesteaks? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Philly Cheesesteaks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ribeye steak or round steak or sirloin
- ½ large white onion or 1 small white onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 hoagie rolls
- 2 tablespoons garlic butter
- 3 ounces provolone cheese or American cheese
Instructions
- Place the steak in the freezer for 30-60 minutes for easier slicing.
- Meanwhile, in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, cook the onions and butter over low heat until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Remove beef from the freezer and slice it as thinly as possible.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat. Cut the rolls open and spread garlic butter inside. Place the rolls butter-side down and cook until lightly toasted. Set aside.
- Turn the heat on the heat up to high. Add oil to the skillet. Season steak with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook just until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the onions. With the beef in the skillet, top it with the cheese slices and let it rest for about 1 minute or until melted.
- Place rolls over top of the cheese and, using a large spatula, transfer the beef mixture to the toasted rolls.
Video
Notes
2 small green bell peppers and/or sliced mushrooms can be added to the onions once they’re softened. If you don’t have garlic butter, spread butter over the rolls and sprinkle with garlic powder before broiling or grilling.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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these are one of my favorite and add peppers with the onions
This recipe was awesome with an adjustment. While this recipe may be for a steak sandwich it is not an actual Philly Cheese Steak. Philly Cheese Steaks use thinly sliced chip steak. you can purchase this from a butcher shop or you can find the Brand Steakums at most grocery stores.
Thanks for letting us know, Rachel! So happy you enjoyed this recipe :)
What a great idea! For those nights when you need something fast, but want it tasty, keep some frozen Steakums on hand and save time chopping/slicing beef!!
Great idea to keep some handy! It is such a delicious meal.
I’m looking at the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich recipe, can you tell me the amount of beef, in pound weight.
Many thanks
You will want approximately 1 pound of beef. Enjoy Linda!
Totally awesome and easy! Only thing I did different was place some banana peppers on top.
Banana peppers would be so good on these!
I made this for summer tonight. Absolutely delicious . Thank you for all your great recipes.
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Regina!
I loved the Philly cheese steak, thank you so much for sharing your recipes,
So glad you loved this Mary Ann!
Hi Holly, how do you grill the buns in a skillet if they’re not split? Just in the middle of making it, I’m sure it will be great.
I generally cut them in half, butter and grill or broil.
a GREAT sandwich
I’ve been looking forever, for a good tasting Philly cheesesteak.
This was delicious .
Thank you.
Love your recipes. For many years now I’ve been a follower and hige fan.
Great recipes & wonderful website you have. I always share the recipes I try on Facebook or with family and friends.
So glad you loved these Darlene, thank you so much for following along and sharing the recipes on Facebook!
Delicious, easy to make, recommend this for any night or during a game’
Glad you enjoyed it, Tom.
This was so easy and delicious! I couldn’t believe how quickly it all came together once I had all the ingredients prepared and ready. So tender!
Yay! That is wonderful Sharon! Glad you enjoyed it.
Save yourself some trouble and ask your butcher for shaved ribeye. Mine stalls it in packs next to the ground beef. Just season it and chopp it up a bit and it’s perfect for cheesesteaks.
Thank you for sharing your tip!
Delicious! Have made twice aleady!
This recipe is so easy to make and it was delicious!
We tried this recipe and it was delicious!! Putting the steak in the freezer to cut beef thin, was key to the success of this sandwich!! We are making it again tonight!!! I recommend this sandwich!!! Yum!!!!
Easy and good! I added a little Worcestershire sauce when seasoning the steak and it tasted great.
Holly, OMG this is the best ever. Followed your recipe exactly and it came out delicious. What an easy recipe. The hardest thing was just slicing the meat after being in the freezer. My husband used to buy Philly steak subs and I knew he was missing it. But he said this topped it all. Thank you so much for sharing all your recipes, as I look forward all your recipes you post on FB daily.
Thanks again.
So happy to hear this Ferryal! I am glad we were able to help you make his day! :)