Having never been to Philadelphia, I can’t vouch for the authenticity of these sandwiches. But I can tell you they are delicious. Even better, they are easy and fun to make. My husband always helps me make these, because he thinks slicing the meat is pretty neat.
I usually buy whole-wheat hoagie rolls for these sandwiches. I made some whole wheat french bread rolls this time. They got a lot bigger than I expected in the second rise, so the sandwich looks huge in this picture. The amount of filling is the right amount for four sandwiches, but there is a lot more bread than for a normal hoagie roll.
Philly Cheesesteaks (Serves 4)
1 lb top round steak
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 onion, sliced
6 ounces of provolone cheese, sliced
4 whole wheat sandwich rolls
1. Slice steak into 1 inch strips. Place in a freezer bag and put in freezer for at least 1 hour.
2. Place largest slicing disk on food processor. Feed frozen steak strips through food processor. You should have small slices and some shaved pieces of meat.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add sliced peppers, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add sliced onion. Cook for about 5 minutes more, or until vegetables are mostly tender.
4. Add steak and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes or so. Place slices of cheese over the top of the meat/vegetable mixture to evenly distribute. Cover pan, and cook until cheese melts. Serve in sandwich rolls.
Nutritional Information (Amount per sandwich):
Calories: 501
Protein: 44 g
Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: 101 mg
Carbohydrates: 39 g
Fiber: 6 g
Sodium: 775 mg
Recipe Notes: If you can’t find top round steak, I have used flank steak as well. It isn’t as lean, so do try to find the top round. When freezing the meat, you want a good balance of being frozen but not rock solid. If it is too frozen, the slicing blade can have a hard time with it. If you don’t have a food processor, no problem– just try to slice the steak as thinly as possible before cooking it. You’ll likely have to cook the meat a little longer, too. When I buy provolone, it comes in 1.5 ounce slices, so I use 4 slices. If yours comes in 1 ounce slices, you could decrease the cheese to just 4 slices. This would save you calories, fat, and sodium. But, it is a cheesesteak, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
I know the nutrition facts don’t look that great for this sandwich. But here is a commercial cheesesteaks nutrition facts:
Calories: 760 calories
Protein: 57 g
Fat: 32 g
Saturated Fat: 17 g
Cholesterol: 145 mg
Carbohydrates: 65 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 2500 mg
Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen