Super quick and easy Philly cheesesteak recipe with indulgent provolone cheese sauce! Let me show you how to make practically fail-proof cheese sauce, so you too can make weeknight dinner a little more special.
Philly cheesesteak sandwiches are our favorite go-to dinner on a typical weeknight. It literally takes less than 30 minutes to make it.
But honestly, it gets a little boring sometimes.
Well, that’s not a bad problem to have, because there’s a quick fix for that…
Smother them sandwiches with indulgent Provolone cheese sauce!!! It’s creamy smooth and SO flavorful! I mean, who would say no to a cheese sauce, right?
Homemade Philly Cheesesteak Ingredients
- Bacon fat – adds great flavor to the sauce. You may substitute butter, if needed.
- Flour – is used for thickening the sauce. Use regular all purpose flour.
- Milk – I recommend whole milk for rich flavor and texture, but 2% milk will work too.
- Provolone cheese – is semi-hard Italian cheese. Choose mild and creamy Provolone Dolce.
- Hoagie rolls – are long and flat rolls perfect for sandwiches
- Steak – Ribeye steak and top sirloin steak are the best cuts for making these sandwiches.
- Vegetables – are optional and you can also use frozen ones, if you had some in the freezer as your meal prep routine.
How To Make Provalone Cheese Sauce
As mentioned earlier, it’s quite easy to make a good cheese sauce!
- Step 1. We’ll start with making a roux by roasting all-purpose flour in bacon fat (or butter). Cook the mixture until it’s light brown color and smells toasted. Be careful not burn it! (I wrote a complete guide on how to make roux earlier. Check it out for more detailed information.)
- Step 2. Stir in cold milk, whisking constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, take it off heat.
- Step 3. And then add grated Provolone cheese and stir until smooth.
Voila! Now that cheese sauce is ready, let’s cook the sandwiches.
How to make Philly Cheesesteak
By no means I claim this as an authentic Philly cheese steak recipe. In fact, I’ve never been to Philly and never tried an authentic version.
That being said, this’s how we make it and keep it simple with quality ingredients for maximum flavor!
- Step 1. Toast the buns!!! Buttery crispy toasted buns are everything! You can use either butter or mayo. I often use mayo, if I don’t have softened butter.
- Step 2. Sauté the vegetables, if you’re using. Honestly, we often skip this part, because Garrat doesn’t process onions and peppers well. But if I have some on hand, I add it. I always serve it separately though.
- Step 3. Make sure to thinly slice the steaks and cook them on high heat for quick 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Here’s a genius trick to thinly slice the meat at home!
- Step 4. Divide the meat into 4 equal piles, place cheese slices on top to melt. Then put a bun over the meat and flip over.
Serve with the cheese sauce and sautéed veggies.
Yeah, once you try this Philly cheesesteak recipe, with or without the cheese sauce, you’ll understand why it’s such a staple in our family! And quite honestly, it’s a great casual dinner for a company too.
If you’re not up for making the cheese sauce, you can simply omit that. Also, feel free to use American cheese in place of Provolone cheese. Again, flexibility is the best part of this recipe!
How to serve the Best Philly Cheesesteak
Serve Philly cheesesteak sandwiches with veggies and cheese sauce on the side.
How to store a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
Wrap the assembled sandwich in foil without the cheese sauce and refrigerate. When ready to serve, place the wrapped sandwich in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes, or until fully heated through and cheese is melted. It’s a great grab and go for a quick meal!
Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
Ingredients
For provolone sauce:
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat or butter (Note 1)
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk Note 2
- ½ cup 4oz grated Provolone cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
For sandwiches:
- 4 hoagie rolls
- 4 tablespoons butter or mayo
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil, divided
- ½ white onion chopped, optional, (Note 3)
- ½ green bell pepper diced, optional
- ½ red bell pepper diced, optional
- 1.5 lbs 675gr thinly sliced ribeye steak, or top sirloin steak (Note 4)
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 slices Provolone cheese
Instructions
- To make provolone sauce, melt bacon fat (or butter) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. (If using butter, let the butter to cook for 30 seconds or so to evaporate water. It should bubble up, but don’t let the butter brown.)
- Add flour and cook the flour, stirring continuously, for no more than 2 minutes, or until flour turns slightly golden color. (This’s called white roux, which will thicken the cheese sauce and make it nice and smooth.)
- Slowly pour in milk into the roux, while whisking the mixture continuously. Once all the milk is added, cook it for another 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Whisk until cheese is fully melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To prepare the rolls, slice hoagie rolls ¾ way and smear 1 tablespoon of butter, or mayo inside of each roll.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Place the rolls cut-side down on hot skillet and toast until nice and golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To cook the vegetables, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet you toasted the roll. When oil is hot, add the diced onion and bell peppers and cook until nice and soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer onto a small plate.
- To cook the meat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add the sliced steaks, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is fully cooked, no more than 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and divide the meat into 4 equal parts in the skillet. Place 2 slices of provolone cheese over each steak piles. Let it melt for a minute or so. Then place toasted hoagie roll on each steak pile. Slide a spatula under the meat and flip the sandwiches one at a time.
- Serve immediately with provolone cheese sauce.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts:
Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich Recipe FAQ
In my opinion, creamy and mild Provolone Dolce is the best cheese for Philly Cheesesteak.
Thinly shaved ribeye steak is the best meat for making these famous sandwiches.
Hoagie rolls are a classic bread for these cheesesteak sandwiches.
anonymous says
can the chesse sauce be made ahead and stored in the fridge? If so, for how long?
Ty says
Can this be refrigerated for a certain amount of time? Will it thicken too much?
Shinee says
Hi, Ty. Yes, you can refrigerate it, it won’t thicken too much. Gently reheat it when ready to serve.