When asked about my favorite sandwich, I almost immediately respond with the classic Philly Cheesesteak. Warm, gooey cheese melted over thin sliced ribeye steak with sauteed peppers and onions.....YUM! While many traditionalists prefer Cheez Whiz, I tend to lean more towards a mild and tangy provolone myself. That being said, I'm not very much of a bread eater, so it got me to thinking about how I can enjoy those same flavors while cutting the carbs?!?! Today's recipe, Philly Cheesesteak Casserole, transforms the sandwich into a delicious baked meal that is KETO/low carb friendly, yet retains all the tasty components! It only takes a few minutes of prep work and a handful of ingredients to create this new take on a much-loved sandwich...Let's Get Cooking!
A true Philly Cheesesteak typically uses shaved ribeye steak as the meat. I'm not going to tell you to cheat and use any thin sliced steak you can find at the local market, but unless you want to spend a ton of time shaving a ribeye, just use whatever thin sliced beef you find at the local market! If you cannot find anything suitable at your normal grocery store, both Asian and Mexican markets are great resources for thin sliced beef cuts used in their cuisines. I fully admit I was a bit lazy and totally cheated with pre-sliced beef. Other than the beef, slice an onion and a couple bell peppers, any color really, into long strips. Other than this minimal knife work, remove the cream cheese from the fridge so it can start warming up and softening.
Begin the cooking process by heating some oil over Medium-High heat in a fairly large skillet. Since the beef is thinly sliced, we just want to quickly season and sear it before removing it from the pan. Once your pan is hot, add the beef and season it with some garlic salt and pepper. Sauté the beef for about 3-4 minutes, which should be just long enough to brown the outsides but keep the insides in that Rare to Medium-Rare range. If you are in doubt, I suggest leaning more towards the Rare side and pulling the beef earlier since it will later get further cooked during the baking process. Times will vary according to thickness so adjust accordingly. Once your beef has been quickly seared, remove it from the pan to prevent overcooking it and set aside for now.
Using the same pan, add a bit more oil and drop in your sliced bell peppers. Sauté the pepper strips for 2 minutes or so to start the softening process before adding the sliced onion. Let the peppers and onion cook for 3-4 minutes total, just shy of the onions turning translucent, before moving on.
Next, add the semi-softened cream cheese, Worcestershire Sauce, and beef stock to the veggies and continue to sauté everything over Medium-High heat until the cream cheese fully melts. Depending on how long you let the cream cheese sit out beforehand, this should only take 2-3 minutes, being careful to not overcook the veggies.
Remove the pan from the heat and return the seared beef back to the pan. Stir well until the beef is fully coated in the sauce and everything is combined. The beef should soak up a majority of the sauce leaving what looks like beef and veggies in a gravy sauce. If you have excess sauce, try to drain it off as much as possible to prevent ending up with a soupy mess in the end. The veggies will likely release a bit more liquid during the baking process so the thicker the mixture at this point, the better.
If you haven't already, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In the meantime, pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking/casserole dish. You don't need to worry about greasing or spraying the dish beforehand as the mixture itself is fairly non-stick.
Top the casserole with provolone cheese. You can use either shredded or sliced cheese, so anything you already have on hand in the fridge will work fine. Shredded cheese will likely melt a bit faster, though, so keep that in mind if you use full slices. You may need to adjust the baking time somewhat, but ultimately, we all are just watching for the cheese to melt and that's it for the bake timing.
Once your oven is preheated, simply slide the casserole dish in, uncovered, and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese has fully melted. Again, just take a peek around that 12 to13 minute timeframe and adjust accordingly.
Once the cheese has fully melted, remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest a few minutes before serving. It is perfectly fine at this point, but if you wish, feel free to place it under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the cheese on top. That is a bit more personal preference, so I didn't make it an additional step on the recipe card, but to each their own so do as you wish. I will say, however, a little browning and crisping of the cheese sure adds a nice hint of additional flavor to the final dish.
Whether you just love Philly Cheesesteaks and want to try a new version to scarf down or trying to watch your carb intake and following that KETO diet, this Philly Cheesesteak Casserole is the best of both worlds and can be enjoyed by all! As you just read, it is simple, requires minimal effort and ingredients, and ready to enjoy within 45 minutes or so making it a great midweek dinner option. Obviously, you can tweak the recipe a bit and add mushrooms if you're one of those fungus lovers, or even change up the cheese with American slices if you so prefer. There is no right or wrong Philly Cheesesteak, so give this casserole a try and let me know what you thought with a comment below or tag me on Instagram using @grubbongrub with pictures of your version and any changes you may have made. As always, just get in the kitchen and create delicious food for the people you love...Just Keep Cooking!
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK CASSEROLE
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