Philly Cheesesteak
Tender, thinly sliced ribeye and caramelized onions melted together with provolone, all tucked into a toasted garlic butter hoagie roll.
- 1 lb ribeye steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 8 slices provolone cheese, mild (not aged provolone)
- 4 hoagie rolls, sliced 3/4 through
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 2 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons oil, divided (for sautéing — noted in the method but not listed in the original source's ingredients)
- Using a serrated knife, slice each hoagie roll about three-quarters of the way through so it opens like a book but still holds together as one piece. Dice the onion and thinly slice the ribeye — for the cleanest, thinnest slices, freeze the steak for 20 to 30 minutes beforehand, since a firmer piece of meat is much easier to shave thin than one that's fully soft.
- In a small bowl, mash together the softened butter and pressed garlic clove until evenly combined. Spread this garlic butter over the cut sides of the hoagie rolls, then toast them cut-side down on a large skillet or griddle over medium heat until golden brown; set the toasted rolls aside once done.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the same pan and add the diced onion. Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and turns translucent, sprinkling in a light pinch of salt as it cooks to help draw out moisture and speed the caramelization. Continue cooking until the onion turns deeply golden and sweet, then transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Spread the thinly sliced steak out in a single even layer and let it sear undisturbed for a couple of minutes so a good brown crust develops before you touch it.
- Flip the steak, season it with the salt and black pepper, and continue cooking, breaking it up slightly as you go, until it's fully cooked through. Stir the caramelized onions back into the pan with the steak so the flavors come together.
- Divide the steak and onion mixture into four even portions right in the pan, then lay two slices of provolone over each portion. Turn off the heat immediately afterward — the residual warmth in the pan is enough to melt the cheese fully without overcooking the meat underneath.
- Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the toasted side of each hoagie roll. Working one portion at a time, set a toasted roll cut-side down over the cheesy steak and use a spatula to scrape the filling into the bun as you flip the whole thing over. Serve immediately while everything is warm and the cheese is still melted.
Chef's Note: The secret to an authentic cheesesteak texture is genuinely paper-thin steak, which is why the freezer trick matters more than it might seem — a partially frozen piece of ribeye holds its shape under the knife in a way that fresh, fully soft meat simply won't. That thinness is also what lets the beef cook through in just a couple of minutes on high heat, keeping it tender instead of tough.
If you'd like to bulk up the filling or swap out the onion entirely, sliced bell peppers or mushrooms sautéed the same way work beautifully alongside or in place of the onion. These come together fast enough for a weeknight dinner, but everything from the garlic butter to the caramelized onions can be prepped a little ahead if you want to streamline the final assembly.
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