Triple Pepper Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

All the flavors of your favorite hoagie shop, done faster, easier and (if you can believe it) even more deliciously, right at home in your very own kitchen. This easy Philly cheesesteak skillet takes only a handful of simple ingredients to whip up, and it’s undeniably delicious. It’s sort of a “what’s not to love about that?” type of situation.

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But the best part of this recipe, and today’s My Kitchen Little trick, is embracing this easy way to stretch two (affordable) steaks to feed four people. We’re going to use only 2 sirloin steaks in this recipe, slicing each very thin and then pounding the heck out of them. Half of this skillet dinner’s story really involves vegetables – tons of them. We’ll slice up a whole sweet onion and a couple of bell peppers for this recipe, and we’ll also use a bunch of chopped sweet Italian peppers as well. That’s my special flavor trick here, those sweet little peppers. They add another layer of flavor to the pan, their faint sweetness coupled with the sweet onion really complements the salty, savory flavors of the steak.

Lastly, we’ll slather some creamy, garlicky chipotle mayo all over the sliced hoagie rolls and call it dinner. This is SUCH a fantastic recipe guys, a really cool weeknight meal that tends to please everyone.

Steak Tips

Okay, so I already waxed on about how cool it is that we’re stretching two (affordable) steaks to feed four people in this recipe, but there are a couple of good tricks that I lean on when I make cheesesteaks.

Use a very sharp knife when slicing the meat. I use my best, sharpest chef’s knife for this job, to ensure the steak cuts easily, safely, and cleanly – we want easy slices, not torn shreds, you know?
Pound it out! I throw my steak slices into a large, reusable plastic bag and pound them with my fist – no need for a mallet or special heavyweight tool here. Your fist will do the job perfectly. Also, you don’t technically have to put the steak slices into a bag of any sort, if you don’t keep those around. You can lay them out on a big cutting board or sheet pan and just whack away at them. It’s not some serious, technical thing here. Just pound them out a little, however you see fit. This will stretch them even further and help to tenderize the meat as well.
Don’t overcook! Please, whatever you do, don’t overcook the steak! The deliciousness of your sandwiches depends on it. My method is to throw the steak into the hot pan, season, and just let them cook almost all the way through on one side; takes a few minutes. I flip, cook for another minute and then I add my veggies and cheese, and them send it into the oven just for a few minutes, mostly to melt the cheese. That’s it, no extra minutes here – it’s fast and easy.

What You’ll Need to Make this Triple Pepper Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

Olive oil, or other neutral oil, for cooking

1 sweet onion, sliced

2 green bell peppers, sliced

1 cup chopped sweet Italian peppers (from a jar; I use Mezzetta)

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tsp garlic powder, dividedc

2 sirloin steaks, very thinly sliced

1.5 cup shredded provolone or Italian cheese blend

1 cup mayonnaise

2 to 4 tsp adobo sauce, from a can of chipotle peppers (see NOTE)

To serve: Split hoagie rolls

How to make this easy Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position.

Add about 1 TBSP of oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over med-high heat. Add the sliced onion, bell pepper and chopped sweet Italian peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender and slightly charred; about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl/plate and set aside for now.

Place the sliced steak into a large, zip-top plastic bag and close it. Using your palm or a fist, pound the meat a little bit, flattering the slices and tenderizing it some.

Add a little more oil to the pan (about 1 TBSP). When the oil is glistening, add the steak in an even layer. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of the garlic powder. Allow it to brown deeply on one side before flipping. Flip and cook for about a minute more (it will finish in the oven, and you don’t want to overdo it).

Add the veggies back into the pan, mixing them in with the steak somewhat. Top with the cheese and place in the oven to melt/finish cooking; 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the mayo, adobo sauce or chipotle powder, and remaining teaspoon of garlic powder in a small bowl.

When the cheesesteak skillet is done, remove it from the oven and pile the cheesy steak and veggies on top of hoagie rolls, along with any pan juices.

A Quick Chipotle Tip

I keep my chipotle peppers and their adobo sauce in a container in my freezer, just thawing and using what I need for specific recipes. I never use a whole can at once, so this is a good way to prevent waste.

In this cheesesteak skillet recipe, I just use the adobo sauce, as it provides the smoky, spicy flavor to the mayo without being too much. Alternatively, you could absolutely blend a minced chipotle pepper into the mayo, or use ½ to 1 tsp ground chipotle powder, instead.