Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread
Combine two favorites into one with this Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread – shaved steak, peppers + onions, melted cheese…all on top of buttery, garlicky bread!
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When I first set out to make this recipe, I intended on making a Philly cheesesteak version of French bread pizza. I opened the cupboard to pull out a jar of pizza sauce…but no pizza sauce. Apparently I had missed ‘pizza sauce’ on the shopping list that week. Well hmmm.
I then looked for canned tomatoes as I figured I could make a pizza sauce. Nope. No tomatoes to be found. So I improvised a bit and landed on garlic bread. I’m kinda glad I did! That French bread pizza would probably have been delicious, but this Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread was a winner for sure.
The ingredients for garlic bread require a few staples that I always keep around – butter, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings. Whip all of those together and brush it on bread for an easy + delicious garlic bread treat. That’s just what I did for this recipe, but then I kept on going and piled shaved steak and sautéed peppers and onions on top. Oh yeah, and cheese!
Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread
Although the exact origin of the Philly cheesesteak is somewhat debated, the general consensus is that this sandwich was created in Philadelphia in the 1930s. At the time, it began as chopped steak and grilled onions on a hoagie roll.
Over time, it expanded to include sautéed peppers and then cheese. The traditional cheese was provolone – a milder cheese with good melting ability. Then something happened in the 1950’s. Cheez Whiz spread in popularity, and this processed cheese sauce became a popular topping for cheesesteaks.
I’ve never been able to get on the Cheez Whiz bandwagon, so I used provolone cheese for this Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread. However, I know a number of folks who swear that a Philly cheesesteak must include Cheez Whiz. If you’re one of those people, go for it! In fact, the New York Times once called Cheez Whiz “the sine qua non of cheesesteak connoisseurs” (i.e. essential element).
I’ll stick with provolone, but you do you. After all, we’re talking shaved steak, onions and peppers on top of buttery, garlicky bread – you can’t go wrong with that combination!
A quick note about the shaved steak on this garlic bread. Shaved steak is likely available from the butcher at your local grocery store. I did have to ask where it was located as it wasn’t with the rest of the steak. So if you don’t see it, ask!
If all else fails, you can purchase a top round or bottom round. Then you can make shaved steak at home by freezing the beef, thawing it slightly and then slicing it as thinly as possible. That is a bit of a pain, though – so just ask your butcher if they can slice it for you. Either way, shaved steak is a favorite in our house for making steak sandwiches…and now this Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread, too!
Did you make this Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread
Ingredients
For the Cheesesteak
- 1 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 16 oz. shaved steak or thinly sliced ribeye steak
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
For the Garlic Bread
- 1 loaf French bread
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
For the Cheesesteak
- Using a large sauté pan, add ½ Tbsp of oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, add sliced onions, peppers and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Transfer mixture into a separate large bowl; set aside.
- Add remaining ½ Tbsp of oil and increase heat to high. Spread shaved steak out into an even layer in the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of steak and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip steak and continue sautéing until fully cooked.
- Transfer cooked steak into bowl with cooked vegetables. Add oregano and smoked paprika; stir until well combined.
For the Garlic Bread
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Slice the French bread in half lengthwise. Place both halves cut-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Using a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings; stir until well combined. Brush this mixture evenly over the tops of both halves of bread.
- Line each half of bread with 4 slices of provolone cheese. Divide steak mixture evenly between two halves and sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese has fully melted.
- Remove from oven and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Looking for more Philly cheesesteak inspired recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Philly Cheesesteak Monkey Bread
Cant wait to make this soon for me for the cheesesteak can i use mushrooms and skip red and green bell peppers as am not a big fan of red and green bell peppers and garlic bread can i use vegan butter and cheeses i never had cheesesteak garlic bread before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
I think sauteed mushrooms on a roll would be pretty tasty, Ramya! I haven’t used vegan butter and cheeses, but I would think they’d work well here. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
What a great idea David! You’ve made garlic bread even more delicious with this recipe! This Philly Cheesesteak Garlic Bread looks out of this world. 😋 That’s so interesting about the provolone and Cheez Whiz history. Like you, I choose provolone, definitely!
Yeah…the Cheez Whiz thing really confuses me. But there are a lot of folks out there that swear by it and say a Philly cheesesteak must have Cheez Whiz. *shrug* All I know is this version is fantastic!! 🙂 Thanks, Shannon!
People who get a philly cheesesteak at a regular pizza or sandwich shop are generally given provolone. A person has to ask for anything else.
You make a good point, Joe. I highly doubt regular pizza or sandwich shops even have Cheez Whiz as an option.
Man, I’d love to come over to your house — you’ve got the best eats! These garlic bread really gets such a level-up with the addition of that shaved steak and melty cheese… mmm!
Hahaha – we do like to mix up the eats here in our house a good bit. After all, when you start with butter, cheese and garlic, it’s kinda hard to go wrong! 🙂
I can smell the garlic from here … Yum. this looks so delicious david. Can you send some magically to me? :=)
Oh that garlic smell, Sherry! It was SO good. Nothing beats the smell of onions and garlic sautéing in a pan, right?? I wish I could make this magically appear in front of you, but sadly that technology just hasn’t been invented yet. Haha!
Talk about the best of both worlds!! I can only imagine just how good this so. I wish I could reach through my screen and grab a piece (or five, lol). This has got to get on the menu soon. I know it would be a hit in our home! P.S. I’m a Cheez Whiz fan, but love provolone too. 😉
Oh you’re telling me, Dawn! I mean garlic bread by itself is amazing, but then you top it with steak, onions, peppers and cheese? Holy cow!! 🙂
A Philly cheese steak on garlic bread is a natural-why not? Traveling to Philly I took the Philly Steak challenge and I agree with you-I could not embrace the cheez Whiz.
Happy New Year! Looking forward to following your great recipes.
Velva
Yes! You should always try something the way the locals recommend it…at least once. This fun mash-up of garlic bread and Philly Cheesesteaks came out pretty well. 🙂 Happy New Year right back at ya, my friend!
Isn’t it annoying when you’re about to make a recipe and then find out you don’t have the ingredients that you thought you had? Still what you came up with here David, when you found out you didn’t have pizza sauce is absolutely delicious. I can smell the garlic from here!
Oh, missing ingredients is the worst! I typically plan out our menus a week at a time, but there have been times that I opened the fridge or the pantry…only to then find myself making a dash to the grocery store. This time the missing pizza sauce worked out pretty well! 🙂 Thanks, Neil!
One of my favorite sandwiches so I can’t wait to try it in this french bread version!
Oh there are so many good flavors going on here, Kathy! I hope you enjoy this fun mash-up!
Yes please! that garlic French bread will give it a nice character, garlicky, buttery with a nice crust
You can say that again, Raymund! This bread is fantastic!
Now this is some fine garlic bread. I used to see shaved beef when we lived in New Hampshire but I’ve never seen it here in Florida. It is funny how different parts of the country can have such different cuts of meat.
Confession: I actually made this recipe back when we lived in New York. Shaved beef was common up there. I haven’t seen it here in Asheville, but I also haven’t gone looking for it. I believe there are some companies that make frozen shaved beef (for Philly cheesesteaks), and that would be totally fine for this recipe.