With football season in full swing and World Cup soccer finals fast approaching, I thought it might be time to share a crowd-pleasing, game day recipe. Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers are easy to prepare ahead of time. They can be finished in the oven right before serving. These stuffed peppers will deliver the beefy, cheesy goodness of Philly’s beloved sandwich, without all the carbs.
Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches were invented in the 1930’s by two brothers who normally sold hotdogs. In an effort to invent a new product, they decided to sell grilled beef and onions in a hoagie style bun. The original sandwich didn’t even have cheese! Once the sandwich gained popularity, the brothers moved it from their hotdog stand to their brick and mortar restaurant where they added provolone as a topping. Today, cheesesteak sandwiches have evolved to include peppers and mushrooms as well as quirky add ons like pickled peppers or pizza sauce.
Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers require a well marbled cut of beef. A sirloin steak works great for this recipe. If you don’t have that on hand, you can substitute a chuck steak or ribeye. There is no marinade needed for this recipe as the flavor comes from the steak itself. Because I cook with pasture raised and finished beef, it is important to add fat in the cooking process. This beef is not as marbled as corn/grain fed beef. It needs the addition of extra fat to boost the flavor profile to our traditional expectations.
Sirloin steak is a good choice for Philly cheesesteak. If you need a budget saving alternative, consider adapting the recipe to use ground beef.
Regarding ingredients, I always use pastured, organic dairy products whenever possible. I also use organic produce when an item appears on EWG’s Dirty Dozen list, so for this recipe, I’m sure to buy organic peppers. Where I am, Aldi is a good, reasonably priced source for both the organic peppers and the pasture raised, organic butter.
In one heated pan, melt the butter and then sear the steaks on each side. Once brown and crispy, remove the steaks and add in the sliced vegetables.
Cook the vegetables until mostly tender, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
While the steak and vegetables are cooking on the stovetop, place the halved peppers on a pan, face down. Cook in the oven for ten minutes, then remove the pan and flip the peppers to ready them for stuffing.
Once the steak has had a chance to rest, separate the fat from the meaty portions, then slice the steak into thin pieces.
It’s okay if the steak is less done than you prefer. It will continue to cook in the oven when you stuff the peppers.
Mix the steak with the cooked vegetables, and then stuff the peppers with the mixture. Heap all of the steak on until you’ve used up your mixture.
Cover each pepper with sliced or shredded provolone cheese.
Enjoy this Philly cheesesteak alternative with red pepper flakes, pickled peppers, and/or hot sauce. And as always, make this recipe your own.
Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
– frying pan
– sheet pan
– parchment paper
– 2.5-3 lbs sirloin steak
– sea salt
– cracked pepper
– 2 tbsp butter
– 3-4 red/orange/yellow peppers, halved
– 2 onions, sliced thin
– 4 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 8 oz package baby Bella mushrooms, sliced thin
– provolone slices or shredded cheese
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove the steak(s) from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper each side to your taste. (I find that it takes more salt than I expected when I was first learning to cook…like at least a tsp between two steaks.)
3. Cover a sheet pan in parchment paper and lay the halved peppers face down across the pan. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and flip the peppers face up.
4. While the peppers are cooking, in a heated pan over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the steak(s). All the steak(s) to sear for 2-3 minutes on each side. The steak(s) should appear brown and crispy when ready to flip. When done, remove from the pan and let the steak(s) rest on a cutting board.
5. Add the sliced onions, garlic, and mushrooms to the frying pan. Stir them around to pick up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add butter or oil if the pan is too dry and the vegetables are sticking. Once everything has become tender and fragrant, turn off the burner and removed the pan from heat.
6. Return to the cutting board. Slice the steak(s) thin, discarding any chunks of fat. Once sliced, add the steak pieces back to the pan with the veggies.
7. Use the mixture in the pan to stuff the peppers, dividing the mixture evenly between peppers. Top with sliced or shredded provolone cheese.
8. Return the pan to the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Then, remove the peppers from the oven and serve!
Here on SpringForestFarm.com, Jennifer Taylor Schmidt writes beef recipes for the busy, natural homemaker. It is possible to seek optimal health with limited time and money. Join Jennifer in future posts as she explores the possibilities found in a 1/4 and a 1/2 beeve. You can also find her thoughts and personal health journey on RealFoodRealHealing.com.
Spring Forest Farm 
One thought on “Eating Well Made Easy: Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers”