Last week, as part of the Food & Fitness Link-up, I discovered a Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe. Then I discovered another form of the recipe – a Philly Cheesesteak Spinach Salad. I thought I’d share my versions of them here. Please let me know what you think!

After trying an excellent Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich at the The Bulldog – Lowertown and tasting the best Philly Cheesesteak in the Twin Cities at Devil’s Advocate, I thought it was time to try this recipe for a Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe out on my husband. I know it couldn’t measure up, but it might be something he’d be willing to eat at home from time to time.

I changed it up a bit, so it probably is no longer a Sloppy Joe. But I’m using ground beef here, which makes it different from a traditional CheeseSTEAK. So you really can call it whatever you want.

~

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe on a Baguette

Makes 4 servings

• olive oil
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped (or substitute green bell pepper)
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 Tbsp steak sauce, such as A-1 {Have an A-1 Day!}
• 1/2 to 1 cup beef broth (save some for the cheese sauce below)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 to  2 baguettes/loaves of French bread (preferably the take-and-bake variety)
• Cheese sauce (see below)

Let me first preface this with the following:

1. I have never made a Philly Cheesesteak before
2. I don’t think I’d even make the meat of Sloppy Joes this way. I mean, where is the tomato sauce?
3. We don’t normally have steak sauce in the house. It just so happens that one of our friends who makes the best bloody marys ever, uses A-1. There were just under 2 Tbsp left and the bottle was to expire in just about a month. Coincidence? I think not.
4. Is it really a Sloppy Joe if it’s on a baguette?

Method:

• Preheat the oven for the take-and bake baguette or to toast the baguette lightly. Put in oven and bake according to directions or until lightly browned and toasty.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the onion (or green pepper) and cook until soft and translucent.
• Add the ground beef and cook about 5-6 minutes. (Meanwhile, start the cheese sauce.)
• Stir in the steak sauce and beef broth (a little at a time, so it doesn’t become too runny) and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil and cook about 2 minutes.

Cheese Sauce:

I fully admit that my intention was to make the Philly Cheesesteak Cheese Sauce {click and scroll down to the middle of that Pad Thai page for the recipe} that I read about on My Bizzy Kitchen. However, when I got home and was in the midst of cooking, I realized that I didn’t have any milk. But what I did has was about 1/4 to 1/3 of a package left of Boursin Cheese –  Shallot and Chive flavor. I decided to turn what was leftover into my my cheese sauce. Here’s how:

• Melt Boursin cheese on low heat in a medium sauce pan.
• As it starts to melt, slowly add beef broth, a little at a time, heating through until desired consistency.

That was it!

I sliced the warm baguette into sandwich sizes and cut them down the middle so I could add the filling. I filled with as much ground beef as possible and topped with the cheese sauce. {But I forgot to line the baguette with a little cheese sauce first, which I swear they do at Devil’s Advocate!}

These were phenomenal. No kidding. I may have liked them even more than my beef-loving husband. Did the warm baguette have something to do with it?

Probably.

~

Then, just a couple of days ago, I received an email from Green Lite Bites to make this Philly Cheesesteak Spinach Salad. I had a bag of spinach to use up and had already planned to marinate some cubed round steak. So here we go with my version!

Philly Cheesesteak Spinach Salad

(Inspired by GreenLiteBites.com) – Makes 2 servings

• olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped (or substitute green bell pepper)
• 12 oz round steak (cubed)
• 1/2 recipe Best Beef Marinade. Ever.
• 1- 1.5 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach

Method:

• Marinade cubed beef in Best Beef Marinade. Ever.
• Allow for the flavors to meld in the fridge for at least one hour.
• Divide two plates with the spinach.
• Heat skillet to medium-high and add olive oil.
• Sauté onion until soft and transluscent.
• Add beef and sauté until browned and cooked to your liking.
• Reduce heat to low, top with shredded cheese and cover until melted.
• Slide 1/2 of beef mixture over each plate of spinach.

I really love the spinach with this dish, especially when it starts to wilt after the hot meat is on it for a while. I may try to stir in the spinach when I’m cooking the beef next time instead!

What is your favorite version of a Philly Cheeseteak?

Cheers~
Carrie