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You are here: Home / Recipes by Category / Entrees/Main Dishes / Instant Pot Easy Philly Cheesesteak

Instant Pot Easy Philly Cheesesteak

November 8, 2018

Last modified on October 25th, 2019

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Philly Cheesesteak held in hands

Tender flavorful meat, topped with mushrooms, peppers, onions, melty provolone, and a simple garlic aioli = this dreamy Instant Pot Easy Philly Cheesesteak.  I am in Heaven.  Directions for lazy day version and the gourmet version below!


Philly Cheesesteak on a wood cutting board

 

I have had way too many disappointing Philly Sandwiches in my lifetime.  Can you relate?

I look at the menu and instantly the battle between The Philly and The Reuben begins.  The past few years, juicy slices of steak, sauteed peppers and onions, and melty cheese win me over every time.

Then the letdown . . . 95% of the time the steak is tough, chewy, and flavorless, the peppers and onions are crunchy and equally flavorless.  And wait . . . where's all my melty cheese?  Where's the flava'!

I finally found the most incredible Philly Cheesesteak ever at a local Greek restaurant.  A soft white roll is slathered with garlic butter, topped with juicy, tender bites of lamb, and packed with garlic butter bathed veggies.  A pound of cheese is melted throughout the sandwich and it is utter perfection.

Unfortunately by the time I'm finished eating, I feel as if I ate half of a can of Crisco which I imagine would feel like a blah, icky, fat overload hangover.

Time to take matters into my own hands!

I need a tender, juicy, flavorful Philly without the need for a 10-hour nap.  Oh hey there Instant Pot, let's work some magic.

Philly Cheesesteak on a wood cutting board

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS EASY PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

  • Juicy, tender meat ready in minutes while you do something more productive like teach kids how to play Olly Olly Oxen Free
  • You get to control the fat, calorie, and salt content.  In other words, no food coma
  • Sooooooooooo Easy and about a billion times better than any restaurant Philly

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

  1. Whip up the flavorful marinade and add the meat.  Let it sit overnight or cook it right away, either is fabulous!  Prep veggies as it cooks (see options below)
  2. When meat is finished, toast up a whole grain hoagie
  3. Add the meat and veggies
  4. Top with thin slices of provolone and place it under the broiler until melty, ooey, gooey
  5. Put the lid on
  6. EAT!

Philly Cheesesteak held in hands

For a quick and easy side dish, top a bed of spinach with salted tomatoes, and a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar.  Simplicity at its finest!

Yellow tomato and spinach salad

OPTIONS FOR A LAZY PHILLY CHEESESTEAK VS A GOURMET PHILLY

I've made 2 versions of this Philly Cheesesteak: The “I'm tired, stressed, and I need dinner on the table ASAP” version and the “I've got an extra 20 minutes” version.  Here are your choices:

SLICE YOUR MEAT . . . OR DON'T

Thinly slice your meat with a sharp knife or . . . Did you know most meat departments are perfectly happy to prepare your meat?  I buy all of my meat from one store only because A: their meat cooks up more tender and juicy than others and B: they will slice, dice, and skewer anything I request.  So lazy tip #1: bring your meat home prepped

SAUTEED PEPPERS AND ONIONS

For the gourmet version, I love perfectly browned mushrooms and a mix of red, yellow, and green crisp-tender bell peppers and sweet onions from a saute pan.

For a much easier trick, make a foil packet of peppers and onions and cook it in the pressure cooker on a trivet above the meat.  For more details on that check out this Instant Pot Fajita recipe.

For an even easier option, buy a bag of Trader Joe's frozen roasted peppers and onions and zap them in the microwave for a few minutes.  Genius.

And if you want to roll the Instant Pot way, these Instant Pot Caramelized Onions are truly magical on this sandwich.

MARINATE THE MEAT . . . OR DON'T

A nice overnight bath in this dreamy steak marinade is absolutely worth it.  Buuuuuuut, if you didn't plan ahead, just throw it all in the pot.

EASY GARLIC AIOLI OR EASIER GARLIC FLAVORED MAYO

Included in the recipe is a positively drool-able mock garlic aioli.  It takes about 5 minutes to whip up and tastes even better the second day.  Or if you're feeling hangry, add a little garlic powder and kosher salt to your favorite mayo, DONE!

No matter what direction you take here, you will not be disappointed.  It'll either be “Incredible” or “The Best Philly Cheesesteak in the World, Universe, and Beyond.”

Keep this recipe on hand for everything from “feeding eclectic guests” to “I'm starving, what can I make with minimal effort.”  It's gonna make dinner time everywhere a wonderful place to be.

Enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteak held in hands

EXTRA TIDBITS – HOW TO SLICE MEAT AGAINST THE GRAIN

Has this statement ever confused you?  I include this statement in the recipe because this is important, listen up!  How you cut meat is equally important as which cut of meat you buy when it comes to being tender.

To identify which way to cut, lay your meat on a cutting board so that the muscle fibers are running from left to right.  To cut AGAINST the grain, you will cut your meat from top to bottom.  This shortens the fibers making them easier to chew.

Cutting in the same direction as the fibers (which I've done for years because it seemed like the natural choice) results in a much tougher bite.

Make sense?  For a really nice visual see this article on The Kitchn

HOW TO REDUCE CARBS

I love a good sandwich and burger, but I don't like it when there is more bread than “stuff”.  Here are 4 tricks on how to instantly reduce carbs when eating foods that most commonly are served between bread:

  1. If using a roll (hoagie, ciabatta, etc) tear out the insides, leaving just the outside of the bread intact.  I learned this tip from Skinny Taste
  2. If using sliced bread, slice it very thin or serve it open-faced with a fork and knife
  3. Replace the bread with a lettuce cup or use lettuce cups as your “bun” (my favorite for burgers)
  4. Fill a plate with your favorite greens and scatter sandwich toppings over the top and serve with your favorite salad dressing.  I often will do this at the end of the week to use up leftovers in my fridge and pantry

VARIATION OF A STEAK PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

  • Make a Chicken Philly!  Skip the marinade time and just throw it all in the pot. Cook for 7 minutes at high pressure instead of 10.  This is delicious!
  • Use the leftovers to make an amazing eggroll, as seen in this Pepperoncini Beef Baked Egg Roll
  • Make mini Philly Cheesesteak Sliders and serve them at a party

TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

  • Instant Pot
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Instant Pot Easy Philly Cheesesteak

Philly Cheesesteak on a wood cutting board
Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.4 from 7 reviews

Tender flavorful meat topped with mushrooms, peppers, and onions, melty provolone, and a simple garlic aioli.  Heaven on a bun!

  • Author: Marci
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Pressure Cooker
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the Meat and Marinade

  • 1/3 cup lite soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 1–2 tablespoons dried basil (I like 2 T, use 1 if you don't want a strong basil flavor)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 pounds flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips

For the Veggies (see notes for easy version)

  • 2 tablespoons butter or ghee
  • 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 green bell peppers, sliced
  • 1 sweet or yellow onion, sliced

For the Garlic Aioli (see notes for easy version)

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • juice of half a lemon

To Build the Philly

  • whole grain hoagie buns
  • provolone slices (I buy the thinly sliced)

Instructions

  1. Place the marinade ingredients and flank steak in a ziplock bag or storage container and lightly shake to combine all of the seasonings.  
  2. Store in refrigerator overnight for the best flavor, making sure that the steak is immersed in the marinade.  
  3. After meat has marinated, pour all of the bag's contents into the pressure cooker pot. Arrange the meat so it is in a flat layer on the bottom of the pot as much as possible.  
  4. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
  5. When cooking is complete, use a natural release.
  6. While meat is cooking, melt butter or ghee over medium-high heat on the stove top.  Add the mushrooms, cook until they start to brown.  Add peppers and onions, a big pinch of kosher salt and pepper, cook for another 8 minutes or until crisp-tender
  7. Prepare garlic aioli: Smash garlic on a cutting board, add a pinch of kosher salt, mash and scrape the garlic until it makes a paste.  Place mashed garlic, mayo, olive oil, and lemon in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Can be made 2 days in advance.
  8. To assemble sandwich, spread both sides of the roll with garlic aioli and place under the oven broiler to brown.
  9. Heap meat and peppers onto the roll, top with provolone cheese, place under the broiler for another minute to melt the cheese.  Serve immediately with an extra spread of aioli and a side of the juices from the pot for dipping, if desired.

Freezer Instructions

  1. Label a freezer safe Ziploc bag with the recipe name, date, and contents.  Add steak and marinade ingredients to the bag and seal shut.
  2. Put the bag inside a pressure cooker pot and press the meat out so it’s flat on the bottom of the pot.  
  3. Freeze inside pressure cooker pot until solid, then remove the bag from the pot and place bag in the freezer until ready to use.
  4. When ready to cook, place the contents of the bag into the pressure cooker pot.  Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes, proceed with the rest of the above directions.

Notes

  • Marinate meat overnight for maximum flavor
  • Always slice meat against the grain for an instantly more tender chew
  • For an easier version of the veggies, make a foil packet for the peppers and onions (omit mushrooms) and place them on top of a trivet over the meat to cook along with the meat
  • For an easier version of the Garlic Aioli, simply add a dash of garlic powder and a pinch of kosher salt to mayo and whisk to combine

Keywords: instant pot recipe, philly cheesesteak, easy dinner

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Tags: basil, flank steak, garlic, green bell pepper, lemon, mayonnaise, mushroom, onion, provolone cheese, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cara says

    November 14, 2019

    We made this recipe and loved it! We used deer steaks because we have a lot of those and I needed something to do with them. Everyone in my family loved the meat, even my picky 2 year old! We liked the aioli, but I personally missed the cream cheese element and since I have already had requests from my kids to make it again, I think I will have a cream cheese mixture for those who want it. But this recipe was so fantastic that my husband took pictures of it and sent them to his family and friends!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Marci says

      November 15, 2019

      Cara, When my husband takes a picture of his food, I know I’ve found a winner:). I’m so glad you guys loved it. What cream cheese mixture to you use? I’ve never had it that way!

      Reply
      • Cara says

        November 23, 2019

        We just mix cream cheese in the meat after it’s cooked and melt it in. And sometimes we’ll also add in a drizzle of cheez wiz on top. Both of these are how they do it in Ph

  2. Shawn says

    February 23, 2019

    I thought this was a good recipe except for the basil. I’m wondering if 2 TBSP is a typo and it’s reallt 2 TSP. The meat had a strong basil taste! Otherwise a good, easy recipe!

    ★★★

    Reply
    • Marci says

      February 24, 2019

      Shawn, yes there is a present basil taste, which I love! I appreciate your feedback though and I will adjust the recipes to say 1-2 T. Thank you for letting me know your experience!

      Reply
  3. Cindy says

    February 3, 2019

    Although this recipe is fantastic and I may never buy Steak-Ums again the only thing I would do different next time is add the juice of one lemon instead of two. The lemon flavor is not overwhelming but it is definitely there. When I am paying a hefty price for flank steak I want to taste the meat and not so much lemon. I may also try Sirloin once to see if it works the same. Definitely worth trying.
    Also, another note for the Aioli Mayonnaise. I used Mayonnaise with olive oil already in it so omitted this step.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Marci says

      February 4, 2019

      Cindy, thanks for letting me know your experience and your opinion. I had to look up what Steak-umm was, I’d never heard of that :). Great tip on the Mayo too!

      Reply
  4. Kate says

    January 12, 2019

    This recipe for Philly Cheesesteaks is terrific! We loved the marinade so much! I was nervous about the lemon but it really works. The timing was perfect for London Broil. Definitely a winner that we will turn to again and again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Marci says

      January 12, 2019

      Kate, makes my mouth water every time I even think about this one, it’s so good! I’m glad you loved it too!

      Reply
  5. Cheap Converse By John Varvatos Chuck II says

    December 21, 2018

    When I initially commented I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time
    a comment is added I geet 4 emails with the same comment.
    Is there a way you are able to remove me frm that service?
    Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Marci says

      December 22, 2018

      Thanks for the heads up! I’m looking into it, I’ll get back to you soon.

      Reply
  6. Carlo says

    November 14, 2018

    Marci, I made this and it was amazing! Only I used Swiss cheese because I think mushrooms and Swiss are a perfect match. The drippings in the pot made it even more amazing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Marci says

      November 14, 2018

      Carlo, I love the swiss idea! I’m totally doing that the next time. I’m thrilled you enjoyed it. It’s a top favortie of mine for sure!

      Reply
  7. Yogesh says

    November 10, 2018

    Yumm😋😋😋😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Nancy says

    November 8, 2018

    I’d like to know the difference as well to the question above. I am excited to make this!! Thanks again for sharing the goodness.🍂

    Reply
    • Marci says

      November 9, 2018

      Nancy, oh my goodness it is so good! I just looked it up and it looks like flank steak and london broil are the same thing. One site said that London Broil is technically a cooking method vs the name of a cut of meat. So I would say use either!

      Reply
  9. Cindy says

    November 8, 2018

    Can you tell me the difference between flank steak and London broil? Could I use London broil for this?

    Reply
    • Marci says

      November 9, 2018

      Cindy, I’ve never used a London Broil but I suspect you could slice it up and it would work perfectly.

      Reply

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Welcome!  We are Marci and Maegan, a sister team on a mission to bring families back to the dinner table! We have a passion for creating delicious, unique recipes in our kitchens and we are ecstatic to share our creations with you!  We like our food tasty, wholesome, memorable, and always, ALWAYS followed by dark, salty chocolate.

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