Instant Pot Easy Philly Cheesesteak

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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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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

Instant Pot Easy Philly Cheesesteak

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 1x2x3x

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)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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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