Chopped Cheese Sandwich
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Say hello to your new favorite sandwich, this Chopped Cheese sandwich recipe is juicy, cheesy, and bursting with bold flavor! Inspired by the iconic New York City bodega classic, this sandwich features seasoned ground beef chopped up with onions and melted cheese, piled onto a hoagie roll, and topped with lettuce, tomato, and a drizzle of homemade burger sauce. It’s ready in just 15 minutes, making it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
Why you’ll love this sandwich
After hearing about the famous NYC chopped cheese sandwich, I knew I had to make it at home. It’s somewhere between an onion fried burger (from my home state of Oklahoma!), a Philly cheesesteak and a sloppy joe (without the sloppy-ness).
But what I really love about it is how quick and easy it is to make and how cheesy and flavorful it tastes! It only takes 15 minutes to whip up, making it perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
The beef is seasoned with adobo seasoning and Worcestershire sauce, adding bold, umami flavors to the sandwich. There’s plenty of cheese chopped into the meat in every sandwich, so it really lives up to the name of “chopped cheese”. For these reasons, I love this sandwich and I know you will too!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this chopped cheese sandwich recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Hoagie rolls – this is the recommended bread for a chopped cheese sandwich. Try to purchase them the same day that you’re going to make the sandwiches so they’re fresh and soft to the touch. Bonus points if you go to a local bakery to grab them. I got mine at Bread and Cie in San Diego.
- Burger sauce – click the link for my easy 4 ingredient recipe, or purchase a bottle of burger sauce at the store. You can also use mayonnaise and ketchup, instead of burger sauce. This is what’s commonly found on a chopped cheese sandwich in Harlem.
- Ground beef – I recommend using 80/20 ground beef. That means it’s 80% lean and 20% fat. As the fat cooks down, it will soak into the onions and give them delicious flavor, the adobo seasoning will also soak into the fat adding even more flavor. Unlike other recipes, you actually don’t want to drain the grease as you cook the ground beef. The grease adds to the flavor of the sandwich.
- Yellow onion
- Adobo seasoning – this is the secret seasoning that makes an NYC chopped cheese sandwich. The base of the spice blend is garlic powder, salt, oregano, and black pepper. I just happen to have my own homemade adobo spice blend that you can mix up in about 5 minutes, or you can go with store-bought Goya adobo seasoning.
- Worcestershire sauce – this was my own personal addition to the original chopped cheese sandwich. It adds more of the bold flavors you know and love from my recipes.
- American cheese – this is the cheese used in chopped cheese sandwiches. Could you use another type of cheese? Sure! But if you want to make it like it’s made in NYC, use American cheese, preferably sliced from the deli counter at the grocery store, not Kraft singles.
- Shredded iceberg lettuce and tomato slices – toppings for the sandwich.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Before you prepare the filling for the chopped cheese sandwich, prepare the hoagie rolls. You can toast the rolls on a hot griddle with a little bit of oil, or leave them un-toasted. Spread mayonnaise and ketchup, or burger sauce, in the hoagie rolls and set them aside.
- Chop the ground beef. Heat a flat-top or griddle over medium-high heat. Once the cooking surface is hot, add the ground beef and use the side of a large metal spatula to chop and cook the ground beef for 2-3 minutes.
- Season the ground beef. Add diced onions to the ground beef and chop them into the beef with the side of the spatula. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Season the meat with adobo seasoning and Worcestershire sauce and chop it all together. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Use the spatula to separate the beef mixture into 6 portions on the griddle. Top each portion of beef with two slices of American cheese. Let the cheese melt over the beef, then use the side of the spatula to chop the cheese into the meat. Use the spatula to slide each portion of the cheesy beef mixture into the prepared hoagie rolls. Add any toppings of your choice, like shredded lettuce and tomato slices, before serving.
Optionally, you can wrap each sandwich in foil or parchment paper, just like at an NYC deli. This will allow the grease from the chopped cheese mixture to soak into the bread. The heat from the mixture will also steam the bread, making it softer.
Storage and reheating
If you don’t plan to eat all of the sandwiches right away, you can store the cooked chopped cheese mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Whenever we make this recipe at home, we turn it into three meals, since there’s only two of us. It’s seriously just as delicious reheated.
To reheat the chopped cheese mixture, heat a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. When hot, add the mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes. Prepare the hoagie rolls and fill them with the reheated chopped cheese mixture and any toppings of your choice.
What to serve with it
If I’m keeping things simple, I serve the sandwiches with potato chips. If I have a little more time, I always make these air fryer french fries to go with the chopped cheese sandwich.
More sandwich recipes
If you love a tasty sandwich, with layers of flavor, be sure to check out these other delicious and easy sandwich recipes!
Chopped Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 6 hoagie rolls
- 6 tablespoons burger sauce, or mayonnaise
- 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 tablespoons adobo seasoning, click link for the recipe or purchase Goya adobo seasoning at the store
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 12 slices American cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 tomato, sliced
Instructions
- Start by preparing the hoagie rolls. Toast the rolls on a hot griddle with a little bit of oil, or leave them un-toasted. Spread burger sauce or mayonnaise in the hoagie rolls and set them aside.
- Heat a flat top or griddle over medium-high heat.
- Once the cooking surface is hot, add the ground beef and use the side of a large metal spatula to chop and cook the ground beef for 2-3 minutes. Some of the meat will still be pink.
- Add the diced onions and chop them into the beef with the side of the spatula. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the adobo seasoning and Worcestershire sauce and chop it all together. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, 1-2 minutes.
- Use the spatula to divide the beef mixture into 6 portions and top each portion with two slices of American cheese. Let the cheese melt, then use the spatula to chop the cheese into the meat. Scoop each portion off the griddle and into a prepared hoagie roll.
- Add shredded lettuce and tomato slices to the hoagie rolls and serve the sandwiches immediately.
Notes
- If you don’t have a griddle or flat top, you can use two large skillets, or cut the recipe in half and use one large skillet, to make this recipe on the stove. A cast iron skillet is best, but if you don’t have one available, you may not want to use a metal spatula. In that case, you can use the side of a rubber spatula. While it won’t quite have the same effect, it will still work just fine.
- I only recommend preparing as many sandwiches as you plan to eat immediately. The cooked chopped cheese mixture will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days, but you don’t want to store it in the rolls with the lettuce and tomato. The bread will get soggy and the lettuce and tomato slices will wilt.
Nutrition Facts
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