Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese
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This seriously delicious Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese recipe is a tasty twist on the traditional sandwich. It’s easy to make in only 29 minutes and filled with all of your favorite cheesesteak ingredients, including a creamy provolone cheese sauce, bell peppers, onions and beef. This recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight meal and guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family!
Table of contents
Allow me to introduce you to the BEST MAC & CHEESE EVER! What started as an experiment almost 2 months ago, led me to the most amazing twist on a Philly Cheesesteak ever!
I’m serious y’all, after several attempts, I’ve finally perfected this mac and cheese recipe and I can’t wait for you all to try it!
The combination of provolone and cream cheese makes for a perfectly creamy sauce, tossed with bell peppers and onions, ground beef and macaroni noodles, this dish is full of flavor and I guarantee you’ll be making it over and over again!
The best part is, it’s super easy and made in only 29 minutes!
Ingredients
- Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter, then salt the dish to taste. You can also use salted butter and simply adjust the amount of added salt accordingly.
- Green bell pepper – red bell pepper can also be used in this recipe, or a combination of both red and green peppers.
- Onion – for this recipe, I recommend using a yellow or white onion.
- Portobello mushrooms – usually one large portobello mushroom cap will equal 1 cup of diced mushrooms. You can also quarter baby bella mushrooms for this recipe.
- Ground beef – traditional cheesesteaks are made with super thin-sliced ribeye. To make this recipe easy and inexpensive, we’re using ground beef. If you’d like to go a more traditional route, feel free to use thinly sliced ribeye or a top round steak.
- Macaroni noodles – you can also make this recipe with penne pasta or small shells.
- Provolone cheese – for this recipe, you’ll want to purchase an 8 ounce block of provolone cheese, then grate it at home. The fresh grated cheese will melt into a beautifully creamy sauce.
- Cream cheese – my favorite cheesesteak in Philadelphia is at the Reading Terminal Market. It contains both American and cream cheese. Using this inspiration, and the desire for a super creamy sauce, I added cream cheese to this recipe.
- Milk – I recommend using 2% or whole milk to make the creamy sauce for the mac and cheese. If you want it extra thick and creamy, you could also use half and half or heavy cream.
- Salt + black pepper – to season the mac and cheese.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, recipe video and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the bell peppers, onions and ground beef. Add butter to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once melted, add bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. Cook 4-5 minutes, then add a pound of ground beef. Cook the ground beef until it’s browned. Remove the skillet from the stove. Drain the grease from the skillet and rinse the ground beef, then set it aside.
- Cook the macaroni noodles. While the veggies and beef are cooking, heat a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Add the macaroni noodles and cook them according to the package directions. Drain the noodles, then return them to the pot to the stove over medium heat.
- Make the cheese sauce. Immediately add grated provolone cheese, cubed cream cheese, milk, salt and pepper to the cooked macaroni noodles. Stir consistently as the cheese melts into a sauce.
- Assemble the dish. Once the sauce is smooth and creamy, add the cooked beef and veggies to the pot. Stir to combine, then serve immediately. Optionally garnish with fresh chopped green onions or basil.
Recipe tips
- Always make sure to rinse the ground beef after it’s cooked and you drain the grease! I learned this in the weeks of testing this recipe. If you simply just drain the grease from the beef and don’t rinse it, the creamy mac and cheese sauce will become greasy and unappetizing.
- Make sure the cheese is fully melted into the sauce before adding the ground beef and veggies. If you don’t, you could end up with small chunks of cream cheese in the sauce.
- You can cook the ground beef and veggies ahead of time. The ground beef and veggies can be cooked, drained and rinsed, then stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days before preparing the remainder of this recipe.
- If you can’t find provolone cheese, low-moisture mozzarella is a good substitute. I recommend purchasing a block of mozzarella and grating it at home, instead of buying a pre-grated bag of mozzarella at the grocery store. Fresh grated cheese melts better because it does not contain anti-clumping additives.
Dietary options
To make this recipe vegetarian, simply replace the pound of ground beef with an additional 2 cups of diced portobello mushrooms. I realize that this takes the “steak” out of cheesesteak, but this is actually a really delicious option that we now regularly make at our house.
To make this recipe gluten free, simply replace the traditional macaroni noodles with gluten free macaroni noodles. The other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.
Storage and reheating
Store Philly cheesesteak mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat the mac and cheese on the stove, add it to a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir frequently for 5- 7 minutes, or until heated through.
To reheat the mac and cheese in the microwave, add your desired serving to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring the mac and cheese halfway through.
More cheesy recipes
If you love this super cheesy Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese recipe, then I know you’re going to love these other easy, cheesy meals!
Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups green bell pepper, medium dice
- 1 cup onion, medium dice
- 1 cup portobello mushrooms, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
- 8 ounces provolone cheese, grated
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 2 cups milk, 2% or whole
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Once melted, add the bell pepper, onion and mushrooms, cook 4-5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
- Drain the grease from the skillet, rinse the ground beef, then set it aside.
- While the veggies and beef are cooking, heat a large pot of water to boil on the stove.
- Add the macaroni noodles and cook according to the package directions, drain, then return to the pot on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the grated provolone cheese, cubed cream cheese, milk, salt and pepper, stir constantly as the cheese melts into a sauce.
- Once the sauce is smooth and creamy, add the beef and veggies to the pot and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately, and optionally top with diced green onions for serving.
Video
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese”
Love this recipe! One of my all time favorites, I like to meal prep this and put it in the freezer rather than buying frozen dinners at the grocery store for those busy days I need to eat dinner at work.
Hi Morgan, I love to hear that! So much better than grocery store frozen dinners! Thanks for sharing 🙂