Philly cheesesteak pasta

A deliciously comforting one-pot wonder!

Confession time: I’ve never actually been to Philadelphia. I have, however, eaten quite a few Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and I look forward to the day when I can finally taste one (or more) in the city of brotherly love. Until then, I’m going to keep making this dish, which offers all the deliciousness of the sandwich but in a different form. If you prep your ingredients ahead of time, you can have this on the table in under 30 minutes. Note that you can use gluten-free pasta if that’s what you prefer and feel free to swap in lactose-free products in place of the dairy. If you don’t have a suitably-sized pot that’s oven-safe, once the mixture has been cooked and assembled, transfer it to a casserole dish or individual ramekins, top with cheese and broil for a few minutes. As with all pasta dishes, I recommend adding a little liquid when reheating any leftovers as the noodles will continue to absorb moisture as they sit.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, divided
• 1 lb (454 g) boneless ribeye or striploin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• Few dashes Tabasco or other hot sauce
• 1 cup (100 g) sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) slivered green or red  bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon (.5 g) dried thyme leaves
• 3 cups (285 g) dried corkscrew pasta (fusilli, rotini or cavatappi)
• 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) reduced-sodium beef stock
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) water
• 1/3 cup (81 g) sour cream
• 1/4 cup (44 g) cream cheese
• 6 oz (170 g) provolone or mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Method

• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot (I used an enamelled Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the oil and 1 tablespoon (14 g) of the butter. When hot, add steak pieces in a single layer, working in batches as needed. Sear on one side for 1 minute then flip or stir and cook for 1 minute more. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon to a clean, large bowl. When all steak has been cooked, sprinkle Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce over top and stir to blend. Set aside.
• Add onions to the pot and reduce heat to medium. Sauté, stirring often, for 4 – 5 minutes then remove and add to the bowl with the steak.
• Add remaining oil and butter to the pot, then add peppers.  Sauté for 4 – 5 minutes until tender. Remove and add to the bowl with the steak and onions.
• Add mushrooms to the same pan (no need to add extra oil or butter as the drier pan will allow them to crisp up more quickly); sauté until softened and browned.  Add to the bowl then season with thyme and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
• Add beef stock and water to the pot; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in pasta; when pot comes back to the boil, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook pasta until just al dente (about 13-16 minutes depending on what shape of pasta you use), stirring often to keep from sticking to bottom of pot.  
• When pasta is just tender, remove pot from heat. Turn on oven broiler to preheat and adjust rack if needed.
• Stir the sour cream and cream cheese into the cooked pasta until melted and evenly distributed. Stir in the cooked steak and vegetables, half of the shredded cheese and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Stir to blend then taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
• Top pasta with remaining cheese and broil for 2-3 minutes, until top layer of cheese has melted and is beginning to brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve hot.

Serves 4.