Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes are the ultimate comfort food mashup – richly seasoned juicy ground beef, sautéed green bell peppers and onions, and melty cheese come together in a flavorful sauce that reduces down until thick – all piled onto soft toasted buns.

For another delicious dinnertime twist to the classic sandwich – be sure and make this Philly Cheesesteak Tater Tot Casserole 🫑🧅🍽

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes (Easy Weeknight Dinner Comfort Food)

This philly cheesesteak sandwich recipe is a fun twist to a traditional philly cheesesteak and classic sloppy joes. It has all those same flavors you love – toasted savory beef filling, green bell pepper and onion, a saucy richly seasoned sauce that simmers until thickened, and of course that signature cheese melts into the beef. 

The best part are those toasted brioche buns and then the melted cheese❤︎

Some family favorite sloppy joe side dishes are frozen french fries or potato wedges, my Roasted Parmesan Potatoes, or a fruitier and sweeter side dish such as Pear Jello or Pineapple Pretzel Salad. 

How To Make Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes with Ground Beef (Printable Recipe Card)

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef, onion, green peppers, and kosher salt until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease from the skillet. 

Stir the cornstarch into the beef mixture until all the ground beef is coated in the cornstarch. 

Add the beef broth, A-1 sauce, and steak seasoning. Stir until combined and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it’s well thickened and it is not saucy anymore. 

While the meat is simmering, broil and toast the buns/melt cheese for serving. Place both halves of each bun onto a baking sheet. Spread softened butter onto each half OR you can spray them with butter flavored Pam nonstick cooking spray (I actually spread butter and spray each bun to get them really toasted and browned). Broil for a few minutes or until they are toasted to where you want them. 

Place a slice of cheese onto each bottom half bun and place them back into the broil just until the cheese is melted. 

Use a slotted spoon to scoop some sloppy Joe mixture onto each bottom half bun (with the cheese on it) and then place a top half bun on it. Serve warm and enjoy!

Substitutions & Ingredient Notes

• Ground Beef : Use a lean ground beef like 93/7 or 96/4 to avoid excess grease in the mixture. If wanted, you could substitute ground turkey but it definitely would not replicate those authentic beef Philly cheesesteak flavors. 
• Beef Broth : I use a regular, full salted beef bone broth from the Kettle & Fire brand. You can use any beef broth or beef stock you prefer – low-sodium, salt-free, bullion powder + water, etc. 
• A-1 Steak Sauce : No substitutes for this one! 
• Steak Seasoning : Use your favorite steak or steakhouse seasoning blend. I love any of the seasoning blends from the Kinder brand; I use the buttery steakhouse blend when I make these sloppy joes. My family has found that we love using sliced white American cheese, sliced muenster cheese, or sliced provolone cheese the best. 
• Brioche Buns : I use ones that I find in the bread aisle near the Hamburger buns; they are the Nature’s Own brand of brioche buns. Any soft bun can be used such as regular hamburger buns, potato buns, hoagie rolls, sesame buns, a gluten-free roll, or low carb it and serve as is or inside lettuce cups.
• Sliced Provolone Cheese : Provolone cheese is the classic one but there are other options such as Muenster cheese, sliced mozzarella cheese, sliced havarti cheese, cheez whiz, or sliced white American cheese. For a creamy cheesy filling you can add 4 ounces of cream cheese into the cooked and thickened ground beef mixture. 

Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen

After almost a decade of making this recipe in my own kitchen, for my own family, I have several tips and variations to really make this an incredible dinner for your own family. Here are some of my tips.

• Use a lean ground beef and let it brown until it’s like dark browned and toasted. Doing this, will result in no grease being left in the pan, because the ground beef will brown up using the extra fat/grease from the lean ground beef. I still take a paper towel to the skillet pan and soak up any remaining grease that may be left behind. Once the ground beef is no longer pink most people will stop there, but keep toasting and cooking it until the meat appears darker, and until there are darker more toasted pieces of meat. The toasted ground beef and toasted onion and bell peppers, really bring an extra layer of flavor to the sloppy Joe meat mixture. 
• For a creamy, cheesy, what some may consider a “more authentic philly cheesesteak” add 4 ounces of cream cheese to the cooked ground beef mixture, or add some cheez whiz or cheese sauce. 
• Toast buns! It makes such a big difference. I like to spread softened butter on each half, and then use some butter flavored Pam cooking spray to lightly spray each bun half as well. This makes them extra toasty and yummy. 
• My family has found that we love using sliced white American cheese, sliced muenster cheese, or sliced provolone cheese the best. 
• Adjust the salt as needed. I have learned to use slightly less than ½ teaspoon salt because I use full salted beef bone broth, and the steak seasoning I use has plenty of salt and flavor in it. So adjust the salt as needed depending on the broth used and the steak seasoning blend you use. The more you make the recipe, the more you can tweak and adjust. 

More Sloppy Joe Recipes

• Taco Sloppy Joes
• Hawaiian Sloppy Joes
• Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
• French Onion Sloppy Joes
• Cheez Whiz Sloppy Joes
• Chili Cheese Sloppy Joes
• Chicken Alfredo Sloppy Joes
• Classic Sloppy Joes Recipe