Philly Inspired Wednesday Night Supper

Kiddo loves cheese. And grilled onions. And bell peppers on his sandwiches. It’s no surprise that a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich is one of his all time favorites.

Hubby on the other hand could do without the bell peppers. And definitely no cheese. The man just doesn’t know what he’s missing. Now a true Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich takes a bit of prep work. The meat needs to be thinly sliced, well marbled and packed with flavors. It’s got to cook up quick on a cast iron griddle with peppers and onions. The bread needs to be a true hoagie roll, lightly buttered and toasted. Provolone cheese should be dripping from the over-stuffed roll. Man oh man I’m getting hungry just thinking about an honest-to-goodness Philly Cheesesteak.

Now I gotta tell you, these Ground Beef Philly-Style Grilled Cheese Sandwiches might not be the real deal, but they do satisfy some of those cravings. The mesquite seasoning imparts a grilled steak flavor to the ground beef. Toasted Sourdough might not be a hoagie roll, but it will do. Just double up on the cheese; make sure you have plenty of grilled onions and pepper and there ya go.

Kiddo and I loved these sandwiches. Hubby thought his loose-meat sandwich was interesting slathered in ketchup. Yeah, I rolled my eyes. To each is own.

Ground Beef Philly-Style Grilled Cheese
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 Bell Pepper, any color
1-1/2 lb Ground Beef
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1-1/2 tablespoon Mesquite Seasoning, divided
6 tablespoons Butter, divided
16 slices Provolone Cheese
8 slices Sourdough Bread

Place ground beef in a cast iron skillet. Try to brown without breaking up the meat too much. Get a nice brown sear on the beef, then break apart as little as possible. (Think chopped steak rather than taco filling) Add the salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon mesquite seasoning. Stir gently, then remove the meat from pan, leaving the renderings from the meat behind for flavor.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan; the slivers of onion, bell pepper and just a little more mesquite seasoning, cook until slightly roasted and caramelized. Once the vegetables are ready return the ground beef back into the skillet, toss together and warm through.

Spread remaining butter, about half a tablespoon on one side of each of the slices of bread.

Heat a second cast iron skillet or griddle to medium- high. Lay 4 slices of bread, buttered side down, on the griddle. Place two slice of Provolone Cheese on each slice of bread, top with meat and vegetables, then another two slices of cheese, and the remaining slices of bread, buttered side up. Grill the sandwiches 3 or 4 minutes per side, until golden and the cheese has begun to melt.

Serve with fries and enjoy!

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To You I stretch out my hands
Let my prayer come before You, Lord