Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

I wasn’t the biggest fan of sloppy joes as a kid and I think that’s because I was scarred from when I had to eat them at school. The bun was never toasted and the meat mixture was just gloopy and sugary and not at all appetizing. It wasn’t until I got older and made them from scratch that I really developed an appreciation for this incredible sandwich. They’re super easy to make yourself and honestly are one thousand times better than anything you probably remember from your childhood. I couldn’t just bring you a basic sloppy joe though, and so I put on my thinking cap and decided to mash up two classic sandwiches instead. These Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes are here to make you a believer (if you aren’t already one). If you’ve ever tried to make a cheesesteak at home, you’ll know that your stove is a disaster afterwards and the meat has to be extremely thin and sometimes you don’t even get it as crispy as you’d like, and so forget about all that and just make these instead. All the flavors are there but it’s a lot easier. Now the real question is, are you a cheese whiz or a provolone cheesesteak-er?

Set a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add in the oil and the ground sirloin. Begin breaking it up with a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink, about 5 to 8 minutes.

**Note: Drain any excess grease if you have some accumulating. I find that ground sirloin won’t release as much liquid though as it has minimal fat. But to ensure that too much moisture doesn’t accumulate, make sure you use a large skillet that won’t crowd the meat and that it’s very well preheated.**

Stir in the onion and bell pepper and cook for another minute or 2 until softened. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and ground mustard. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds to develop the flavor of the paste.

**Tip: Cooking the tomato paste for a bit, really deepens it’s flavor and takes the sauce to the next level! I always do this whenever a recipe calls for tomato paste.**

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Stir in the flour and then add the stock, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.

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If you find that your sauce has evaporated too much and the sloppy joe mixture is too thick, you can add another splash or two of stock or water. If you go the water route, just make sure you taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

To assemble the sandwiches, split the buns open and toast under a broiler. Pile the sloppy joes onto the bottom buns and drizzle with the warmed cheese whiz.

I prefer my cheesesteaks with cheese whiz because I think you might as well go all the way, but if you prefer, you can make these with the more traditional provolone cheese. Place provolone cheese slices on the bottom buns and then pile the sloppy joe mixture on top. The warmth from the meat will begin to melt the cheese.

I serve these with some frozen fries (they’re so convenient sometimes) that I cook up in my air-fryer to get them super crispy. I used to make them in the oven but they never really got crispy. Then I started placing them in the air-fryer and I swear it’s like I got them from a restaurant. Fries are the one thing that I really don’t make at home because the effort is never worth the pay-off in the end.

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If you’re switching things up this Labor Day, then I really do hope you’ll give these Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes a try. They’re outrageous but in a good way and you’ll want to make them again and again. Trust. If you make them, be sure to let me know what you think below. As always, thank you so much for reading and following along. I couldn’t do this without your support.