Fall and football season always puts me in the mood for quick, crowd-pleasing recipes. I love dishes that are easy enough for a busy weeknight and fun enough for game-day gatherings. When the deli has thin, rare roast beef on sale, it’s a sure sign I’ll be cooking something delicious and budget-friendly.
I grew up on Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches, which are different from Philadelphia cheesesteaks. There’s even a playful rivalry about whether provolone or “cheese whiz” belongs on a cheesesteak. My husband and I prefer provolone, but use whatever you enjoy.
My favorite version includes peppers, onions, and mushrooms. With a bumper crop of peppers in the garden and a pound of deli roast beef in the fridge, I decided to combine the flavors of a Philly cheesesteak with the convenience of a stuffed pepper. The result was a lower-carb, handier take on two favorites.
To prepare the filling, I sautéed mushrooms and onions in butter until soft, added garlic salt and pepper, and coarsely chopped the roast beef before stirring it in. Because the roast beef was already nicely rare, I kept cooking minimal so it would stay medium-rare after baking. If you prefer your beef more well-done, cook it a little longer in the pan—remember it will continue to cook in the oven.
To avoid overcooking the beef during the bake, I roasted the halved and cleaned cubanelle peppers for 15 minutes first. That gave them a head start so they would be crisp-tender when the stuffed peppers came out of the oven.
After roasting, I filled the peppers with the beef, onion, and mushroom mixture until they were well-stuffed. Then I topped each pepper with slices of provolone. The cheese melted nicely and tied the flavors together—provolone is my preference, but you can swap in cheese whiz, American, or pepper jack for more heat.
I returned the stuffed peppers to the oven for about 15 minutes—just enough to heat the filling through and melt the cheese while keeping the roast beef from becoming overcooked. The peppers finished crisp-tender and attractive on the plate—almost too pretty to eat.
These are simple to scale up: two pepper halves per adult makes a satisfying main course. Use smaller peppers for bite-sized appetizers—ideal for tailgates or fall parties. They’re great hot from the oven or packed for lunches, and they’re a quick addition to any game-day menu.
My husband loved these the first time, and after a small tweak to the method they’re even better now. We’ve added them to our game-day lineup. Feel free to customize the cheese or add a spicy topping to suit your taste—cooking should be fun and personal.
Easy Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers
Ingredients
- 8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms, halved or coarsely chopped
- 1/2 large sweet onion, quartered and sliced (or 1 medium onion)
- 8 Tbsp butter, divided
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 3 medium or 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed
- 1 lb thinly sliced deli roast beef
- 4–5 sweet red cubanelle peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 8–10 thick slices deli provolone cheese, halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F.
- Place prepared pepper halves on a foil-lined, sprayed baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350º F.
- While peppers roast, sauté mushrooms and onions in 6 Tbsp butter over low heat until soft, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in garlic salt, black pepper, and fresh garlic. Coarsely chop the deli roast beef and add to the pan. Add remaining butter in pieces and sauté, stirring, for about 5 more minutes.
- Fill pepper halves with the beef mixture and top each with two half-slices of provolone.
- Bake another 15 minutes, until hot through and the cheese has melted.
- Serve hot.