Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Skillet

Who needs take-out? Not us! This Philly cheesesteak pasta skillet is a new favorite recipe in my house. We’ve been cutting down on take-out orders including a fave: cheesesteak subs. We have a fantastic cheesesteak shop down the road and the texture of their steak is more ground than shaved. That’s what lead me down the path of using ground beef in this recipe.

• Explore: Italian Roast Pork Sandwich

I paired ground beef with sautéed onions, peppers, mushrooms, and plenty of melty cheese. Pasta takes the place of the sub roll though the toasted panko bread crumbs sprinkled on top are a nod to the bread in the original. This is an easy, comforting recipe that uses basic ingredients you probably have at home already.

Let’s talk pasta: I used penne in this cheesesteak pasta skillet, but you can use any short pasta shape here like ziti, rigatoni, or rontini. Pretty much any shape that does well in a baked pasta dish will do well here, too.

This dish is almost a one-pan meal. Use your cast iron skillet (or other deep oven-proof skillet) to do almost all the cooking. You will just need a second pan to boil the pasta.

Who needs take-out? Not you if you try this recipe!

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Skillet

Turn ground beef into this hearty, cheesy pasta bake inspired by a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. It's one of my favorite skillet meals and a crowd pleaser. It's an easy recipe to use ground beef in a new way.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Beef, Cheese, Comfort Food, Ground Beef, Mushrooms, Onions, Pasta, Peppers

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• ½ lb dried penne cooked to al dente
• 3 tsp olive oil divided
• 1 lb ground beef
• 7 oz button mushrooms cleaned and sliced
• ½ large onion sliced thin
• 2 large green peppers cut into ½-inch by 1-2-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 4 oz Jack cheese grated; divided
• 2 oz American cheese grated or torn into small pieces
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ tbsp butter melted
• salt & black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place a large pot of water over high heat. Season with a couple of tablespoons of kosher salt. Bring to a boil.

  Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

  Do this step while you're prepping the other ingredients to save time.
• Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
• Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or an oven safe, high sided skillet around the same diameter) over medium high heat until it just starts to smoke.

  Form your ground beef into a very large patty. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper on both sides.

  Once your pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Then place your beef patty into the pan and let the first side brown for 2-3 minutes until very deeply browned.

  Use a spatula to gently flip the beef (it might fall apart a bit, don't worry, just smoosh it back together.) Let the second side brown for another 2-3 minutes.

  Then use the spatula to break up the beef into small chunks. Cook until the beef is mostly cooked through and there's just a bit of pink left. Transfer it to a medium bowl.
• Add the mushrooms to the pan with another teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook until most of the water evaporates from the mushrooms and the mushrooms brown. This will take about 7-10 minutes.

  Once your mushrooms are done, move to the bowl with the beef.
• Add the peppers and onions to the pan with another teaspoon of olive oil and pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables soften and start to brown. The onions should start turning translucent. This will take about 10-minutes.
• Once the vegetables are done, add the mushrooms and ground beef back to the pan.

  Sprinkle the mixture with flour. Stir to coat with flour and cook for about a minute to allow the flour to toast.

  Slowly pour in the milk while stirring. Bring to a boil and allow the mixture to thicken slightly. Then stir in 2 oz of Jack cheese and 2 oz of American cheese. Mix well.

  Taste your cheesy sauce at this point and add more salt and pepper as needed.

  Then add the pasta and mix well to combine.
• Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the remaining Jack cheese.

  Mix the panko breadcrumbs and melted butter together until the panko is well coated in butter. Then sprinkle evenly over the pasta.
• Bake for 15 minutes until the pasta is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

• Shop: Cast Iron Skillet

This post contains affiliate links. I may make a commission on qualified purchases from affiliate links that you click. Affiliate commissions help support this site so that I can keep bringing you great recipes, kitchen hacks, and product reviews.