Growing up, my mom’s best friend Patty used to talk about these legendary steak sandwiches long before I got to taste one. The sauciness and cheesiness are unmatched. You just can’t get this anywhere else. Ricobene’s is the name of the famous shop in Chicago that still sells hundreds of these amazing cheesy steaks to this day. It’s time to make a version of this at home so you can share in on the goods.

Start with your flank steak. If you pick these up at a local butcher shop, ask them to cut the flank steak in three thin cutlets then you can cut those cutlets into whatever size breaded steaks sandwiches you please. I like my steak to be twice the size of the roll for dramatic effect. The thinness of your steak is what makes this recipe come together so quickly, so be sure to get nice even cutlets.

Next step is taking your steak through a proper 3-step breading. This process can get messy quickly so it’s best to take the time and be organized by getting all necessary bowls, sheet pans, and don’t forget to season both sides of your steak before your start this. It’s so easy to use your nasty raw steak fingers to touch and contaminate other surfaces during this process. Once you’re all set up, be sure to coat these steaks evenly. Any gaps in the breaded will risk the breading fall off during the sauce submerge.

Dip your steak into some sauce and place it onto your rolls. I’ve found good hoagie buns to be quite hard to find outside of the Midwest, so I always resort to a nice soft baguette. Cut off the ends and split it down the middle. It works just as well.

Top your breaded steaks sandwich with some good melty mozzarella. Shred this yourself so you get the highest quality cheese melt instead of using the cakey pre-shredded cheese. Use a mix of cheeses if you like. I may add a layer of provolone next time because the gooey cheese on this steak sando turns out to be my favorite part.

This sandwich is so easy to make happen. You need the breaded steak, some marinara, cheese, and a bun. Bread your steaks ahead and store in plastic wrap in the fridge if your serving this to a crowd. You can fry these in batches and keep them warm in the oven until you are ready to serve. Trust me you HAVE to taste this one.