Do you like Sloppy Joes? Do you like a Philly Cheesesteak? Well then, please meet the best of both worlds, this Chopped Cheese Sandwich. A loose interpretation of the NYC bodega classic, this is pure comfort food in a bun. Full of ground beef, onions, and peppers, and a cheesy sauce to hold it all together, it’s as easy to make as it is to enjoy. (Which is always great news, isn’t it?)
This is a great thing to serve for a last-minute weeknight dinner or an easy lunch for company because it comes together in like twenty minutes. In fact, I find loose meat sandwiches to be SO much easier than burgers when serving a crowd because you don’t have to form any patties OR worry about getting the right meat temperature for each one. You just need a skillet. And some ground beef. And an onion, some garlic, a bell pepper, and some cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and a little Worcestershire.
You brown the ground beef in the skillet and once it’s just past being pink, add in the veggies and cook them until they’ve softened. Then you reduce the heat and stir in the cream cheese and Worcestershire until the cream cheese has melted.
It’s a “sauce” but really it binds everything together a bit. But it’s still not cheesy enough, so stir in some grated cheddar until it melts too. And then you’re ready to assemble a sandwich.
The assembly is really up to you. You could pile this on to a bun but I like the way a hoagie roll contains the juices a bit. It sops things up, which is nice. You can eat them plain — they’re still delicious — or you can top them with all of your favorite things.
A slice of American, a slice of tomato, some lettuce, and a little bit of mayo and mustard is an excellent plan. But you could bring ketchup and pickles to the party or maybe even something with a little spice. There’s no wrong way to eat these!
Chopped Cheese Sandwich
Allergens: Milk
Watch How It's Made
Ingredients
- 6 hoagie rolls
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 oz cream cheese, chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For serving:
- American cheese slices
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Sliced tomato
- Sliced pickles
- Mayo
- Mustard
- Ketchup
Preparation
- To a skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper and start to brown, breaking it apart as it cooks.
- After a few minutes, add the onion and continue cooking until meat is no longer pink.
- Add bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes more.
- Reduce heat to low, then stir in Worcestershire sauce, followed by cream cheese.
- Stir until cream cheese has melted, then stir in cheddar cheese in handfuls, again stirring until melted.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pile into hoagie rolls topped with American cheese and your favorite condiments and sandwich fixings. Enjoy!