philly cheesesteak-inspired baked pasta

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Combining the best elements of your favorite cheesy comfort dishes is an easy way to guarantee sensory bliss, as evidenced by this Philly cheesesteak baked pasta recipe, courtesy of Mashed recipe developer Patterson Watkins. "This is one cheesy pasta bake — a whimsical and tasty inspirational combo between fettuccine Alfredo, mac & cheese, and a Philly cheesesteak. The triple cheese blend of mozzarella, cheddar, and provolone provides a balancing contrast to the sirloin, onions, garlic, and long hot peppers."

As if that wasn't enough, Watkins took this a step further. "The buttery-garlicky, crispy topping (made using frozen garlic bread) added a fun texture (and even more pops of garlic)," she details. If lots of cheese, carbs, and steak, punctuated by the tangy heat of long hot peppers, is your food love language, you'll be delighted by this dish. Watkins ate it on repeat for a few days, admitting, "I even hid it from the husband for a day." You know it's good when you start keeping people away from the leftovers!

Gather the ingredients for philly cheesteak-inspired baked pasta

philly cheesesteak-inspired baked pasta ingredients

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

For this recipe, you'll need a loaf of frozen garlic bread, olive oil, yellow onion (chopped), garlic cloves (peeled and minced), long hot peppers (chopped), and shaved or thinly sliced sirloin steak. Depending on where you live, the latter may be a little trickier to find. "I live in Philly, so I have an abundance of shaved sirloin available at most grocers. If you find yourself lacking in the shaved sirloin arena, you can prep it yourself. Portion sirloin steaks into large, manageable chunks and freeze for 1 to 2 hours, or until mostly frozen. Working with one chunk at a time (keep the other chunks frozen while you work), thinly slice using a handheld mandolin," Watkins instructs.

Next, get salted butter, all-purpose flour, half & half, beef broth, heavy cream, salt, black pepper, shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella, shredded sharp provolone, and fettucine noodles (cooked according to the instructions on the package for al dente).

Step 1: Preheat the oven

digital oven temperature display

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Step 2: Put garlic bread on a baking sheet

garlic bread on baking sheet

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Place the garlic bread loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 3: Bake the bread

toasted garlic bread on baking sheet

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Bake the garlic bread for 20 minutes or until very crisp (longer than the recommended cooking time). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Step 4: Heat the oil

oil in dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Step 5: Saute onion, garlic, and hot peppers

diced onion, garlic, and hot pepper in dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and long hot peppers to the pot, and saute for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Add the steak and keep cooking

shaved steak cooking in dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the steak to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or until the steak is cooked through and the veggies are tender.

Step 7: Remove the meat and vegetables from the heat

cooked meat and vegetables in plate next to dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Remove the steak and veggies from the pot using a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Step 8: Melt butter

butter cubes melting in dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the butter to the pot and melt.

Step 9: Add flour to make a roux

roux in dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Once melted, add the flour, and stir to combine the roux. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Step 10: Add liquids and seasonings then simmer

cream sauce in dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the half & half, beef broth, cream, salt, and pepper to the pot, whisk to combine, and bring to a simmer.

Step 11: Simmer the sauce

cream sauce in dutch oven

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Step 12: Stir in cheese

cream sauce in dutch oven with shredded cheese

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Remove the pot from the heat and add 1 cup of cheddar, 1 cup mozzarella, and ½ cup of provolone cheese. Whisk until the cheese has melted.

Step 13: Add pasta

fettuccine in dutch oven with cheesy cream sauce

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the cooked fettucine noodles to the pot.

Step 14: Stir in the meat and veggies

pasta with creamy cheese sauce and shaved steak

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Add the cooked steak and veggies to the pot and gently stir to coat and combine.

Step 15: Transfer the pasta to the dish

cheesy pasta and steak mixture in baking dish

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Transfer the mixture to a 13x9-inch casserole dish, spreading it out in an even layer.

Step 16: Top with cheese and bake

cheesy steak pasta in baking dish

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the reserved cheeses and place it in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Step 17: Cut the garlic bread

garlic bread chunks on cutting board

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Meanwhile, chop the baked garlic bread into chunky crumbs.

Step 18: Add the bread crumbs

cheesy baked pasta dish topped with bread chunks

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Remove the casserole from the oven and top with the bread crumbs.

Step 19: Bake a bit more then serve

philly cheesesteak-inspired pasta in baking dish

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

Return to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta bake is bubbly. Serve hot.

What can I serve with this baked pasta?

Our mashup of fettuccine Alfredo, mac & cheese, and a Philly cheesesteak combines 3-cheeses, sirloin, long hot peppers, and crispy garlic bread crumbs.

philly cheesesteak-inspired pasta on plate

  • ½ frozen garlic bread loaf
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 2 long hot peppers, chopped
  • 14 ounces shaved or thinly sliced sirloin steak
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups half & half
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar, divided
  • 1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella, divided
  • ¾ cup shredded sharp provolone, divided
  • 1 pound fettucine noodles, cooked according to the instructions on the package for al dente
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  2. Place the garlic bread loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  3. Bake the garlic bread for 20 minutes or until very crisp (longer than the recommended cooking time). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
  4. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
  5. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and long hot peppers to the pot, and saute for 5 minutes.
  6. Add the steak to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or until the steak is cooked through and the veggies are tender.
  7. Remove the steak and veggies from the pot using a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
  8. Add the butter to the pot and melt.
  9. Once melted, add the flour, and stir to combine the roux. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
  10. Add the half & half, beef broth, cream, salt, and pepper to the pot, whisk to combine, and bring to a simmer.
  11. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
  12. Remove the pot from the heat and add 1 cup of cheddar, 1 cup mozzarella, and ½ cup of provolone cheese. Whisk until the cheese has melted.
  13. Add the cooked fettucine noodles to the pot.
  14. Add the cooked steak and veggies to the pot and gently stir to coat and combine.
  15. Transfer the mixture to a 13x9-inch casserole dish, spreading it out in an even layer.
  16. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the reserved cheeses and place it in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.
  17. Meanwhile, chop the baked garlic bread into chunky crumbs.
  18. Remove the casserole from the oven and top with the bread crumbs.
  19. Return to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta bake is bubbly. Serve hot.
Calories per Serving 1,040
Total Fat 56.3 g
Saturated Fat 29.3 g
Trans Fat 0.9 g
Cholesterol 170.6 mg
Total Carbohydrates 86.4 g
Dietary Fiber 4.6 g
Total Sugars 10.1 g
Sodium 953.1 mg
Protein 46.4 g

The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Can you make this a one-pot dish?

philly cheesesteak-inspired pasta in baking dish and on plate

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

In classic mac and cheese fashion, Watkins calls for the components to be baked in a dish, and adds a crispy topping and browned cheese for textural contrast. However, if that's not a priority for you and you'd rather have one less dish to clean, she notes that you can skip the baking step and simply make this in one pot. To do so, she says: "Saute the garlic, onions, peppers, and steak as instructed and add all the liquid (half & half, broth, and cream — doubling the liquid) and don't make a roux." Next, add the fettuccine and simmer until just barely al dente.

Once the sauce is made and the pasta is cooked, take the pot off the heat. Then, it's just a matter of stirring in the cheese, "until thick, melty, and creamy," as Watkins describes. She recommends adding the cheese in batches, without saving any for the topping, since you won't be baking the dish. "Before serving, sprinkle with the crushed garlic bread," she says, which gives it some textural contrast.

How can I change up this recipe?

philly cheesesteak-inspired pasta on plate

Patterson Watkins/Mashed

This delicious Philly cheesesteak-inspired baked pasta dish incorporates plenty of tasty components from the recipes that inspired it, but you can play around with the specifics to customize it to your taste. Consider the ingredients you might want to add to fettuccine Alfredo, mac & cheese, or a Philly cheesesteak, and the options add up quickly. 

"Adding spicy peppers to your cheesesteak is a thing here in Philly. Most steak shops offer up peppery pickled condiments to balance out the richness of the melty cheese and griddled steak," Wakins describes. As she notes, there's also a local roast pork sandwich that includes long hot peppers for an element of piquant. "I wanted to do the same for this inspired pasta bake, balance the richness with some zestiness," she explains — hence the long hots in this recipe. For a kick of heat with a different flavor profile, you could try serrano, jalapeño (pickled or fresh), or habanero, depending on your tolerance.

If spicy foods are not for you, "You could use regular bell peppers or a milder pepper, like poblano," she suggests, and adds, "I like using sun-dried tomatoes to add subtle acidity/tang." Meanwhile, you can switch up the pasta variety. "Ziti, penne, bowtie, etc ... all work perfectly," Watkins says, but warns, "Just try to avoid noodles that might become softer, faster. Like spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine — thinner noodles won't hold up as well to the baked element of this recipe."

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