This steak sandwich recipe is everything you want in a restaurant-quality meal, and it’s surprisingly easy to make, with tender ribeye, sweet caramelized onions, melty provolone cheese, peppery arugula, and a smoky chipotle aioli.
Whether you’re serving it for lunch, dinner, game day, or a weekend gathering, this steak sandwich recipe delivers big flavor in every bite.
If you’re a fan of hearty sandwiches like this, be sure to check out my amazing steak quesadilla, classic sub sandwich, and these delicious Salisbury steak sandwiches.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tender, juicy shaved ribeye cooks in minutes
- Sweet caramelized onions add incredible flavor
- Smoky chipotle aioli takes it over the top
- Loaded with melted provolone cheese
- Perfect for lunch, dinner, or game day
- Easy to customize with your favorite toppings
- Ready in a little over an hour
Key Ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Shaved Ribeye Roast: Tender, flavorful, and quick to cook, giving you that classic steak sandwich experience.
- Caramelized Onions: Add rich, sweet flavor that perfectly balances the savory beef. Taking the time to caramelize them makes a huge difference.
- Provolone Cheese: Melts beautifully into the steak, adding a creamy, slightly sharp flavor that ties everything together.
- Chipotles in Adobo: The key ingredient in the smoky aioli. They add a smoky heat and depth of flavor that takes the sandwich to the next level.
- Mayonnaise: Forms the base of the aioli, making it creamy and helping spread that smoky chipotle flavor throughout every bite.
- Arugula: Adds a fresh, peppery crunch that cuts through the richness of the steak, cheese, and aioli.
Variations
- Add Mushrooms: Add sauteed mushrooms with onions for extra flavor.
- Extra Spicy: Add extra chipotle peppers or sliced jalapeños.
- Swap the Cheese: Swiss, pepper jack, mozzarella, or white American cheese all work wonderfully.
- Philly Cheesesteak-Inspired: Add sauteed bell peppers for a Philly-inspired version.
How to Make This Steak Sandwich Recipe
1: Cook the butter and onions over medium heat until softened. Then, reduce the heat and continue cooking until golden.
2: Next, add the brown sugar and cook again until the onions are caramelized to a deep amber color.
3: Mix the aioli ingredients and chill until ready to use.
4: Slice the rolls in half and toast them in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5: Season the shaved ribeye and cook until fully browned. Then, add the cheese and stir gently until melty.
6: Spread the aioli inside the rolls, then top with onions, steak, and fresh arugula. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Low-and-slow caramelization creates the best flavor. The onions become sweet, rich, and irresistible.
- Toasting prevents the bread from getting soggy and adds a delicious crunch.
- Mixing the provolone directly into the steak creates a rich, cheesy bite every time.
- Shave the ribeye so it cooks quickly and stays incredibly tender.
Steak Sandwich Recipe FAQs
A steak sandwich is a hearty sandwich made with cooked steak served on a roll or bread and topped with ingredients like cheese, onions, vegetables, and sauces.
Ribeye is one of the best cuts for steak sandwiches because it’s tender, flavorful, and well-marbled. Shaved ribeye is especially popular because it cooks quickly and stays juicy, making it perfect for piling onto sandwiches.
Yes. While ribeye offers the best flavor and tenderness, sirloin, flank steak, skirt steak, or New York strip steak can also work well. Just be sure to slice the meat thinly against the grain for the most tender bite.
Hoagie rolls, sub rolls, French bread, ciabatta rolls, and brioche sandwich rolls are all excellent choices. A sturdy bread helps hold the juicy steak and toppings without becoming soggy.
Toasting the rolls adds texture and helps prevent the bread from absorbing too much moisture from the steak, cheese, and sauce. This keeps the sandwich from becoming soggy.
Chipotle aioli is a creamy sauce made with mayonnaise and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It adds a smoky, slightly spicy flavor to dishes.
Provolone is a classic choice because it melts beautifully and has a mild flavor. Other great options include Swiss, mozzarella, white American, cheddar, pepper jack, or Monterey Jack cheese.
Steak sandwiches pair well with French fries, beer battered onion rings, potato salad, pasta salad, creamy coleslaw, kettle chips, roasted vegetables, or a simple green salad.
Refrigerate the steak and cheese mixture and the caramelized onions in separate containers for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the steak mixture.
Yes, you can! Freeze the steak and cheese mixture for up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Reheat the steak mixture in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. This helps preserve the texture better than microwaving. You can reheat the onions in a skillet or in the microwave.
Great Sides for Your Steak Sandwiches
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Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and Smoky Aioli
Ingredients
Steak
- 14 ounce shaved ribeye beef
- 2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 2 cups arugula
Smoky Aioli
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chopped chipotles with their juice
- 2 cups arugula
- 12 ounce provolone cheese
- 4 jalapeno cheese hoagie rolls, or your favorite rolls
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
- Add 3 tablespoons butter to a large pan and add onions.
- Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let the onions burn.
- Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sugar, stir, and cover.
- Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until onions are soft and caramelized.
Ribeye Steak
- Preheat a large pan over medium high heat.
- Add the remaining butter and sliced ribeye.
- Sear on one side for about 5 minutes,
- Flip and stir the meat, break apart any pieces that have stuck together.
- Sprinkle it with slap ya mama seasoning, garlic and pepper.
- Cook until meat is browned and cooked through.
- Add sliced cheese over the tops and mix together until cheese is melted.
Smoky Aioli
- In a small bowl mix together mayonnaise and chipotles, set aside.
Jalapeno Cheese Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- While meat is cooking, slice rolls in half and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until bread is crisped to your liking.
- Remove from the oven.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Smear both sides of the rolls with aioli.
- Add caramelized onions followed by the steak.
- Top with arugula and serve.
Notes
- Low-and-slow caramelization creates the best flavor. The onions become sweet, rich, and irresistible.
- Toasting prevents the bread from getting soggy and adds a delicious crunch.
- Mixing the provolone directly into the steak creates a rich, cheesy bite every time.
- Shave the ribeye so it cooks quickly and stays incredibly tender.
- If the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. It will deglaze the pan and lift the brown bits up from the pan and coats the onions without burning them.
Nutrition
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