Picture this: soft and tender pieces of just-slightly-caramelized thin-sliced steak with juicy sauteed peppers and onions. Topped with melted cheese, drizzled with a bit of lime juice, and tucked into a warm, soft tortilla. That's what these Philly Cheesesteak Tacos are all about! And the best part—they're ready in about 20 minutes! Everything is cooked together in 1 pan in just 10 minutes.
I hope you give this non-traditional taco recipe a try and that the whole family enjoys taco night!
Jump to:
Why make Philly cheesesteak tacos
You might be wondering "well of course these tacos are delicious, you're simply taking classic Philly cheesesteak filling and putting it on a tortilla. Why not just make good ol' Philly cheesesteaks on a a roll?" To that, I answer: "just try these tacos! You'll see!"
But for realz, something about a warm flour tortilla with thinly sliced beef is so delicious. And these tacos can actually be a lower-calorie meal compared to a traditional Philly cheesesteak sandwich. That's because Italian rolls need mayo or butter to make the cheesesteaks taste better. But tortillas don't need added butter. You can fill up 2 tortillas with the beef mixture and be super satisfied while still coming in at less calories than a full cheesesteak.
I spruce these tacos up with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro leaves to give them a slightly more traditional taco vibe. But that's up to you!
More family-friendly taco recipes: Ground Pork Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb shaved beef steak (A lot of grocery stores sell very thin-sliced steak pre-packaged. If you can't find it, use 1 lb of flank or skirt steak, sliced very thinly against the grain. I like to half-freeze the steak and then use a mandoline slicer to get paper-thin slices. Be sure to use cut-resistant kitchen gloves if using a mandoline, since it can give you pretty pretty bad cuts even if you think you're being careful. Lean ground beef is also an option, but I find the texture of shaved steak much better for this recipe.)
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 small bell pepper (any color, green peppers are often used for cheesesteaks but I prefer red for their sweetness)
- optional: 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and thinly sliced (I usually skip this because I don't want heat, I want a true Philly cheesesteak flavor)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional, if you don't have any, just skip it and add a pinch more salt and a squeeze of lime juice)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
- 1 cup shredded Provolone cheese (or use shredded mozzarella if that's easier to find)
- 8 flour tortillas (taco size. I prefer soft tortillas over crunchy taco shells for these tacos)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- handful of fresh cilantro leaves
More taco recipes for the whole family: Baked Ground Turkey Tacos
Optional taco toppings
In these pictures, I only top the tacos with cilantro and lime, but here are some other great toppings that would go so well with Philly cheese steak tacos:
- Sour cream or lime crema
- Crumbled queso fresco
- Fresh diced onion
- Salsa (try a delicious charred corn salsa for extra smokiness)
- Cheez wiz (this stuff is pretty bad lol, but it's a classic on Philly cheesesteaks)
- Green onions, finely diced
Optional add-ins
- Cream cheese (stir in 1-2 tablespoons into the meat mixture as it's cooking if you want a creamier taco filling)
- Garlic (1 freshly minced clove or ½ teaspoon garlic powder added to the meat mixture)
- More veggies! I often make this with 2 bell peppers just to increase our veggie intake. Serving with fresh salsa also adds more veggies to this dish. This shaved beef stir fry is so versatile that you can even hide shredded carrot, finely diced celery, and even chopped fresh baby spinach in the meat mixture. It changes the texture and flavor a little when you add so many extra veggies, but it's still really good!
- I bet these tacos would be delicious with thin-sliced chicken breast instead of beef!
Equipment
- Large 12-inch skillet with a lid (I often use a universal lid so I don't need a full set of pans + lids for each pan/skillet)
- Cutting board
- Mandoline slicer (optional, if you can't find shaved beef steak and want to slice yours super thinly) and cut-resistant gloves (a MUST if using a mandoline slicer!)
- Kitchen shears (optional but helpful for chopping the thin-sliced steak into smaller pieces)
- Tongs (optional but helpful for serving the tacos)
Ingredients
Thinly slice your peppers and onions. Sorry about the blurry picture below, but you get the idea.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil along with the shaved steak, pepper, and onion. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper on top. Allow the steak and veggies to cook undisturbed for a few minutes to get a nice sear (don't let it burn), then stir fry for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The meat mixture will release juices at first, but keep cooking until the liquid is evaporated and the meat starts to caramelize a little and the peppers and onions soften. Don't let it burn.
Optional: if your steak pieces are really long, use kitchen shears to chop the pieces right in the pan. Be careful not to burn yourself and not to scratch the pan.
Turn the heat to very low, top the meat mixture with shredded cheese, and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Don't have a lid? Just stir the cheese in with the heat off. The residual heat will melt the cheese.
While the meat is cooking, heat up your tortillas and keep them covered with a warm towel or under a plate.
Assemble the tacos by using tongs to pick up the meat mixture topped with cheese and placing directly into the tortilla. Drizzle with lime juice and garnish with cilantro leaves. Add any other toppings you want. Enjoy warm.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Philly Cheesesteak Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb shaved beef steak - See notes if you can't find packaged shaved steak
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 small bell pepper - (any color)
- optional: 1-2 jalapeño peppers - seeds removed and thinly sliced (I usually skip these if I don't want spice)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt - or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - or more to taste
- 1 cup shredded Provolone cheese - (or use shredded mozzarella or any melty cheese)
- 8 flour tortillas - (taco size. I prefer soft flour tortillas)
- 1 lime - cut into wedges
- handful of fresh cilantro leaves - for serving
Special equipment
- Large skillet with a lid (or use a universal lid)
- Mandoline slicer (optional, if you can't find shaved beef steak)
- Cut resistant gloves (a MUST if using a mandoline slicer!)
- Kitchen shears (optional but helpful for chopping the thin-sliced steak into smaller pieces)
- Tongs (optional but helpful for serving the tacos)
Instructions
- Thinly slice your peppers and onions.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil along with the shaved steak, pepper, and onion. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper on top. Allow the steak and veggies to cook undisturbed for a few minutes to get a nice sear (don't let it burn), then cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The meat mixture will release juices at first, but keep cooking until the liquid is evaporated and the meat starts to caramelize a little and the peppers and onions soften. Don't let it burn.Optional: if your steak pieces are really long, use kitchen shears to chop the pieces right in the pan. Be careful not to burn yourself and not to scratch the pan.
- Turn the heat to very low, top the meat mixture with shredded cheese, and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
- While the meat is cooking, heat up your tortillas and keep them covered with a warm towel or under a plate.
- Assemble the tacos by using tongs to pick up the meat mixture topped with cheese and placing directly into the tortilla. Drizzle with lime juice and garnish with cilantro leaves. Add any other toppings you want. Enjoy warm.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.