Simple Philly Cheese Steaks (Gluten Free)

My best friend just moved to Philadelphia.  I keep pretending it's not true and that she's just on vacation.  But she really did move to Philadelphia.  I would say this Philly Cheese Steak recipe is in honor of her, except she's a vegetarian!

As it's summer, we are generally just eating steak on the grill, but I wanted to try something different, and the Mister has been all about provolone cheese as of recent.

Before you start cooking, throw your steak (mine was a 'first cut' of top round steak) in the freezer for 45 minutes- this will allow you to cut it really thin later.  Also, if you're using Gluten Free buns, get them out of the freezer to thaw.  I used Udi's hot dog rolls, which are not my favorite hot dog rolls because they're really bready, but they make great mini hoagie rolls.

Start by chopping a bell pepper and half a yellow onion really thin.  We got new knives as a wedding gift, so now I can chop REALLY thinly.  Throw it in a pan (if it's not non-stick, add a little oil) and sauté over medium until soft and starting to caramelize.

While the veggies cook, get your steak out of the freezer and slice it extremely thinny against the grain.  Your fingers will be FREEZING by the time you're done, but hey, it's summer, that's a good thing!  Push your veggies to the edge of the pan and crank the heat up to high.  Add your steak, season with salt and pepper, and do not touch it for at least a minute!  You want it to brown.  Unfortunately, I used too small of a pan, so my steak really steamed, but YOU could use a bigger pan! (PLEASE use a bigger pan!)

Start to stir it around and flip it, but don't stir to much, as you do really want browning.  When it's nearly cooked through, turn off the heat, lay slices of provelone over the top, and cover for a few minutes.  Your cheese will get all melty and yummy.

Serve on toasted hoagie or hot dog rolls.  If you're using hot dog rolls, plan for two per person.

I ate mine with mustard and pickles, and the Mister smothered his in barbecue sauce- so do whatever feels right to you :-).  Enjoy!

The Short Version:

Serves 2-3
Ingredients:

1 thin steak (enough to feed 2-3 people, whatever that means to you)
1 bell pepper
1/2 a yellow onion
4 slices provolone cheese
salt and pepper
Udi's gluten free hot dog rolls

How to:
1. Put your steak in the freezer for about 45 minutes.
2. Thinly slice the bell pepper and onion.  Sauté  over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
3. Thinly slice the steak against the grain.  Push veggies to side of pan and turn up the heat to high.
4.  Add steak to center of pan, season with salt and pepper.  Let cook for about a minute without stirring, then stir and flip occasionally until nearly cooked.
5. Turn off heat.  Lay cheese slices over meat and cover the pan for a few minutes.
6. Serve on toasted rolls.