Philly Cheesesteak Casserole

With the cold winter weather, I like to enjoy a hearty casserole on occasion.  This casserole is very flavorful and very simple to make.  It's a twist on a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich.  I think most of you will find it very tasty.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of shaved steak.  You can ask for this at your local butcher.  I prefer to use the cap of a ribeye steak.  You can also use two pounds of ground beef.
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 large bell peppers.  You can use green, yellow, orange, or red or a mix of any of these.  Cut the peppers into equal size squares, approximately .75" * .75".
• 1 large onion, diced.  I use Sweet Spanish onions, but yellow onions or red onions will work as well.  Just remember, the stronger the onion, the stronger it will be when the dish is cooked.
• 4 ounces of cream cheese.  If you would like it "cheesier" you can go up to 8 ounces.
• 8 slices of provolone cheese.

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven-safe skillet on the stovetop over medium heat.  Add in the shaved steak to the skillet.  Season the steak with salt and pepper as you are cooking it.  If you don't have an oven safe skillet, you can brown it in any skillet then transfer it to a casserole dish as I did.
2. Add in the diced onion and bell peppers, sautéing the mixture until the vegetables soften.
3. Add in Worcestershire Sauce. 
4. Stir in the cream cheese and remove the mixture from the stovetop.  Transfer mixture to a casserole dish or leave in the oven safe skillet.
5. Cover the entire top of the meat mixture with slices of provolone cheese.
6. Bake the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and the cheese is melted.  
7. Serve and enjoy!!!

My drink recommendations for this dish are pretty straightforward.

Beer

My recommendation for this is truly any beer that you like.  A bright pilsner is good with it, as is a stout or porter.  If you are local, get yourself to one of the local breweries and pickup your favorite beer. 

 Brewery | Lockport Brewery | United States (lockportbeer.com)

Hoodletown Brewing Company - Brewery in Dover, Ohio

5 Barrel Bullet Brewing Company | Ohio Craft Brewers Association (ohiocraftbeer.org)

Holy Moley Brewing Company

Wine

For this dish, I recommend a nice dry red.  If you want my recommendation, I would enjoy a glass of Cooper & Thief Pinot Noir aged in brandy barrels every time.  

Home - Cooper & Thief Wines (cooperandthief.com) 

Cocktail

An Old-Fashioned cocktail would be my choice as an accompaniment for this dish.