Philly Cheesesteak Mac and Cheese
By Eric HaesslerPublished on November 15, 2025
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Because the macaroni is cooked in a measured amount of liquid, we don’t recommend using different shapes or sizes of pasta. Use a 4-ounce block of American cheese from the deli counter rather than presliced cheese.
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 pound flank steak, trimmed and cut with grain into ¾-inch strips, with 1 teaspoon table salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steak and cook, turning often, until thickest parts register 130 to 135 degrees, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to plate.
- Add 2 onions, halved and sliced thin, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring 1½ cups water and 1 cup milk to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Stir in 8 ounces elbow macaroni and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until macaroni is soft (slightly past al dente), 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup shredded American cheese, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, and small pinch cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese until evenly distributed but not melted. Cover saucepan and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Thinly slice steak against grain, then stir steak and any accumulated juices into onions. Stir macaroni until sauce is smooth, then add steak mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. (Sauce will thicken as it cools. If needed, adjust consistency by adding hot water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, before serving.)
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
In this ode to Philly cheesesteaks, our stovetop mac and cheese gets even more satisfying with hearty strips of steak and sautéed onions. Using flank steak for its rich flavor, we cut the meat into strips and seared it in a skillet before sizzling sliced onions in the beefy fond. The macaroni and cheese sauce is based on American cheese, which has lots of emulsifiers to keep the sauce smooth when heated. We combined it with more-flavorful sharp cheddar, and mustard and cayenne pepper added piquancy. Cooking the macaroni in less water than usual (along with some milk) meant that we didn’t have to drain it before folding in the steak and onions.
Before You Begin
Because the macaroni is cooked in a measured amount of liquid, we don’t recommend using different shapes or sizes of pasta. Use a 4-ounce block of American cheese from the deli counter rather than presliced cheese.
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 pound flank steak, trimmed and cut with grain into ¾-inch strips, with 1 teaspoon table salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steak and cook, turning often, until thickest parts register 130 to 135 degrees, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to plate.
- Add 2 onions, halved and sliced thin, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring 1½ cups water and 1 cup milk to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Stir in 8 ounces elbow macaroni and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until macaroni is soft (slightly past al dente), 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup shredded American cheese, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, and small pinch cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese until evenly distributed but not melted. Cover saucepan and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Thinly slice steak against grain, then stir steak and any accumulated juices into onions. Stir macaroni until sauce is smooth, then add steak mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. (Sauce will thicken as it cools. If needed, adjust consistency by adding hot water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, before serving.)
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