These easy Philly cheesesteak sliders turn a pound of cooked shaved roast beef into a warm tray of small sandwiches. There is provolone tucked into the filling, tender bell pepper and onion, and a buttery everything-seasoned top. Soft dinner rolls keep the whole tray together until you are ready to divide it.
The baking order makes this recipe especially useful. The bottom rolls and filling go into the oven first, leaving the cheese exposed so it can melt. The roll tops join the pan afterward for a short second bake. That gives you melted cheese without asking the bread to sit in the oven for the entire time.
Start with the rolls and filling
Use one dozen dinner rolls that are still connected in a slab. You will also need 1 pound of shaved roast beef, 9 slices of provolone, 1 large chopped bell pepper, ½ cup chopped onion, and 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. The beef here is already cooked roast beef, sliced very thin; this method is written for warming it, rather than cooking raw steak.
Measure 2 tablespoons olive oil and 4 tablespoons butter. Divide the butter right away: 2 tablespoons are for the vegetables, and the other 2 tablespoons are melted for the tops. The topping butter is part of those four tablespoons, so you do not need an additional portion.
Plain soft dinner rolls let the beef and cheese lead. Set out a 9×13-inch baking dish, two skillets, small bowls, and a pastry brush before starting. The connected rolls are easier to fill and move when you keep them together through both baking stages.
Measure the topping before you start
The homemade everything mix is a batch recipe. Stir together ¼ cup sesame seeds, ¼ cup poppy seeds, ¼ cup dried onion flakes, and 1 tablespoon garlic salt. Add the optional ¼ cup black sesame seeds if you are using them. Mix thoroughly so the garlic salt and smaller seeds are distributed through the onion flakes.
For this tray, measure just 2 tablespoons of that finished mix. Stir it into the 2 tablespoons of melted butter reserved for the tops. The remaining seasoning is not an ingredient you need to add to the sliders. Using the full batch would overwhelm the bread, especially with garlic salt in the mixture.
Get the filling ready in two skillets
Soften the pepper and onion
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion, and cook until tender with lightly golden edges. Stir as they cook so the pieces soften evenly, then set the vegetables aside.
Small, fairly even pieces fit into the sliders better than large chunks. Let the vegetables finish in the skillet; the short oven stages are mainly for melting the cheese and warming the assembled rolls.
Warm the shaved roast beef
Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shaved roast beef and turn it gently until heated through, with a few lightly browned spots. Separate folded slices as you go, so the middle of a clump gets warm too. Stop once the beef is ready for the filling rather than continuing to fry it crisp.
Build the layers while the rolls stay connected
Carefully slice the roll slab in half horizontally. Lift off the connected tops and place the bottom half in the baking dish. Spread the 2 tablespoons mayonnaise across the cut surface in a thin, even layer, reaching the corner rolls as well as the center.
Arrange the warm beef over the mayonnaise. Spread it across the slab instead of leaving a tall pile in the middle. Lay the 9 provolone slices over the beef, overlapping them to cover the filling, then spoon the cooked peppers and onions over the cheese. Keep the layers fairly level so the tops will sit evenly later.
Give the cheese a head start
Leave the roll tops off for now. Bake the bottom slab and filling uncovered at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until the provolone has melted. Check the cheese as you approach eight minutes; it should soften across the filling and settle around the vegetables.
Remove the pan from the oven and place the connected roll tops over the filling. Stir the everything butter again, since the seeds can settle, then brush it across the tops. Spread the seeds and onion flakes over the whole slab rather than letting them collect on only a few rolls.
Return the pan to the oven for 5 more minutes, until the tops are warm and golden. This second stage is brief because the filling is already warm and the cheese has melted. The 35-minute total in the recipe card is an estimate that includes preparation and skillet cooking; the two oven stages account for about 13–15 minutes.
Bring the tray to the table
Divide the slab along the roll seams into individual sliders and serve warm. Work down through the filling and bottom rolls so each sandwich comes away with its own beef, cheese, and vegetables. One dozen rolls makes 12 sliders; how many people that feeds depends on whether they are having one as an appetizer or several for dinner.
A few answers before you bake
What kind of beef should I buy?
Look for cooked roast beef shaved or sliced very thin at the deli counter. Thin slices are easy to warm and distribute across the small rolls. Keep the 1-pound amount for this twelve-slider tray.
Do I use the whole batch of everything seasoning?
No. Only 2 tablespoons of the mixed seasoning go into the melted butter for this recipe. The larger ingredient amounts make a batch, not a single-tray topping.
Why are the roll tops added later?
The first bake melts the provolone directly over the filling. Adding the tops afterward gives the bread a shorter time in the oven while it warms and the buttery topping finishes.
Easy Philly cheesesteak sliders recipe
Easy Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- Two skillets
- Small mixing bowls
- Pastry brush
- Bread knife
Ingredients
Sliders and butter topping
- 1 pound shaved roast beef already cooked and shaved thin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 9 slices provolone cheese
- 1 large bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 4 tablespoons butter divided: 2 tablespoons for vegetables and 2 tablespoons melted for the tops
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 dozen dinner rolls 12 rolls, kept connected
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel topping from the homemade mix below; use only this measured portion
Homemade everything mix (use only 2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
- 1/4 cup black sesame seeds optional
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, optional black sesame seeds, and garlic salt. This makes a batch; only 2 tablespoons of the mixed seasoning are used for this tray.
- In another small bowl, stir 2 tablespoons of the melted butter with 2 tablespoons of the everything seasoning mix. Set aside. These 2 tablespoons of butter are part of the 4 tablespoons listed for the sliders.
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion. Cook until tender and lightly golden at the edges, stirring as needed. Set the cooked vegetables aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cooked shaved roast beef, separating folded slices, and turn gently until heated through and lightly browned in spots.
- Carefully slice the dinner-roll slab in half horizontally, keeping the rolls connected. Put the bottom half in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread the mayonnaise evenly over the cut surface.
- Arrange the warm roast beef evenly over the bottom rolls. Cover with the 9 provolone slices, overlapping as needed. Spoon the cooked peppers and onions over the cheese.
- Leave the roll tops off. Bake the bottom rolls and filling uncovered at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until the provolone has melted.
- Remove the dish from the oven and place the connected roll tops over the filling. Stir the everything butter again and brush it evenly across the tops, distributing the seeds and onion flakes.
- Return the dish to the oven for 5 more minutes, until the roll tops are warm and golden.
- Divide along the roll seams into 12 individual sliders and serve warm.
Notes
Make it a fuller meal
For the same beef-and-cheese combination in a casserole, try Philly Cheese Steak Casserole. A scoop of Hashbrown Casserole is another option when you want a potato side with the sliders.