A pound of shaved beef browned in batches, then slow-cooked with thinly sliced onion and green pepper and eight ounces of cream cheese.
Provolone and mozzarella go in at the end for the melt, and it is served warm with toasted baguette or crackers.
Why This Recipe Works
- The beef is browned before it goes anywhere near the cooker. A slow cooker cannot brown anything, and browned shaved beef is the difference between a cheesesteak dip and a cheese dip with meat in it.
- Cream cheese first, the melting cheeses last. Cream cheese is stable over two hours; provolone and mozzarella held that long would separate and turn stringy.
- Provolone specifically. It is the cheese the sandwich is made with, and swapping it for more mozzarella removes the flavour the dish is named after.
- The peppers and onion are sliced thin and softened first. Five to six minutes in the beef fat is what stops them releasing water into the dip later.
- Sturdy dippers are part of the recipe rather than a serving suggestion. This is a thick dip and a thin cracker snaps in it.
Why The Cheese Goes In Twice
Three cheeses, two additions, and the order is the recipe. Cream cheese is the body and goes in cold at the start; the two stretchy cheeses go in at the end, after the dip is already creamy.
The base
LOW, 2 hours, stirred once halfway8 ounces cream cheese, cubed, with the beef and vegetables
Two hours on LOW melts it into a sauce that holds everything together. Cubed rather than whole — a block melts from the outside and leaves a firm core.
The seasoning, in with it
Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper
All of it goes in at step 3 rather than at the end. Two hours is what carries a tablespoon of Worcestershire through a pound of beef instead of leaving it on top.
The stretch
Covered, a further 20 to 30 minutes1 cup provolone and 1 cup mozzarella
Folded in only once the base is smooth. Provolone is the cheesesteak flavour and mozzarella is the pull; adding either at the start would leave it stringy and split after two hours.
Then tasteStirred well and served warm, with toasted baguette or sturdy crackers.
Ingredient Notes
- Shaved beef or thinly sliced sirloin
- A pound. Shaved is what a cheesesteak uses and it cooks in seconds; a thick-cut steak diced would stay chewy through a two-hour dip.
- Green bell pepper and yellow onion
- Both sliced thin. Green pepper rather than red is the sandwich's own choice, and it keeps the dip savoury rather than sweet.
- Provolone cheese
- A cup, shredded. This is the defining cheese of the dish; mozzarella alone makes a stretchy dip that tastes of nothing in particular.
- Cream cheese, cubed
- Eight ounces of full-fat block, cubed before it goes in. It is the body of the dip, not a flavouring.
- Toasted baguette or sturdy crackers
- Listed for serving and worth taking seriously — this dip is thick enough to break a thin cracker.
How to Make It
Brown the beef in batches
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in batches until browned, then transfer it to a plate.
Soften the vegetables
Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened.
Fill the cooker
Add the beef, vegetables, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cream cheese to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
Cook on LOW
Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours, stirring once halfway through.
Bring it creamy, then add the cheese
Stir until creamy, then fold in the provolone and mozzarella.
Melt
Cover for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Serve
Stir well and serve warm with toasted baguette or crackers.
Success Tips
- Get the skillet properly hot and cook the beef in two or three batches.
- Cube the cream cheese while it is still cold; it is far easier.
- Stir at the halfway mark as step 4 says — the cheese settles otherwise.
- Wait for the base to look creamy before the provolone and mozzarella go in.
- Keep it on WARM once it is served; a cheese dip firms fast as it cools.
Serving Ideas
A game-day dip. Toasted baguette, sturdy crackers, or sliced peppers if you want something fresh to scoop with.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It sets firm when cold and loosens again with gentle heat.
Freeze
Freezing is not recommended. A cream cheese dip separates on thawing and no amount of stirring brings it back.
Reheat
Reheat gently in a covered pan over low heat, or in the slow cooker on LOW, stirring until it loosens. High heat splits it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put the beef in raw?
It would cook, but it would be grey. Nothing in a slow cooker browns, and the browning at step 1 is where the cheesesteak flavour comes from.
The dip looked greasy.
Usually beef that was not drained after browning, or the melting cheeses added too early. Both put fat into a sauce that has to stay emulsified.
Can I use a cheese sauce instead of provolone?
That makes a different dip. Provolone is the cheesesteak cheese and the recipe is built around it plus mozzarella for the pull.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Make it fully, refrigerate, and rewarm on LOW in the cooker with a splash of milk if it has tightened.
