Shaved Beef Steak

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This Shaved Beef Steak recipe has thinly sliced pieces of seasoned shaved steak pan-seared and served on garlic-butter Italian bread with gooey, melted cheese and creamy chipotle sauce.

Shaved Steak Sandwich Recipe

Don’t you just love easy beef meals?

You know, the ones you can have on the dinner table in 30 minutes or less, ready to feed your hungry clan?? I sure do!

Shaved steak cooks in just minutes, much quicker than most any other steak, for sure, but still with deep, rich, and savory flavors.

Sizzle steaks also cook quickly, even though they aren’t quite as thin as shaved steak, and the same goes for steak milanesa – we love both.

Shaved steak sandwich recipe ingredients

Roasted Garlic

• Head of garlic: A head of garlic has either 6-8 large cloves inside or 10-12 small cloves. Leave the papery exterior in tact to hold the cloves in place as they bake and soften.
  
• Olive oil: for drizzling over the garlic to bake it. You could also use vegetable or canola oil, if needed.

Shaved Steak Sandwich

• Shaved steak: I have the best luck finding shaved steak in the meat case at Kroger grocery stores.
  
• Sliced Swiss cheese: Feel free to use any type of sliced cheese that you prefer – provolone, muenster, cheddar, Colby jack.
  
• Loaf of Italian bread: You can use the par-baked type of Italian loaf or a regular bakery loaf of Italian bread. If Italian bread isn’t available, substitute French bread.
  
• Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter for all of my cooking. I want to season the butter to my own preferences.
  
• Worcestershire sauce: Adding a couple of good dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the shredded steak adds rich, savory flavor.
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: season to taste as desired.
  
• Red pepper flakes: This adds some zing to the shaved steak. It’s an optional ingredient but surely recommended.
  
• Chopped Italian parsley: this adds a bit of optional peppery flavor and color to the garlic butter. You may substitute one teaspoon of dried parsley in place of the fresh Italian parsley, if desired.
  

Creamy Chipotle Sauce (optional but recommended)

• Ranch dressing: I use Hidden Valley Ranch dressing but you can use any brand you prefer.
  
• Mayonnaise: Be sure to use mayonnaise when making this chipotle sauce, not Miracle Whip salad dressing.
  
• Minced chipotles in adobo or chipotle sauce: Chipotles are smoked jalapenos, so they are quite hot. Start by using a small amount in this recipe, adding more but only by taste.

Shaved beef steak recipe tips

• If you want to kick the shaved steak up a notch in flavor, add a teaspoon or two of prepared horseradish to the shaved steak for added zest – delicious!

• To make the cheese on top of the shaved steak sandwiches to be really golden brown and bubbly, pop the sandwiches beneath the broiler for a few seconds after they have baked. Keep a close eye on the cheese as this will only take a few seconds.

How to cook shaved steak sandwiches

Prepare the roasted garlic butter by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and discard the papery outer layers of the head (bulb) of garlic, leaving intact the skins of the individual cloves of garlic.

Using a sharp knife, slice off about 1/4-inch of the top of the head of garlic, exposing the individual cloves of garlic inside.

Place the head of garlic onto a sheet of foil, then top with a good drizzle of olive oil.

Wrap the foil up and around the head of garlic.

Bake the head of garlic for 30-40 minutes or until the cloves feel soft when squeezed.

Let the garlic cool slightly, then squeeze it out into a bowl and combine with unsalted softened butter until smooth.

Using a serrated knife, slice the loaf of Italian bread in half lengthwise.

Place the bread halves, cut-side up, onto a baking sheet; spread the prepared butter over each one.

Toast the bread, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, add a swish of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.

When the oil is nicely hot, add the shaved steak to the skillet, along with a generous shot of Worcestershire sauce and the red pepper flakes.

Cook the steak for 6-8 minutes just until cooked throughout, or to your desired doneness, tossing occasionally as you go.

Because shaved steak is exceptionally thinly sliced beef that is also cut across the grain, it can come from nearly any cut of beef and is quite tender and flavorful.

Just make sure not to overcook the shaved steak.

In a mixing bowl, combine the Ranch dressing with the mayo and chipotles, stirring until smooth.

Store in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve the steak sandwiches.

Pile the steak on top of each half of the toasted bread, then lay the Swiss cheese slices over the beef, shingling them on top of each other so that they overlap.

Place the sandwiches into the oven for 8-10 minutes, or just until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Slice each sandwich into 3 wedges, as desired.

Drizzle with creamy chipotle sauce, as desired and serve at once.

Beef shaved steak recipes

Just about any recipe that calls for ground beef is a good candidate for a shaved steak substitution.

Taco meat loaded bell peppers or big mac sloppy joes would both be delicious made with shaved steak in place of the ground beef.

Use shaved steak to make fiesta ground beef noodle skillet for your hungry family. Beef and cheese mexican sanchiladas would be fantastic made with shaved steak, too.

What is shaved steak?

Shaved steak is very thinly sliced beef. It can actually come from any part of the cow but most often comes from flank steak or skirt steak.

Cooking shaved steak

Because shaved steak is paper thin, it cooks very quickly.

I find that I use it much like I would in any recipe that calls for ground beef.

You can use shaved steak to make a multitude of dishes, such as Philly cheese steak, Korean pho soup, stir fry, beef and broccoli, or steak and eggs.

Shaved steak is so versatile!

Shaved steak is even delicious just as a meal by itself when quickly cooked and seasoned in a skillet until nicely browned on the exterior.

I often season it with a bit of creole seasoning or Lawry’s seasoned salt and dig in.

Best way to cook shaved steak

I have found that my favorite way to cook shaved steak is a hot skillet with a bit of oil.

Once the skillet and the oil are both nicely hot, it’s time to add the shaved steak.

Because shaved steak is paper thin, it will cook even more quickly than ground beef.

Cook the shaved steak for just a minute or two, until nicely caramelized on each side. Serve at once.

How to season shaved steak

We season shaved steak, just like we do any other type of steak – with a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cooking the shaved steak in a bit of hot oil so that it caramelizes adds lot of additional flavor, as well.

What is shaved steak called?

Shaved steak is often referred to as shaved beef, both of which can be found in the meat case at your local grocer.

I’ve discovered that most often, shaved steak is labeled as its particular cuisine use.

For instance, in an Italian deli, you might find shaved steak labeled as “braciole meat” or “carpaccio”.

Shaved steak featured in Asian dishes might labeled it as “hot-pot beef” or “pho beef”.

In German butcher shops, shaved beef might be called “rouladen”.

And because everybody in the world seems to adore Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, you will often see shaved steak labeled as “sandwich steak” in some markets.

No matter what it’s called, shaved steak is always easy to recognize – it’s the paper-thin sliced beef in the meat case.

How to cook thin steak

I prefer to cook thin steak in preheated heavy-bottom skillet (such as cast iron) over medium-high heat with just a bit of hot oil.

Combining the good skillet and the hot oil helps the steak cook quickly with nice, crispy edges and golden brown caramelization for lots of flavor.

Thin steak recipes

Shaved steak is super thin, even more so than carne asada meat. You could certainly substitute shaved steak in any carne asada recipe since it will cook even more quickly.

If your family enjoys fajitas, speed them up by substituting shaved steak in the recipe. You could also substitute shaved steak when making beef stroganoff or beef stir fry.

Shaved steak dinner ideas

I typically use chuck roast to make bulgogi (a delicious and easy Korean beef dish) but shaved steak would work perfectly for making bulgogi. Mongolian beef would be yummy made with shaved steak, too.

My family really likes Philly Cheesesteak so I substitute shaved steak when I make philly cheese steak bread. You could also whip up some philly cheese steak pasta or or pizza using shaved steak, too.

And don’t forget the Roasted Potato Wedges to complete your meal!