I was taken aback when someone in my life said to me, “A sandwich isn’t dinner.” To clarify, she meant dinner as in the evening meal. So never have I given that any thought about that before, I had to stop and wrap my mind around it. I’ve made sandwiches for dinner a kazillion times. And right then and there I decided I wasn’t going to guilt myself at this late stage of my life. Especially when the sandwiches are these Bistro Steak Subs.

Bistro Steak Subs, Copycat French’s Onion Rings

So how about you? Do you have any def opinions on sandwiches for dinner? I mean, maybe not peanut butter and jelly, although I’m pretty sure I’ve done that. Snuck in between picking up the kids at daycare and trying to get to wherever we needed to be in like 20 minutes, and probably finished in the car! But I think sometimes a sandwich night can kind of break up the monotony of dinner and dinner planning (isn’t that the worst!) and you don’t really always have to have three “square” meals a day…

About Bistro Steak Subs:

All I know is that these Bistro Steak Subs are super quick, easy and definitely hefty enough to qualify as a dinner at my house. They’re big and squishy and warm and melty cheesy and so fantastic dipped in the au jus. And they’re especially good with the little garnish of my French’s Fried Onion Rings and with Stupid Simple Sweet Potato Fries on the side. Besides, if there are sweet potatoes involved in any dinner, it can’t be that bad, amirite!

Bistro Steak Subs are like a quick 15 to 20 minute deal to toss together, so they’re a perfect thing to have on a busy have to be somewhere later kind of night and you can’t beat them for a movie or sports night either, except maybe they’re a little messy to eat in front of the TV if you have littles. You start out with thinly sliced beef, which can be leftover or come from the deli, and sliced cheese and there’s nothing to the little sauce, the au jus that goes with them. Be forewarned, there’s beer in that au jus, but it’s boiled for several minutes so most the hooch is burned off. Just sub in beef stock if beer’s a no go.

Since the sandwiches take so little time, let’s talk about those onions…I think they are kind of the star of the show, though completely optional. I have a recipe for the French’s Copycat Onions but all you do is slice an onion super thin, shake it in flour and deep or shallow fry. They take literally minutes to make and are kind of high payoff. They’re so fantabulous and so easy they’re a little dangerous and more than once after I first made them, at random times I’d think about them, and before ya know it I was in the kitchen doing it again! And there went my diet…it seems I’m always on one! That kind of behavior is probably why, lol!

Copycat French’s Crispy Onion Rings

Making Bistro Steak Subs:

To get the sandwiches going, just toss all the au jus ingredients in a pan and simmer it for two to three minutes, just to blend the flavors and mellow out the beer. The taste with the beer is a little robust, which I think is great but might not be appreciated as much if you’re serving the younger generation. Just use a good beef stock instead if that’s the case in your family. My kids loved these as-is but they were also used to eating all kinds of even stranger concoctions…

Once the au jus is done, turn it off and just drop the beef (and it should be rare to medium-rare because it cooks more in that hot broth) into the pan and let it gently warm through in the residual heat. If you want it still rare, pull it quickly or if you’d like it more well done, leave it in for a minute or two.

This is great with thinly sliced deli beef. It’s also great with leftover roast beef, something like my Poor Man’s Mock Prime Rib or my 30 Minute Instant Pot Roast. Just make sure it’s thinly sliced so it’s nice and tender; you don’t want to try to down thick pieces of dripping wet beef on a sandwich; the whole thing would be difficult to eat.

30 minute Instant Pot Roast, medium rare (mostly)

Poor Man’s Mock Prime Rib

Saving Money on Bistro Steak Subs:

There’s no doubt that beef, especially from the deli, can be pricey. There are some “premium” prepackaged lunch meats that might not be too bad to use for this but a much better bet is to just choose something from the deli when it’s on sale. There’s always something rotating in and out of sale whether it’s advertised or not.

I make these sandwiches often when I have leftover roast beef. Honestly, it’s kind of a conflicting decision on what to make if and when there’s some in the fridge; I have a few recipes I love. Bistro Steak Subs often win out – they are so quick and easy that I know I’ll have one super simple night of barely cooking while some of my other recipes are more involved. Check out some of the other recipes I make with Leftover Roast Beef if you’re so inclined. And get yourself a cheap kitchen slicer…they run about 35 bucks and pay off if you’re interested in being frugal. I use mine to slice up leftover ham, beef, turkey and slice up a lot of things. Like onions for French Onion Soup.

Any hoagie type bun or upgraded hot dog bun works well for this recipe. Check the store bakery where they might be cheaper than anything on the shelf in the bread aisle. I love the Aldi hoagie buns if you have one nearby. You can’t beat Aldi pricing on the Provolone, either, although if the cheese is thin, you might want more than one slice per sandwich.

Bistro Steak Subs, Stupid Simple Sweet Potatoes, Chili Lime Dipping Sauce, Copycat French’s Onion Rings

Bistro Steak Subs

Print Recipe

Bistro Steak Subs are big and squishy and warm and melty cheesy and so fantastic dipped in the easy au jus, all in 20 minutes.

• Author: unknown
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 5
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 subs 1x
• Category: Sandwiches
• Method: Stove
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed & minced
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 (12-ounce) can dark beer (sub in a good beef stock)
• 1 pound (or more) thinly sliced rare to medium-rare roast beef, deli if fine
• 6 slices provolone, if very thin, may want two per sandwich
• 6 hoagie rolls, cut in half lengthwise

Instructions

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic, and sauté two minutes. Add ketchup, Worcestershire, basil, oregano, cayenne, and beer. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer briskly for two to three minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat.

Have rolls open and ready. Add roast beef to sauce, a little at a time, removing quickly to serve on the rare side or leaving a bit longer for more well done. Using tongs, pull the beef out, allowing excess moisture to drip back into the pan. Place on rolls and immediately top with cheese so it melts well.

Serve with a little of the additional sauce for dipping.

Notes

Slice leftover Roast Beef for an inexpsive option to deli meat.

Keywords: Beef, Cheese, leftover beef, provolone, Sandwiches, Bargain Meal of the Week

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I’ll be posting Bistro Steak Subs to Fiesta Friday #294 this week. It’s being hosted this by Antonia @ Zoale.com