Born and raised in Philly you have to love Cheese Steaks. It's engrained in your DNA, but when my clients are trying to improve their diets they think they have to swear off Cheese Steaks. You don't have to. This Philly Cheese Steak Pita Sandwich is just a good as the traditional sandwich with a lot fewer carbs.
I received free samples of Toufayan Pita mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Toufayan Bakeries and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
What is a Philly Cheese Steak? Just in case you don't know I'll explain. A cheesesteak contains sirloin beef cut paper-thin and fried. The beef is then placed on an Italian roll (a hoagie/sub). The choice of toppings includes fried onions, cheese, mushrooms, pizza sauce (Pizza Cheesesteak), lettuce/tomato (Cheesesteak Hoagie).
Many of you know I work as a weight loss surgery dietitian. My patients are having surgery to lose weight. A tremendous lifestyle change is needed, so of course, there are foods that may have been a huge part of their life that now has to be limited.
I stress always that there is no list of food you can never eat again. It's not realistic to cut out food entirely from your diet. All foods can fit. You just need to find the right balance.
I make my own cheesesteak sandwiches usually. By making homemade sandwiches I can control the fat content and carb content. In the Philadelphia area, you can purchase sirloin beef frozen that is specifically cut for cheesesteak sandwiches. I fry the meat without oil. I top my sandwiches with American cheese and fried onions. I use a reduced-fat cheese and saute onion in olive oil.
I never make my sandwiches on large rolls. I use smaller rolls or pita bread. Pita bread allows for smaller portions and reduces calories.
Toufayan Pita Bread comes in many varieties. For this sandwich, I tried the Low Carb variety. The Low Carb pita has 100 calories per loaf compared to 150 calories in the regular loaf. Carbohydrates at 16 grams compared to 31 grams in the regular.
You can cut the pita and stuff the sandwich contents into the pocket or wrap the pita almost like a taco! I also heat my pita loaf for a few minutes on each side in a small pan that I coat lightly with olive oil spray.
Recipe
Philly Cheese Steak Pita Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 ounces sirloin beef
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 slice low-fat American Cheese
- 1 loaf low carb pita bread
Instructions
Cheese Steak
- In a saute pan brown sirloin 2-3 minutes.
- Shred meat into small pieces or slices.
- Top meat with 1 slice of cheese and allow cheese to melt.
Pita Prep
- Spray a small saute pan with Olive Oil Cooking Spray.
- Heat pan over medium heat for about 1 minute.
- Place pita loaf into the pan.
- Brown pita loaf about 2 minutes on each side.
Assembling Sandwich
- Place Cheese Steak into the center of the pita loaf. Fold loaf in half and enjoy. Add additional toppings as desired (some may alter nutrition information)
Nutrition
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
From one Philly gal to another, this is BRILLIANT! Totally making these 🙂