Philly Cheese Steak Soup in a Bread Bowl

By Becky Hardin

Updated Jun 18, 2026

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If you’re a Philly cheese steak lover like me, you will love this Philly Cheese Steak Soup. I’ve taken all the delicious flavors of a quintessential Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich and turned them into a soup, then served it in a hollowed-out bread bowl. Though this soup does take some time to prepare, it comes together easily and is loads of fun to eat. I find it’s perfect for a cold fall or winter’s day when you need something cozy and nourishing to fill your belly.

A Delicious Way to Enjoy Philly Cheesesteak

In this Philly Cheese Steak Soup, I bring all of the best flavors from a cheese steak sandwich and turn them into a cheesy, delicious, irresistible bread bowl soup.

I love everything about a Philly cheesesteak sandwich: the meat, the cheese, and the bread. I’ve created my fair share of Philly cheesesteak recipes, like Philly cheesesteak sloppy joes and Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers, but this bread bowl recipe takes the cake. Hearty slices of thinly cut beef cooked with carrots and onions in a French onion soup broth come together perfectly. For a fun twist, I hollowed out a few loaves of bread, ladled the soup into them, and then broiled them with a layer of cheese.

I love serving this comforting soup on a cold fall or winter day, as it really warms us up. If I’ve meal-prepped the soup, this recipe comes together in minutes. If I ‘m making it that day, it takes just over an hour to bring it all together. Not totally impossible for a busy weeknight, but often easier to prepare when I have more time over the weekend.

Tips for Beginners

• Ask your butcher to slice the beef. The best and easiest way to get the beef as thin as needed is to ask your butcher to slice it across the grain to 2-3 mm, or 1/16th inch thick.
• For alcohol-free soup. You can substitute the wine with more broth if you don’t want to use wine.
• Save the tops of the bread bowls. Don’t toss them—they’re perfect for dipping into the extra soup and soaking up all those delicious flavors. You can also cut them into cubes and toast them to make homemade croutons.

Recipe Card

Philly Cheese Steak Soup Recipe

Difficulty: Easy

4.63 from 108 votes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Author: Becky Hardin

Print Rate Pin

Philly Cheese Steak Soup is the most delicious soup recipe you’ll eat this season. If you like cheesesteak sandwiches, then you’ll love this bread bowl soup recipe. 

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Ingredients 

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For the Bread Bowls:

• ▢ 4 small round bread loaves to make bread bowls
• ▢ olive oil for brushing

For the Soup:

• ▢ 2 lbs. thinly sliced roast beef
• ▢ 2 tbsp canola oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 medium onions chopped
• ▢ 1 medium green pepper chopped
• ▢ 1 lb. button or cremini mushrooms caps with ½-inch stems, sliced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ¼ cup red wine cabernet sauvignon works well, optional
• ▢ 4 cups beef broth
• ▢ 1 10.5 oz French onion soup canned
• ▢ 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 4 slices provolone cheese or 8 oz. shredded

Video

Instructions 

For the Soup

• Heat oven to 350°F (for the bread bowls).
• Season the beef with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
  2 lbs. thinly sliced roast beef
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil and butter. Add the onions and green pepper and cook 3 minutes or until softened.
  2 tbsp canola oil, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 medium onions, 1 medium green pepper
• Add sliced mushrooms and cook an additional 3 minutes or until mushrooms have softened. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds – just long enough for the garlic to bloom and become fragrant. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a separate bowl and set aside.
  1 lb. button or cremini mushrooms, 2 cloves garlic
• If needed, heat a little more oil to the skillet and add enough meat just to cover the inside of the skillet. Brown the beef on both sides, about 1 minute per side (the beef may still be a little pink inside). Transfer the beef to a paper towel-lined plate, and repeat until all beef is browned.
• With the heat set to medium-low, slowly add the wine while deglazing (scraping the browned bits off) the pan. Add the beef broth, French onion soup and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.
  ¼ cup red wine, 4 cups beef broth, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 10.5 oz French onion soup
• Add the vegetables and the beef back to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer 30-60 minutes to thicken the soup.
• Add the heavy cream and simmer an additional 15 minutes, stirring often so the cream won’t scorch.
  ½ cup heavy cream
• When ready to serve, fill each bowl with soup and top with 1 slice of provolone or mound with shredded provolone.
  4 slices provolone cheese
• Set oven to broil and place the bowls of soup on the middle rack. Watch the soup carefully, so the cheese doesn’t burn. Broil until the cheese has melted and just beginning to toast.

For the Bread Bowls:

• Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Use a serrated knife to cut ½-1 inch (depending on the size of your bread) off the top of the loaf. Hollow out the inside of the loaf, leaving about a 1-inch edge of bread around the perimeter.
  4 small round bread loaves
• Place the bread bowls and their tops on the prepared baking sheet and brush the insides, the edges and the tops of the bowls with olive oil.
  olive oil
• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside while soup cooks.

Serving: 1servingCalories: 705kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 65gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 207mgSodium: 5045mgPotassium: 1736mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 970IUVitamin C: 134mgCalcium: 923mgIron: 6.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

How to Make Philly Cheese Steak in a Bread Bowl

Get the oven going and season the beef: Heat the oven to 350°F and season 2 lbs. of beef with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Cook the veggies: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp of butter. Stir in 2 medium chopped onions and 1 chopped green pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened.

Add 1 lb. of sliced mushrooms and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened. Add 2 cloves of garlic and cook another 30 seconds – just long enough for the garlic to bloom and become fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Brown the beef: If the skillet is dry, add a little more oil and add enough meat just to cover the inside. Brown the beef for 1 minute per side; it’s okay if it is a little pink inside. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and repeat until all the beef is browned.

With the heat set to medium-low, slowly pour in ¼ cup red wine while deglazing (scraping the browned bits off) the pan. Add 4 cups of beef broth, 1 can of French onion soup, and 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.

Simmer: Place the vegetables and the beef back in the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-60 minutes so that the soup can thicken.

Add ½ cup of heavy cream and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring often so the cream won’t scorch.

Prepare the bread bowls: Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Use a serrated knife to cut ½-1 inch off the tops of the 4 small round loaves of bread and hollow out the inside, leaving about a 1-inch edge of bread around the perimeter. Place the bread bowls and their tops on the baking sheet and brush the insides, the edges, and the tops with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Fill the bread bowls and broil: Fill each bowl with soup and top with 1 slice of provolone or a mound of shredded provolone.

Set the oven to broil, place the bowls of soup on the middle rack, and broil until the cheese has melted. Watch the soup carefully, so the cheese doesn’t burn.

Serve: Serve the soup and enjoy!

How to Store

Store soup and bread bowls separately. The soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, while the bread can be kept on the counter.

Reheat

Reheat the soup over the stove, and then pour it into the bread bowl, top with the cheese and then broil until the cheese melts.

Freeze

Both the soup and the bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat it the next day, and thaw the bread on the counter.

Make Ahead

When I plan properly, I’ll try to prepare the soup up to 2 days ahead of time, so it’s ready to go during the week.

Serving Suggestions

Though I find this bread bowl soup eats like a meal, I’ll often add a few veggie sides to round out our meal, like this kid-friendly air fryer broccoli or this cozy roasted honeynut squash. To start the meal, I’ll usually prepare a fresh green goddess salad.

This soup does take just over an hour to prepare, so if I have the time, it makes a great nourishing weeknight meal in the fall and winter, but often it’s a weekend type of lunch for my family of four.

More Bread Bowl Recipes To Enjoy

• For this Mini Bread Bowls with French Onion Dip, I serve classic French onion dip in hollowed-out take-and-bake dinner rolls.
• Crab Artichoke Dip in a Bread Bowl features cheesy, hot crab and artichoke dip in a hollowed-out sourdough bread.
• This Hoagie Dip has all my favorite sandwich flavors in hollowed-out Italian bread.

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