An Open-Face Steak Sandwich on Garlic Toast Recipe

As nice as it is to pick up a meat- and vegetable-stuffed roll with both hands and chomp down on it, there's something especially alluring about the knife-and-fork approach that goes with the open-face sandwich. The brilliance of it is that the cutlery implies a certain heft and decadence—that this sandwich is too loaded to handle by hand—when in fact, you just saved yourself 100 empty calories by ditching half of the bread. To make matters even better, we rub the base of this open-face steak sandwich with cut garlic cloves, giving you the impression that you're eating a cheesesteak on top of a big hunk of garlic bread. Enjoy!

Nutrition: 365 calories, 16 g fat (6 g saturated), 510 mg sodium6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Serves 4

You'll Need

2 ciabatta rolls, split or 4 6-inch baguette halves
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1⁄2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 lb sirloin, sliced into thin pieces
Salt and black pepper to taste
1⁄4 cup A.1. steak sauce
1 large tomato, cut into 4 thick slices
4 slices low-fat Swiss or provolone cheese

How to Make It

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake on an upper rack for about 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Rub with the garlic cloves.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, until translucent.
4. Add the sirloin pieces and cook for about 7 minutes, until both the beef and onions are browned and the meat is cooked through.
5. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the A.1. Remove from the heat.
6. Place a slice of tomato on top of each ciabatta half. Top with the beef mixture and then the cheese.
7. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted.

Eat This Tip

Here are some other sandwich concepts that take well to the open-face approach:

• Ham, swiss, and sliced tomato, slathered in honey mustard
• Grilled ratatouille salad topped with fresh goat cheese
• Herb-roasted turkey breast, stuffing, and turkey gravy or cranberry sauce
• A caprese made on slices of baguette served as an hors d'oeuvre (or a midnight snack)

This recipe (and hundreds more!) came from one of our Cook This, Not That! books. For more easy cooking ideas, you can also buy the book!