caramelized onion, steak, and cheese skillet
better than takeout!
We have a special guest stopping by today: my friend and the amazing chef and recipe developer Jenn Lueke! Jenn, who writes the eat goood newsletter, joined us during my maternity leave this summer when she shared her greek-style sheet-pan gnocchi. You all went crazy for that meal, and I know you’ll love today’s caramelized onion, steak, and cheese skillet, too. Jenn stayed with me in Carmel earlier this month and we cooked this recipe together — I am IN LOVE, and can’t wait for you to taste it.
It’s the perfect meal for this weird week between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s filling, cozy, and packed with vegetables. If you’re thinking about ordering takeout for dinner tonight… cook this instead!
From Jenn: This skillet is basically a deconstructed Philly cheesesteak, and I’m obsessed. Caramelized onions bring sweetness, savory shaved steak keeps things juicy, and melty cheese ties it all together. I first made this for my meat- and cheese-loving brother-in-law, who normally dodges anything remotely plant-forward, and he was hooked. Eat it straight from the skillet for a low-carb dinner and stuff any leftovers into a hoagie roll for a full-on veggie cheesesteak situation.
This recipe is a sneak peek from Jenn’s debut cookbook, Don’t Think About Dinner, which hits shelves January 13, 2026 (you can pre-order it here!). DTAD is 100% gluten-free, very dairy-free friendly, as well as vegetarian, vegan, and nut-free friendly. There are over 125 recipes and 12 chapters including breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and more, plus a really comprehensive section of the book that includes Jenn’s top tips and tricks for shopping, stocking, prepping, and more. DTAD also has 12 full weeks of dinner plans and accompanying grocery lists! Today’s recipe is part of the “One-Pot Wonders” chapter of the book and the “Better-Than-Takeout Week” meal plan.
Learn more about Jenn and/or DTAD here, find her book tour schedule here, and save the date for a Substack Live with Jenn and me on Wednesday, January 7, at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET! Big thanks to Jenn Lueke for telling us all what to cook this week!
My 30-minute beef and broccoli and one-skillet sausage and mushroom cassoulet are two more quickie skillet dinners with better-than-takeout vibes. Both would be fantastic this upcoming week. Or, if you’re looking for fancier meal ideas to cook for NYE, we have ideas here and here!
By Jenn Lueke from Don’t Think About Dinner (modified very slightly for WTC)
Serves 4
Cook time: 55 minutes (15 minutes prep, 40 minutes active)
Tools:
Ingredients:
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