Best Chopped Cheese Sandwiches (New York Style Chopped Cheese Recipe)
on Sep 26, 2023, Updated Nov 21, 2023
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New York City’s Chopped Cheese Sandwich with chopped beef burgers, melted gooey cheese, caramelized onions, topped with tomatoes and shredded lettuces, and hugged by a toasted hero roll. This is the classic way to make the iconic NYC chopped cheese. It reminds me of Philly cheesesteak, but even better!
My family loves sandwiches and burgers like Travis Scott Burger, Zinger Burger, and this delicious chopped cheese sandwich. This recipe is so easy to make and incredibly satisfying.
What is Chopped Cheese?
The chopped cheese sandwich originated from small one-stop shops known as bodega in New York City.
A Chopped Cheese is basically a burger turned into a sandwich. It starts with beef burger patties and onions, which are chopped up while on the grill into small pieces. American Cheese slices are added on top and melted before the mixture is transferred to a hero bun and dressed with the toppings of your choosing (typically lettuce and tomatoes). It’s a quick and delicious on-the-go meal.
Ingredients for Chopped Cheese Sandwich
- Burger Patties
- Oil
- Onion
- Salt & Pepper
- American cheese
- Hero Rolls
- Mayonnaise, or to taste
- Ketchup
- Tomatoes
- Iceberg Lettuce
The Best Cheese for Chopped Cheese Bodega Sandwich
Most bodegas from NYC use American cheese in their chopped cheese sandwiches. It’s considered the best choice as it melts much better than other cheese. You can use other types like Cheez Whiz or provolone. Even mozzarella will work for this recipe. Just make sure to cut slices thin enough that they will melt completely.
What Kind of Bread Should I Use for NYC Chopped Cheese?
The quality of the bread is crucial to chopped cheese enjoyment. I recommend using the traditional hero bun or hoagie roll which is soft and fluffy on the inside, but slightly crusty on the outside.
How to Chop Burgers?
The key to chopping your burger patties is to let them cook for a few minutes so they’re easy to cut through. This is especially important if you’re using a frozen patty as the bodegas do. A steel spatula will be easiest. You’ll need to chop it up lengthwise and widthwise, until it looks like ground beef.
Now, if you’re wondering, “why not just use ground beef?”, you absolutely can! For bodegas cooking quickly, the burger patties are already portioned out. But if you’re at home cooking for the family, this recipe can totally be made using ground beef, and you may even have some leftover!
How to Make Chopped Cheese
Step 1: Prepare the Bread
- Slice hero rolls 3/4 of the way through with a serrated knife.
- Toast the buns on a large skillet or grill pan.
Step 2: Make the Filling
- Sauté diced onions until caramelized. Set aside.
- Season the patties with salt and pepper. And cook them for about 4 minutes or until the bottom is nicely browned.
- Flip the burger and cook for 1 minute.
- Use 2 steel spatulas to chop the burger into small pieces.
- Add the cooked onions and keep chopping and stirring.
- Divide into 4 even portions and top each with 2 slices of cheese and turn off the heat so the cheese can melt properly.
Step 3: Assemble the Sandwich
- Spread a thin layer of mayo on the hero roll. Drizzle ketchup on top.
- Use a steel spatula and carefully transfer the filling into each roll.
- Add sliced tomatoes and shredded iceberg lettuce on top of the filling. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Chopped Cheese
- Toast the bread: Toasting the bread will prevent it from getting soggy when you add on all the condiments. Either pop it in the toaster or place the sliced faces down onto the skillet before you add in your burgers.
- Chop the burger patties, NOT the cheese: While the name might imply the cheese itself is chopped, you’ll find yourself in a pretty literal sticky situation if you chop up patties with cheese on them. The best practice is to chop up the beef, arrange it in a pile in the skillet in a similar shape to your bun and then add the cheese on top.
- You can make it spicy: Bodegas have all the fixings to customize your Chopped Cheese, so don’t forget you can do that at home too! Add some of your favorite spicy seasonings to the ground patty, or top off your sandwich with some spicy condiments.
Chopped Cheese vs. Cheesesteak
The main difference between a Chopped Cheese and a Cheesesteak is the cut of the meat. In a way, a Chopped Cheese is almost like a Burger meets Cheesesteak. While the meat in a Chopped Cheese is finely chopped, a Cheesesteak is made up of thinly sliced beef. Cheesesteaks are also usually made with either Provolone cheese or Cheese Whiz.
Best NYC Chopped Cheese Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 burger patties, (or 1/2 pound ground beef)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices American cheese, or cheddar cheese
For the Bread
- 4 hero rolls, sliced 3/4 through
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons ketchup, or to taste
Topping
- 2 to matoes, sliced
- 3 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
Instructions
Prepare the Bread
- Slice hero rolls 3/4 of the way through with a serrated knife.
- Toast the buns on a large skillet or grill pan. Set aside.
Make the Filling
- Add oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add diced onions and sauté until caramelized. Transfer to a bowl and set it aside.
- Season the patties with salt and pepper.
- Increase the heat to high, and add burger patties in the same skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the bottom is nicely browned.
- Flip the burger and cook for 1 minute. Use 2 steel spatulas to chop the burger into small pieces. Stirring constantly.
- Add the cooked onions and keep chopping and stirring.
- Divide into 4 even portions and top each with 2 slices of cheese and turn off the heat so the cheese can melt properly.
Assemble the Sandwich
- Spread a thin layer of mayo on the hero roll. Drizzle ketchup on top.
- Use a steel spatula and carefully transfer the filling into each roll.
- Add sliced tomatoes and shredded iceberg lettuce on top of the filling. Season with more salt and pepper if preferred.
- (Optional) Wrap each roll with aluminum foil. Cut in half, serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use ground beef instead of burger patties for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
I’ve made this sandwich for years before I knew what it was called!!! But I use chopped steak 🥩 and cheddar-Jack mixture cheeses with onions green and yellow with jalapeños and pumpkin seeds in the chopped meat mixture… I just use whatever bread I can, only because everything goes great on any type carbohydrates 👍
It’s definitely delicious and I want one right now lol 😂
Hi Joy, glad that you like the recipe and thanks for sharing your exprience.
Absolutely loved this recipe, thank you.
I love how versatile the whole dish is. And can have lots of different ingredients added.
I really enjoyed this chopped cheese recipe as written.
Joy- your recipe sounds
really good too. Thanks for sharing your sandwich.
I had no idea that there ever was (or could be) such an item as ‘chopped cheese.’ I was and am highly entertained. I will, of course, be making some. The presentation of the recipe and its origin are yet another demonstration of American imgenuity. Children with any interest in cooking oughta learn how, and other children may enjoy being taught by their peers or elder siblings.
I’ve always wanted to try this sandwich after hearing about it on a TV show. Being from the south, we don’t really have these bodegas and chopped cheese sandwiches around so I was really excited to try this recipe. It was even better than expected! Love your tips and simple yet detailed instructions. Will definitely be adding this to this recipe to my rotation and make it for company! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes as well!
I loved chopped cheese, and this version is very simple and very effective. I always used grated cheese instead of government cheese. Might give that a go
Thank you from London UK
I made these sandwiches tonight for dinner & the family really enjoyed them. The only cheeses I had were sliced Provolone & sharp Cheddar so that’s what I used. I’ll definitely make them again (w/American). I also added some diced Jalapeño as a topping along w/the sliced tomato & lettuce. Quick, delicious & filling! – we had Steak fries too😉. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Michele, glad that your family liked the recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience. Izzy
Easy great real true ny recipe. Thank you just like the bodega
Hi. Wondering how big your burger patties are? You mentioned that 1/2 pound ground beef could be substituted. Does that mean a total of 2 pounds for 4 servings? Thank you.