How to Re-Create Dishes From "The Bear," Including Season 1's Viral Spaghetti

By Victoria Messina
Everett Collection
Everett Collection

Drooling over all the delectable food on FX's "The Bear"? Same here — and we know exactly how to re-create some of the dishes at home, without the unrelenting chaos of The Original Beef of Chicagoland kitchen. Following season one's conclusion, Matty Matheson, a real-life chef and the actor who portrays repairman Neil Fak, and culinary producer Courtney Storer teamed up to share recipes from the show. Their joint YouTube series — aptly titled "Welcome to the Beef" — has taught fans how to cook the spaghetti pomodoro, chicken piccata, Chicago-style hot dogs, and Italian beef sandwiches featured in the drama series. Now that season two is out, hopefully the videos will pick back up again.

In one of their videos, Matheson and Storer explained how they prepared the show's cast members — including Jeremy Allen White (Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto), Ayo Edebiri (Sydney Adamu), and Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina) — to portray chefs in an accurate and believable way. "Courtney and myself had to work really in depth with all these amazing actors to get them up to speed, and we had to get everyone on the same level," Matheson said.

Storer added, "When we were on set, we weren't playing around, and we wanted it to be authentic. They had to move and know how to cut things. We were like, 'Hey, if you're going to be doing this . . . you've gotta use the knife, and you've gotta hold the pots the right way.' We had to teach them the ropes." Their lessons certainly paid off, as the cast perfectly encapsulates the mayhem of operating in a cramped restaurant kitchen — they skillfully chop onions, weave around their colleagues, plate culinary creations, and yell "corner" just like the pros.

In season one of "The Bear," White's Carmy moves back home to Chicago to take over his late brother's sandwich shop. Though it's a huge change from the fine-dining establishments he's accustomed to cheffing at, Carmy learns to love his headstrong kitchen crew as they work together to whip the restaurant into shape. The cameo-filled sophomore season, which hit Hulu on June 22, sees Carmy and his team transform the shop into an upscale restaurant called The Bear and churn out a new "chaos menu" full of mouthwatering dishes. While we wait for Matheson and Storer to share their season two dish re-creations, check out some of the recipes for season one's onscreen dishes ahead.

click to play video

How to Make the Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich From "The Bear"

The Original Beef of Chicagoland's signature order in season one, the Italian beef sandwich is topped with bell peppers and pickled vegetables and looks totally worth the time it takes to come together.

Ingredients You'll Need:

  • 4 pounds top sirloin or top round beef
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed chili flake
  • 1 tablespoon toasted black pepper
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1 quart grapeseed oil
  • 2 quarts beef stock
  • 2 whole heads garlic
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2 onions
  • 1 whole stalk celery
  • 1 quart mild giardinara (pickled vegetables)
  • 5 green bell peppers
  • 5 sandwich rolls, cut in half
click to play video

How to Make the Spaghetti Pomodoro From "The Bear"

The tomato-packed spaghetti pomodoro Carmy makes for family dinner in season one starts with olive oil, butter, garlic, and a halved onion.

Ingredients You'll Need:

  • 2 cans crushed tomatoes
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion, halved
  • tomato paste
  • 8 gloves garlic, chopped
  • olive oil
  • crushed red pepper
  • kosher salt
  • toasted black pepper
  • basil
  • 1 box spaghetti
click to play video

How to Make the Chicken Piccata From "The Bear"

We catch a glimpse of Carmy's sister, Sugar, making their mom's lemony, caper-topped chicken piccata in "The Bear," and it looks irresistible.

Ingredients You'll Need:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • olive oil
  • 1 pound unsalted butter
  • 4 lemons, halved
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 6 gloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon toasted black pepper
click to play video

How to Make the Chicago Dogs From "The Bear"

In episode four of season one, Carmy and Richie whip up Chicago-style hot dogs for a kid's birthday celebration at Uncle Cicero's house. No ketchup needed for these loaded dogs.

Ingredients You'll Need:

  • Vienna beef hot dogs
  • yellow mustard
  • green relish
  • beefsteak tomatoes
  • yellow onion
  • deli pickle
  • celery salt
  • sport peppers
  • poppy seed buns