This delicious steak salad is made with well-seasoned, sautéed top sirloin steak and a classic vinaigrette of olive oil and vinegar.
Ready in just 30 minutes, this filling salad is the perfect lunch. It is quick, easy, and flavorful!
Main-course salads are perfect for lunch or a light dinner. I often enjoy Thai chicken salad, turkey salad, keto taco salad, and chicken Cobb salad.
This steak salad is especially good because it's so satiating. To make it, I cube a top sirloin steak, season it, and then briefly saute it in olive oil. The combination of crisp vegetables, a tangy vinaigrette, and warm, flavorful beef is lovely.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this salad. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
For the vinaigrette: Red wine vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
For the salad: Mixed salad greens and cherry tomatoes. Since this is a simple salad with few ingredients, ensuring each component - including these vegetables - is as fresh as possible is important.
For cooking the steak: Salt and pepper, spices (paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme), olive oil, and top sirloin steak.
Variations
- Sometimes, I replace the salad greens with baby spinach leaves. For a crunchy salad, shredded iceberg lettuce is an excellent option.
- The cherry tomatoes can be substituted with sliced Roma tomatoes.
- In addition to the spices listed in the recipe card, I sometimes add a pinch of cumin. I enjoy the earthy flavor it adds.
- Thinly sliced red onions are a good addition that I tried and liked.
- If you don't mind the cost, you can use tenderloin instead of sirloin. It's more tender, but it's also more expensive.
- Sometimes, I cook the steak in ghee instead of olive oil. It adds richness and a lovely nutty flavor.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this salad:
Make the dressing and prepare the vegetables. Quickly blend a classic vinaigrette. Prep the salad vegetables and arrange them on a serving platter.
Season the steak. Cube the steak and coat it in a blend of spices.
Cook the steak. Saute the steak in olive oil, trying not to overcook it so it doesn't become tough.
Assemble the salad. To assemble, arrange the warm steak cubes on top of the vegetables, then drizzle the vinaigrette on top. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to use top sirloin, which is relatively tender, and not bottom sirloin, which is a tough cut not suitable for sauteing.
- Top sirloin is an affordable and flavorful cut. But when cut into pieces and sauteed, it can become tough, especially if overcooked. So take care to saute the steak briefly and keep it medium-rare. If you want to cook it to medium, it's best to choose tenderloin instead of sirloin.
Recipe FAQs
There are several options. I like to use top sirloin because it's lean and flavorful. Fatty steaks such as picanha steak or ribeye steak don't work well in a salad.
However, sirloin - even top sirloin - can become a bit chewy, especially when cubed and sauteed. I don't mind it. But if you do, you can tenderize it overnight in a vinegar-based marinade.
Or, if you don't mind splurging, choose a more tender cut, such as tenderloin. It's lean and very tender but not as flavorful as sirloin.
You could also use a New York strip steak, as long as you cut off the fat cap and only use the lean part in this recipe.
I use a vinaigrette, keeping the classic ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar and adding Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Other excellent options include blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, and diluted tahini sauce.
This would vary depending on the ingredients used. A serving of this recipe, one-fourth of the entire recipe, has about 370 calories.
When calculating the nutrition info, I consider that a fair amount of the oil used for cooking the steak is left in the pan, so not all is consumed.
Yes. Whole cherry tomatoes slide off the fork and are difficult to eat unless you slice them.
Serving Suggestions
This main dish salad is a complete meal. If you want to serve it with something on the side, you can serve it with cheese muffins, cheese biscuits, keto focaccia, or buttered slices of almond flour bread.
Storing Leftovers
You won't be able to keep the dressed salad greens; they will wilt. But you can keep the cooked steak in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.
Reheat the leftovers gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. Or enjoy them cold like you would cold cuts! I like to make a plate with cold steak cubes, cheese cubes, fresh-cut veggies with ranch dressing, and homemade quick pickles.
More Steak Recipes
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Recipe Card
Steak Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or a pinch of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - extra-virgin
Salad:
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes - halved
Steak:
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound top sirloin steak - cubed into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
Prepare the vinaigrette:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until the dressing is emulsified. Set aside.
Prepare the salad:
- Arrange the mixed greens and tomatoes on a large serving platter. Set aside.
Cook the steak:
- In a large bowl, mix together the kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme. Add the steak cubes and toss to coat.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned steak cubes. Cook until done to your liking. I suggest cooking for 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Don’t overcook, or the steak will be dry and chewy.
- Remove the cooked steak cubes from the skillet and arrange them on the salad. Whisk the vinaigrette one more time and drizzle it on top. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Doreen C Carroll
Delicious and easy to prepare. I added a garlic parmesan butter from Better Butter.
Vered DeLeeuw
That butter sounds amazing! Glad you liked this salad, Doreen.