This delicious and filling steak salad is made with well-seasoned, sautéed sirloin and a classic vinaigrette of olive oil and vinegar.
Ready in just 30 minutes, it's the perfect lunch. Quick, easy, and delicious.
Main-course salads are one of my favorite meals, especially during the summer. They are easy to make, and they don't require heating up the oven, which is always a big plus, especially when it's hot outside. ☀️
In my version of a warm steak salad, rather than cook the cut of meat whole and then slice it, I do it a little differently. I cube a sirloin steak, season it well, then briefly saute it in olive oil. The combination of crisp vegetables, a tangy vinaigrette, and warm, flavorful beef is wonderful.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty main-dish 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. Note that I use kosher salt. If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the salad could end up too salty.
For the salad: Mixed salad greens and cherry tomatoes. You can replace the salad greens with spinach leaves and the cherry tomatoes with sliced Roma tomatoes if you wish.
For cooking the steak cubes: Salt and pepper, spices (paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme), olive oil, and cubed sirloin or tenderloin.
Instructions
Making this steak salad is so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Make the dressing. I quickly blend a classic vinaigrette.
Prepare the vegetables. Then I prep the salad vegetables and arrange them on a pretty serving platter.
Cook the steak. Cube the steak and coat it in a blend of spices, then quickly saute it in olive oil, trying not to overcook it so that it doesn't become tough.
Assemble the salad. To assemble, I arrange the warm steak cubes on top of the vegetables, then drizzle the vinaigrette on top. That's it!
Expert tip
We're using sirloin here, and when cut into pieces and sauteed, it can become tough. So take care to saute it briefly and keep it medium-rare. If you want to cook it to medium, it's best to use tenderloin rather than sirloin.
Frequently asked questions
You have quite a few options actually. I like to use sirloin because it's lean and flavorful. I feel that fatty pieces of meat don't work well in a salad.
However, sirloin can be a bit tough, especially when cubed and sauteed. Personally, I don't mind it. But if you do, you can tenderize it overnight in a vinegar-based marinade prior to sauteing.
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, although I would cut off the fat cap for this recipe. And ribeye is flavorful and tender, and although it's fatty, the lean parts are wonderful in this salad.
So as you can see, you have quite a few options when it comes to what cut of beef to use. Still, I almost always use sirloin.
I like to use a classic vinaigrette, keeping the classic ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, and adding Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.
But you can use any dressing that you like, homemade or store-bought. Good options include blue cheese dressing and ranch dressing.
A serving of this recipe, which is one-fourth of the recipe, has 370 calories.
When calculating the nutrition info, I take into account that quite a lot of the oil used for cooking the steak is left in the pan after you remove the cooked steak.
Variations
I like to keep it simple and let the steak be the star of the show. So apart from the meat itself, my salad consists of mixed greens and cherry tomatoes.
By all means, use whatever vegetables you like! Thinly sliced red onions would be a good addition, as would sliced bell peppers, or any other salad vegetable, really.
Another good option is to use baby spinach leaves instead of salad greens. If you go this route, forgo the vinaigrette. Instead, drizzle the pan juices from cooking the steak on the spinach. The warm pan juices will wilt the spinach leaves just enough to make them perfectly cooked.
Serving suggestions
You don't really need to serve anything with this salad. It's a complete meal.
But if you want something on the side, and you want it to be low-carb, you can try cheese muffins, cheese biscuits, or keto focaccia.
Storing leftovers
You obviously can't keep the dressed salad greens, as 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 very gently, covered, in the microwave on 50% power.
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Recipe card
30-Minute Steak Salad
INGREDIENTS
Vinaigrette:
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
Steak:
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon fine 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 lb. sirloin, cubed into 2-inch cubes*
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 the 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 2 minutes per side for medium. Don’t overcook, or the steak will be dry and chewy.
- Remove the cooked steak cubes from the skillet and arrange them on top of the salad. Whisk the vinaigrette one more time and drizzle it on top. Serve immediately.
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NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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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. 