Steak salad is one of our favorite fancy dinners at home. It feels like a restaurant meal with minimal hassle. It’s also a great way to use up leftover steak and keep it from going to waste! Use any veggies you have in the fridge to add both crunch and texture, and make an easy balsamic vinaigrette from scratch that elevates all of the flavors.
We probably make steak once a week at home (especially since my husband is a rancher), so finding new, fresh, and delicious meals to use the protein is my specialty! This fresh and simple salad is perfect for lunch or dinner. While I enjoy serving it throughout the summer grilling season, it’s a satisfying meal year-round! It’s wonderful with a flat iron steak as well as a ribeye.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make in 30 minutes – No need to stress over dinner, this is a meal that’s quick to prep and cook in minimal time. And barely any dirty dishes!
- Restaurant-quality salad at home – Tender steak mixed with crunchy veggies is an irresistible combination.
- Customizable – Get creative with this recipe, and add your favorite salad toppings!
Tips for Busy Cooks
While it’s easy to use a store-bought salad dressing, making a homemade vinaigrette takes a couple of minutes and tastes much better. With just vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in the correct ratios, it’s a low effort way to enhance the flavor of every bite.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Steak – Several cuts of steak work well in steak salad. Popular choices include strip steak, ribeye, flank steak, or sirloin steak. All of these cuts are full of flavor and can be cooked to your desired doneness before being sliced and added to the salad.
- Lettuce – Any lettuce or mixed green can be used. However, crisp and sturdy lettuce varieties like romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce are best. They provide a good base for the salad and hold up well with the weight of the steak and other toppings.
- Cherry tomatoes – They’re naturally sweet and add juicy little pops of flavor!
- Avocado – Ripe avocado gives the salad an amazing creamy texture.
- Cucumber – I prefer English cucumbers, but any type of cucumber will work.
- Red onion – Compared to other onion varieties, red onions are often considered milder with a touch of sweetness. They also add a beautiful purple color!
- Feta cheese is included for its sharp, salty flavor and to add creaminess that balances the crunch of the veggies.
- Fresh herbs elevate the overall taste of the salad.
- Extra virgin olive oil is used as the base for the salad dressing and helps meld all the salad ingredients together.
- Balsamic vinegar adds a sweet and tangy flavor to the salad dressing.
- Salt enhances the flavors in the salad and balances out the acidity in the dressing.
How to make this steak salad recipe
Before you begin, slice the steak into thin strips, and chop your fresh veggies. If you want you can slightly heat the steaks on a skillet, but cold steak is just fine. Here is a great recipe for cooking steak quickly any time of the year.
1. Make the dressing
- Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt in a small bowl.
2. Assemble the salad
- Combine the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and fresh herbs in a large bowl.
- Add the sliced steak and drizzle the dressing on top.
3. Serve
- Toss all of the ingredients together until well combined.
- Serve the leftover steak salad immediately, and enjoy!
How to cook a perfect steak on stovetop
Stovetop method is, by far, the easiest and quickest way to cook a steak. Learn how to pan-sear any steak to perfection every time!
Expert Tips:
- Slice your steak into thin strips when it’s first cooked. This way, your steak is ready to go when you assemble your salad!
- To prep the salad in advance, chop your vegetables in advance, and store them separately in an in the refrigerator. Not only will your veggies be ready to eat, but you’ll also have extras for other meals throughout the week.
- Buy washed and ready-to-eat greens to save some prep time in the kitchen.
- Crisp and sturdy lettuces work best. I recommend romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce can provide a good base for the salad. They hold up well to the weight of the steak and other toppings. However, feel free to use any lettuces or mixed greens.
- Customize the salad with any leftover vegetables you have on hand. That’s the best part of this salad, it’s easy to use all different ingredients and it’s still delicious every time!
- Make a dressing from scratch with a couple of simple ingredients. All you need is oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. It’s a restaurant-quality flavor that’s ready in a matter of minutes (and so much better than store-bought).
- There are several cuts of steak that work well. Some popular choices include strip steak, ribeye, flank steak, or sirloin steak. These cuts are flavorful and can be cooked to your desired doneness before being sliced and added to the salad.
Variations
Many delicious toppings can complement a steak salad. Feel free to get creative, and experiment with different flavors and textures.
- Vegetables – Try adding roasted vegetables like bell peppers or asparagus, sweet corn, caramelized onions, and sliced radishes.
- Fruit – Add fresh berries like blueberries or strawberries for a touch of sweetness.
- Croutons – For added crunch! You can’t go wrong with homemade croutons, but store-bought croutons are delicious too!
- Cheese – Use goat cheese or blue cheese in place of feta cheese.
- Nuts and seeds – Sprinkle some pepitas, sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds, or sliced almonds onto the salad for added texture.
Storage
It’s best to enjoy this salad while it’s fresh as the greens lose their texture once they are tossed with the dressing.
This steak salad is a great recipe to make in advance. The salad ingredients can be fully assembled ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days, making this an excellent meal prep recipe! Be sure to store the dressing in a separate container, and pour it over the salad just before serving.
FAQs
I prefer to serve steak salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Ranch, blue cheese, and poppy seed dressing would also be delicious!
It depends on your steak’s thickness and how you like it cooked. Once your skillet is hot, most steaks will only take about 8-10 minutes to cook in a frying pan on the stove.
Steak salad can be served with a variety of side dishes! Salads always pair well with soup, sandwiches, fresh bread, and dinner rolls. Personally, I would serve this salad with roasted red pepper soup or creamy cauliflower soup.
I think steak salad is a healthy choice for lunch or dinner! It’s low-carb, low-calorie, gluten-free, and can easily be made dairy-free. It’s also packed with fresh vegetables and protein!
More Delicious Steak Recipes
Steak Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz cooked steak sirloin, ribeye skirt steak, and strip steak all work well, sliced into thin strips, Note 1
- 6 oz romaine lettuce Note 2
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 avocado sliced
- ½ cup sliced cucumber
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt, to make the dressing.
- In a large bowl, combine the salad greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and fresh herbs.
- Add the sliced steak to the salad bowl and drizzle the dressing over the top.
- Toss everything together until well combined.
- Serve the leftover steak salad immediately and enjoy.
Share your thoughts! If you make this please leave a review letting me know how it was!
Notes
– Prepare the salad ingredients in advance, and store them in separate containers in the fridge for 1-2 days.
– The dressing can be combined ahead of time and stored in its own container in the fridge for several days.
– Once tossed together, this salad is best enjoyed right away!
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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Reader's Reviews
Lena Gladstone says
Loved how easy and delicious this salad was. Great meal that my whole family loved.
Shinee says
Yay, thank you, Lena!!!