Steak salad is such an easy dinner idea, that you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it sooner! The steak cooks fast in a pan and tastes delicious topped on a bed of fresh vegetables, salty crumbled blue cheese, and drizzled with balsamic dressing.
Steak Salad Overview
This recipe is so easy, all you’re cooking is a steak and the rest just needs a little chopping and mixing. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner when you want a lighter meal that will still leave you feeling full and satisfied.
First, the steak is pan-seared to perfection. I like mine medium rare but you can easily cook longer depending on your preference.
Homemade salad dressing is one of the easiest recipes to make at home! I love to make a large batch and store half in a mason jar in the fridge for later. This salad dressing couldn’t be easier to make. You’ll notice the difference in how fresh this tastes versus a store-bought container.
Next, a bunch of fresh veggies including mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and red onion are chopped up. Everything is drizzled with the balsamic dijon dressing and crumbled blue cheese.
For more easy steak recipes, try our steak and potatoes skillet, easy air fryer steak, or six easy steak marinades.
Recipe Ingredients
For The Steak:
- 2 ribeye striploin or sirloin steak
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
For The Salad:
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – sliced in half
- 1 ½ cups chopped English cucumber – sliced into rounds, then quartered
- ⅓ cup red onion – sliced thin
- ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese – feta cheese
Balsamic Dijon Dressing:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 minced garlic clove
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
How To Make Steak Salad
Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
STEP 1: Pat 2 ribeye or sirloin steaks dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Season the steaks with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
STEP 2: Heat a frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add the 1 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl around. Immediately add the steak and cook for 2 minutes. Flip over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until desired doneness.
STEP 3: Remove to a plate and let sit 5 minutes before cutting. Then slice into thin strips against the grain of the meat.
STEP 4: Add ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper to a bowl. Mix everything and set aside.
STEP 5: Add 4 cups mixed greens to a serving bowl. Top with 1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 ½ cups chopped cucumbers and ⅓ cup sliced red onions.
STEP 6: Add the sliced steak in the center of the salad and sprinkle on the ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese.
STEP 7: Drizzle just enough salad dressing over top (leave extra dressing for leftovers or future recipe) and serve.
Recipe Tips
- You will probably have a little salad dressing leftover from this recipe. Use it for future salads or as a marinade for chicken breast, pork chops or another steak!
- English cucumber is first sliced into rounds, then quartered. You can peel it first or keep the skin on.
- I used 2 sirloin steaks for this recipe. Choose a steak that is lean and about 10 oz. in weight. If you’re using a different cut, you can also marinate the steak to help tenderize it before cooking. I like to leave the tender fat attached but will trim off any hard-to-chew parts before cooking.
- You can also barbecue the steak, which will char and sear the steak. Some prefer the taste of slight charring on their steaks. Adjust your cooking time so as not to over or under-cook the steak.
- Don’t like blue cheese? Gorgonzola or feta cheese will also work.
The steak cut that you choose will depend on your budget and local availability. Tougher cuts work very well with a marinade first because it helps to tenderize the meat. This is what I normally buy because of the price.
Leaner cuts of beef including top loin, t-bone, tenderloin, or ribeye are not always in the budget (especially these days with the rising costs at the grocery store) but work great for this recipe!
Chuck steaks, flank steaks, skirt steaks, and hangar steaks tend to be cheaper and less tender, so they can be marinated first. This will not only help to add deeper flavor to the steak, but it will also help to tenderize the meat.
Storing Leftovers
Any leftovers will make a great lunch for the next day. If you plan to have leftovers, keep the veggies separate from the dressing as they will naturally wilt and turn a bit soggy from the moisture.
- REFRIGERATE – Store the meat, salad ingredients, and dressing separately from each other in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- REHEAT – You can reheat the steak in a frying pan or for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.
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Steak Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Steak Ingredients:
- 2 ribeye striploin or sirloin steak
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salad Ingredients:
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - sliced in half
- 1 ½ cups chopped english cucumber - sliced into rounds, then quartered
- ⅓ cup red onion - sliced thin
- ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese - feta cheese
Balsamic Dijon Dressing Ingredients:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 minced garlic clove
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook The Steak:
- Pat 2 ribeye or sirloin steaks dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Season the steaks with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
- Heat a frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add the 1 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl around. Immediately add the steak and cook for 2 minutes. Flip over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until desired doneness.
- Remove to a plate and let sit 5 minutes before cutting. Then slice into thin strips against the grain of the meat.
Make The Dressing:
- Add ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper to a bowl. Mix everything and set aside.
Assemble The Salad:
- Add 4 cups mixed greens to a serving bowl. Top with 1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 ½ cups chopped cucumbers and ⅓ cup sliced red onions.
- Add the sliced steak in the center of the salad and sprinkle on the ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese.
- Drizzle just enough salad dressing over top (leave extra dressing for leftovers or future recipe) and serve.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.