The search for the perfect steak salad is over! It doesn’t get easier or taste more delicious than a simply prepared flank steak atop a bed of soft baby spinach. I like to add arugula, tomatoes, avocado, marinated onions, and marcona almonds (these add the best crunch texture!). Plus, the whole salad comes together quickly — love that!
This grilled steak salad is an impressive entrée for date night in, which is perfect since it makes 2 servings. We’re trying to keep things simple over here!
In place of a traditional salad dressing, drizzle the salad with the marinated onion dressing. It is so easy and so delicious. Plus, you’ll want to add the leftover onions on everything from fried eggs to sandwiches and beyond! Recipe for the delicious marinated onions comes from fellow blogger Teri — you need to try these!
Ingredient Notes
For this steak salad recipe, we’re using flank steak, but certainly you can substitute with any cut of steak you love most: skirt steak, rib-eye, sirloin steak, or filet mignon — see what looks good at the store!
The rest of the ingredients are all pretty simple: baby spinach and arugula, chopped tomatoes, avocado, marcona almonds, and marinated red onion.
This is meant to be easy peasy — variations are great, use what you’ve got! Prefer cherry tomatoes? Awesome! Want to add blue cheese or crumbled gorgonzola? Do it! Prefer romaine lettuce? Such an easy switch to make!
The only ingredient that you may not be familiar with are marcona almonds. If you don’t have them and/or don’t want to splurge on a container, use any nut you love: toasted walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds are all great. Sometimes we use half of one and half of another!
Want to make your own salad dressing? We’re all for it and rarely buy pre-packaged. However, the onions marinate in a dressing of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and oregano. It is crazy flavorful, and works beautifully as a salad dressing. Whisk well, then drizzle with abandon!
How To Cook Flank Steak
- Season the steak generously on both sides with a heavy sprinkle of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. When we say generous, we mean it. Steak (and beef more generally) take a lot of salt to flavor and season. For a ¾ lb piece of flank steak, we’ll use at least 3 teaspoons Kosher salt.
- Preheat a grill pan or cast iron skillet over high heat until screaming hot. When you can’t hold your hand over it for more than a few seconds, it’s ready. Grease lightly with a couple tablespoons of a light neutral oil, such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or canola oil. Extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point and is more likely to burn and smoke at such a high heat.
- Sear the steak! You’ll cook it for 3-5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 135F. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This helps the juices to redistribute, keeping it nice and juicy.
I recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
What If I Want To Grill The Steak Outside?
Do it!! It’s currently winter in New England and we’d prefer to cook the steak inside versus standing outside in the snow, but you can absolutely cook the steak on a grill or smoker!
Assemble The Steak Salad
Either plate individually or on a shared platter — whatever you prefer. Place spinach and arugula mixture down first, then top with sliced steak. Add seasoned chopped tomatoes (simply sprinkle with flaky sea salt about 10 minutes prior to serving), sliced avocado, nuts, and marinated onion.
To dress the salad, drizzle some of the immensely flavorful onion marinade right on top. We recommend a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper on top, specifically on the avocado. And that’s it — that’s the whole steak salad recipe!
Easy enough to make on a date night while sipping a glass of Dolcetto. Don’t mind if we do!
Expert Tips
- Bring the steak to room temperature before cooking — this helps it to cook more evenly!
- Once cooked, allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes before slicing!
- Slice steak (all steak!) against the grain! It’ll be easier to bite into and chew.
- Don’t assemble and dress the steak salad until ready to serve. Nobody likes wilted greens!
In general, we love the idea of prepping things ahead of time, so certainly, feel free to cook the steak a day or two in advance, then reheat when needed. However, we’ll reiterate, you really don’t want to dress the salad until you’re sitting down to eat. If meal prepping, pack the marinated onions and their dressing in a separate small container, then pour on top before serving.
Don’t discredit this salad because it’s got so few ingredients. Thanks to the marinated onions, it is absolutely packed with flavor. We think this is going to become a new household favorite. It certainly has for us!
If you make this Steak Salad recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More salad recipes to try!
- Sante Fe Salad
- Greek Salad
- Strawberry Chicken Salad With Spinach
- Peach Burrata Salad
- Pecan Chicken Salad
- Grilled Romaine with Lemon Caesar Vinaigrette
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Easy Flank Steak Salad with Marinated Onions
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ lb flank steak
- 2-3 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil grapeseed oil, or other light, neutral oil
- 2.5 oz baby spinach and arugula (sold together in a combined package)
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 ripe avocado peeled and cut into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp marcona almonds
- ¼ tsp Flaky sea salt
- Marinated onioned recipe linked below
Instructions
- Bring the steak to room temperature, then season generously on both sides with Kosher salt and black pepper. Heat a grill pan over high heat for at least 5 minutes.
- Cook the flank steak. When very hot, drizzle the pan with 2 Tbsp avocado oil. Add the flank steak, then cook for 3-5 minutes per side, or until an internal temperature of 135F is reached (for medium rare). Set aside to rest for 10 minutes before slicing while you assemble the salad.
- Assemble the salad. First, season the chopped tomatoes with ¼ tsp flaky sea salt. Set aside. Divide spinach and arugula mixture between two large plates or bowls. Top each with half of the sliced avocado, 1 Tbsp each of the marcona almonds, and a few tablespoons of marinated onions. Divide the tomatoes and place on top.
- Slice the steak. Use a sharp chef's knife to slice the steak into ¼ – ½" thick slices, cutting against the grain. Place half of the steak on each salad, then drizzle both with reserved marinated onion dressing. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Marinated onions recipe — for this recipe you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano, and 1 small red onion.
Let us know your thoughts!