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This Steak Salad is hearty enough to serve as the full meal for lunch or dinner, and has tons of flavor. Steak is pan seared and sliced thinly, then paired with ingredients like queso fresco, avocado, tomatoes, and a fresh Cilantro Lime Dressing.

If you’re averse to dainty salads that border on rabbit food, this filling and delicious steak salad is for you. It is SO satisfying!

Pete and I try to eat salad at least once a day, and we usually prefer to go the “hearty salad” route. We like to have it as our main meal for lunch or dinner so we can take care of the entire meal with minimal prep.

Something like a California Cobb Salad or this steak salad works great, where there’s a good mix of protein, greens, vegetables, cheese, and a great dressing to tie it all together.

Sometimes when I get salad at a restaurant and it’s little more than dressed greens, I feel like that just isn’t salad. I need a party in a bowl with some fun ingredients going on. That’s what makes each bite magical and exciting to eat.

What’s in this steak salad?

This version has mixed greens, pan seared steak, queso fresco, cherry tomatoes, pepitas, avocado, and red onion (which I forgot to put in the below picture):

Sometimes if I have it around, I’ll swap a scoop of homemade Guacamole for the avocado.

What steak to use for steak salad:

You can use top sirloin steak, ribeye, strip steak, or even filet mignon. My preference is top sirloin because it’s one of the cheaper options, but still has a tenderness to it and sears beautifully.

I have a pre-mixed mole seasoning that I put on the steak, but you can sear it plain with salt and pepper too. Since there’s so much flavor in the salad and dressing, the steak doesn’t necessarily need to be spiced.

Here is a detailed post I have on Pan Seared Steak with complete instructions and step-by-step photos, so you can sear any piece of beef like a boss.

For the steak salad dressing, I’m using my Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing:

It has absolutely incredible flavor, and all you have to do to make it is blend up a few ingredients. It’s really easy and so delicious!

Then it’s just a matter of putting all the ingredients together.

This is one of my top 3 favorite salads, and I really hope you give it a try. It’s good enough to be served at a restaurant, and actually better than a lot of restaurant salads dare I say, but incredibly easy to make at home. Enjoy!

More Salad Recipes:

• California Cobb Salad
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Carrot Raisin Salad
• Shrimp Avocado Salad

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5 from 1 vote

Steak Salad

This Steak Salad is hearty enough to serve as the full meal for lunch or dinner, and has tons of flavor. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 3

Calories 546kcal

Ingredients

• 12 ounces top sirloin steak
• 5 ounce package mixed greens
• 2 ounces queso fresco crumbled*
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4 cup sliced red onion
• 1 avocado cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup toasted pepitas
• 1/4 cup Cilantro Lime Dressing

Instructions

• Start by searing the steak per these instructions for Pan Seared Steak. I have a mole seasoning I like to rub on the outside of the steak, but you can also just do salt and pepper since there's so much flavor in the salad.
• Once the steak has been seared, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
• In a large bowl, toss to combine the remaining ingredients.
• Taste and see if it needs more dressing or any adjustments. Serve immediately.

Notes

*You can also use queso blanco or cotija cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 225mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g