Steak Salad
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:
Steak Salad
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
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
13 Comments on “Steak Salad”
Please do Video cooking demonstrations along with written recipes.
Thank you.
I saw Magical 1-Ingredient Ice Cream –using bananas only.
It’s not on this website?
I like your simple quick easy step recipes.
Hi Suzie, thanks for the request. Regarding my Youtube channel, yes some of the recipes there are not present on here and vice versa. In those cases, the recipe is in the description box of the Youtube video.
Can’t wait to try the dressing, sounds amazing
A hearty salad my husband loves.
A stunning salad and a delicious dressing.
I also love top sirloin for salads…the best!
I love a good steak salad. And that dressing is awesome!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! It was a hit in my house!
This is my favorite thing to order in a restaurant. I love your dressing recipe on this one!
Tried it today for the first time. Really delicious. And, you are right, the cilantro lime dressing is a must! Looking forward to finding more yummy recipes on your site!
Made this for dinner tonight only used NY strip. It was amazing and my husband thoroughly enjoyed it.
I used some of a bottle of Briannas Home Style Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing because I was in a hurry and didn’t want to make the home made dressing. The meat was quick and easy to cook based on the great directions listed. I love this recipe. The pepitas added a great touch. My kids loved the salad too. I will definitely keep this recipe. Thank you.
So delicious & easy to make. I used my leftover grilled T-bone steak from last night’s dinner. The cilantro Dressing is amazing. So fresh & flavorful. This recipe is definitely a keeper.