Easy Steak Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Steak Salad makes a quick and easy midweek meal. Made with thin slices of pan-seared steak served over arugula and lettuce greens toss with a lemon vinaigrette. Round it out with goat cheese, scallions, avocado, and bell pepper.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated March 09, 2022
Elise Bauer
Steak Salad with pan-seared flank steak on a bed of greens and tossed with a lemon vinaigrette
Elise Bauer

Steak salad is such a great way to enjoy steak! You can even easily put it together with steak leftovers. At a minimum it is simply thin slices of steak over salad greens with your preferred salad dressing.

Best Add-Ins for Steak Salad

I tend to spiff mine up a bit with whatever we might have on hand— avocados, goat cheese, red bell peppers, tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, depending on what's in season.

Steak salad made with thinly-sliced pan-seared flank steak on a bed of arugula and lettuce with avocado, pomegranate seeds, and other add-ins
Elise Bauer

Best Greens for Steak Salad

Arugula is a particularly good complement to steak, though the pepperiness of the arugula can at times be a little too much if not mixed in with some other salad greens.

You can also use, or mix in, chopped fresh romaine lettuce, baby spinach, baby gem, or iceberg lettuce. For an alternative to arugula you can use any of the chicories—frisée, endive, or radicchio.

More Fresh & Easy Ways to Enjoy Steak

Easy Steak Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 4 servings

No need to bring the steak to room temp before cooking. You sear on such high heat, and the steaks are so thin, it's actually better to cook the steak while it is still relatively chilled, if you want the centers to be rare.

Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound flank steak or skirt steak

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 1/2 head lettuce greens

  • 1 bunch arugula (young leaves), tough stems removed

  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise and cut into 1-inch-long pieces

  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced

  • 1 avocado, cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

  • Pomegranate seeds or thinly sliced kumquats (optional)

For the dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (smooth), or 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Cook the steak:

    Heat a couple teaspoons of oil in a cast iron pan on high heat. Pat the steaks dry. Sprinkle the steaks on both sides with a little salt.

    Sear the steaks in the pan on both sides, just until nicely browned. Remove pan from heat and cover. Let cook for a few minutes more, until the steak is done to your liking.

    You can test with a meat thermometer. Remove steak from pan at 125°F to 130°F for rare, 140°F for medium rare, 150° for medium. Or use your fingers to test the meat for doneness (see The Finger Test to Check the Doneness of Meat).

  2. Let the steak rest before cutting, then cut thin slices:

    Remove from pan to a cutting board. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting. Cut thin slices, on a diagonal so you slice wide pieces, across the grain of the meat.

  3. Make the salads:

    Toss together the lettuce greens, arugula, bell pepper, goat cheese, and scallions. Arrange on individual plates. Sprinkle with avocado. Lay on top several slices of chilled sliced steak. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds or sliced kumquats if using.

  4. Make dressing:

    Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle on salad.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
746 Calories
60g Fat
17g Carbs
38g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 746
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 60g 78%
Saturated Fat 16g 81%
Cholesterol 81mg 27%
Sodium 438mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 10g 36%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 38g
Vitamin C 73mg 366%
Calcium 187mg 14%
Iron 6mg 34%
Potassium 1355mg 29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.