Best Steak Salad with Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

If I ate this steak salad once a day for the rest of my life I'd be a happy woman. ← truth!

With Mother's Day coming up, I thought this would make the perfect lunch to share with mom. And yes, I know that steak is normally reserved for Father's Day. But why can't us moms have a juicy steak for our day? I think we need to change the stereotypes. (And can someone pour me a glass of whiskey while we're at it.)

Fall in love with this steak salad

• The juicy rib-eye steak is pan-seared to absolute perfection. It doesn't get any better than this. (And I'll share the secret of how easy it is to create this masterpiece steak.)
• Peppery arugula. Because arugula is my all-time favorite.
• Creamy avocados. Yes!
• Sweet cherry tomatoes.
• Crunchy cucumbers.
• An easy to make balsamic vinaigrette with grainy AND dijon mustard to make it creamy and delicious.

How to make the best pan-seared steak

To make the best steak salad, you need to cook the best steak. Luckily, that's really easy.

1. Season your steak well. I've listed 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the ingredient list, but you could double this. The first time I had a really well-seasoned steak, my mind was blown. It makes all the difference.
2. Cook the steak in a blazing hot pan. If you have a cast iron pan, use it. I set mine on the element on high heat and don't put the steak in the pan until it's smoking like mad. This crazy high heat is what gives the steak a gorgeous char without overcooking it.
3. And because you're using such high heat, oil the steak instead of the pan.
4. Make sure the steak you buy is at least 3/4 inch thick. More is better.

If you salt your steak well and cook it quickly over super high heat, you'll have the best steak ever for your steak salad. Just look at this gorgeous steak! ↓

Steak salad dressing

This creamy balsamic vinaigrette is a favorite of mine and goes perfectly with this steak salad. Even though it's creamy, there's no dairy in this salad dressing.

When you mix dijon mustard with oil it becomes thick and creamy. So thick that you'll need to whisk in a little water to make it pourable. All you need for this dressing is:

• Dijon mustard
• Grainy mustard
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil

Once you mix those 4 ingredients together and season lightly with salt and pepper, you'll just need to add a little water to thin it. About a tablespoon will do.

This simple vinaigrette is one I often make. While I've given the exact quantities you need for this steak salad recipe, it's really easy to make a larger batch. And since it will keep for weeks in your fridge, you can have it on hand whenever the steak salad mood strikes. (Like, tomorrow.)

Make this steak salad recipe your own

If there is one truth about salads, it's this: they are the masters of flexibility. They can handle swapping ingredients like nobody's business. This is great news if you're rummaging through your fridge trying to throw a healthy salad together.

Instead of:

• Arugula, try baby greens or crunchy romaine
• Cucumbers, try celery or bell peppers
• Tomatoes, try mangos or persimmons
• Red onion, try radishes
• Avocado … wait, please don't substitute avocado. It's too good!

And to switch things up some more, a little blue cheese or goat cheese is amazing sprinkled on top. Especially the blue cheese. I LOVE blue cheese.

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Best Steak Salad Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 5 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

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This is the steak salad of your dreams! It's loaded with a juicy steak, your favorite veggies, and a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. It makes a delicious healthy lunch or dinner salad!

2 dinner servings

Ingredients

The Steak

• ▢ 10 ounce grilling steak (boneless prime rib)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon avocado oil

The Salad

• ▢ 4 ounces arugula
• ▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
• ▢ ½ English cucumber (diced)
• ▢ ½ avocado (sliced)
• ▢ ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions

The Creamy Balsamic Dressing

• ▢ ½ tablespoon EACH: grainy mustard, dijon mustard, and balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ A pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions 

• Take the steak out of your fridge and evenly coat both sides with the salt and pepper. Add all the salad ingredients to a salad bowl.
  10 ounce grilling steak, ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper, 4 ounces arugula, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ½ English cucumber, ½ avocado, ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
• Heat a cast iron or heavy-bottomed pan over high heat. Drizzle the avocado oil over both sides of the steak. When the pan starts to smoke, add the steak and let it cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip the steak over and let it cook for 2-3 minutes more. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest.
  1 teaspoon avocado oil
• While the steak is resting, whisk the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Thin the dressing with up to a tablespoon of water, as needed. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
  ½ tablespoon EACH: grainy mustard, dijon mustard, and balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, A pinch of salt and pepper
• Thinly slice the steak across the grain and serve it over the salad.

Video

Notes

The salad dressing will keep for a few weeks in your fridge so feel free to make extra to have on hand for your dinner salads.

Optional: if you eat dairy, some crumbled blue cheese is delicious in this salad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ½ of the recipe, Calories: 568kcal (28%), Carbohydrates: 14g (5%), Protein: 33g (66%), Fat: 44g (68%), Saturated Fat: 12g (75%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 26g, Cholesterol: 86mg (29%), Sodium: 727mg (32%), Potassium: 1140mg (33%), Fiber: 6g (25%), Sugar: 5g (6%), Vitamin A: 1886IU (38%), Vitamin C: 34mg (41%), Calcium: 134mg (13%), Iron: 4mg (22%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.