Best Steak Salad with Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette (2024)

Gluten FreeGluten FreePaleoPaleoLow CarbLow CarbRefined Sugar-FreeRefined Sugar Free

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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