Steak Salad Recipe

A person in a blue shirt mixes a colorful orzo salad with vegetables, beans, and herbs in a large red and white speckled bowl. Lemons sit on the counter in the background.

This Greek steak salad combines grilled NY strip steak with charred red peppers, zucchini, and red onion, tossed with tender orzo, creamy butter beans, two kinds of olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, fresh mint and dill. Finished with mizithra and kefalograviera cheese and dressed in a bright lemon-oregano vinaigrette, it's a complete Greek-inspired summer dinner in one bowl.

Course Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine Greek

Keyword steak salad

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings as a meal (6-8 as a side)

Calories 697kcal

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

For the dressing

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 large lemon, juiced (around 1/4 cup lemon juice)
1 ½ tsp red wine vinegar
2 small garlic cloves pressed

For the salad and grilled vegetables

1 cup dry orzo pasta, cooked
14-15 oz can butter beans, drained and rinsed
⅓ cup pitted roughly-chopped Kalamata olives
⅓ cup pitted roughly-chopped castelvetrano olives
¼ cup capers drained from their liquid
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
¼ cup fresh chopped mint
¼ cup fresh chopped dill
½ large head iceberg lettuce roughly chopped
2 medium red peppers halved or quartered, flattened into planks
2 small zucchinis, halved
1 medium red onion cut into ½ inch slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and ground pepper
¼ cup freshly grated mizithra cheese (or sub with parmesan cheese)
¼ cup shaved kefolagraviera cheese (or sub with parmesan cheese)

For the steak

2 new york strip steaks or ribeyes
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

Cook the orzo: Cook the orzo according to package directions, making sure to cook to al dente since the orzo will continue to soften once it’s mixed with the dressing. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.
Make the dressing: To a small bowl or jar add all of the dressing ingredients. Whisk or shake the jar to combine. Set aside.
Prepare the salad ingredients: To a large bowl add the drained & rinsed butter beans, rough-chopped olives, capers, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh chopped mint and fresh chopped dill. Set aside.
Prepare the vegetables to grill: To a large plate or baking sheet, add the red pepper pieces, halved zucchinis, and sliced red onion.
Prepare the steak to grill: Add the steak to a plate. Mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and dried oregano. Season the two steaks by dividing the seasoning mix between the two, using your hand to rub the seasoning mix into both sides of the steaks.
Grill the vegetables: Oil the grill and preheat to medium-high heat (425F). When the grill is hot, add the vegetables in one single layer, directly on the grill grates. Grill until the vegetables are charred and softened as desired, flipping a few times as needed. Remove from the grill and leave the grill on medium-high heat. Season the grilled vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
Grill the steak: Ensure the grill is still around 425F and then add the steak. Grill steak for 3-5 minutes per side or until your preferred level of doneness (135F – medium rare is suggested). When the steak is cooked to your temperature preference, remove from the grill and add a good pinch of salt on the steak. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Assemble the salad: On a cutting board, chop all of the grilled vegetables into bite-sized pieces (about 1 inch pieces), as you see fit and add to the large bowl with the other salad ingredients. Add the cooked orzo to the large bowl as well. Whisk the dressing one more time to combine and then drizzle it all over the salad. Toss everything to combine. Next, cut the rested steak into 1-inch cubes and top the salad with the steak cubes. Sprinkle the grated mizithra and shaved kefolagraviera cheese over top of the salad and serve.

Video

Notes

We enjoy our steak medium-rare but cook the steak to your desired temperature.
If it’s not great weather for grilling, you can cook the steak in an oven safe skillet and then finish in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400-425F and take the steak out of the fridge. When the oven is preheated, place an oven-safe skillet on the stove top and heat to medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the steaks in the pan and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until a nice browned crust forms. Turn the heat off and place the oven safe skillet in the oven. Cook the steak until your preferred level of doneness, about 5-8 minutes (135F - medium rare is suggested). When the steak is cooked to your temperature preference, remove from the oven and add a good pinch of salt on the steak. Move the steak to a plate or cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
Alternatively you can roast the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 425F, season the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast the vegetables until softened and starting to brown / char.

Nutrition