Seared Steak and Arugula Salad

This is one of the first meals that my husband made for me after we were married several years ago and it is still one of my favorites. The bitterness of the arugula makes the dressing taste almost sweet and the warm meat and peppers on top of the cold, crisp greens provide a great contrast in texture.

Plus it just looks fancy, don't you think?

This recipe is adapted from one by Giada on foodnetwork.com.

Seared Steak and Arugula Salad

printable recipe 

serves 4

• 1 lb steak (we recommend 2 petite sirloins, although I believe the original recipe called for rib-eye steak, so that would work too)
• salt and pepper (or Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 10 oz package salad greens, arugula is the best, but any bitter salad mix would work
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

*Please note that we halved this recipe since we were just making salads for two people, so we used half of a pepper and only 1 petite sirloin in the pictures.

Cut red pepper in half and roast the halves, either on the grill on high or in the oven at 400F, about 10 minutes either way or until the pepper starts to blacken.

Cut the red pepper into chunks and set aside.

Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. We have alternately used Montreal Steak Seasoning, which tastes great too.

In a skillet, heat up a couple Tbsp of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Place steak in skillet and sear for several minutes on each side to desired temp. 

For medium rare, we cooked it for about 3 minutes per side on medium-high heat. If you prefer a more well-done steak, decrease the heat and cook longer on each side.

Place the steak on a plate, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.

Pour the grease from the skillet into a bowl along with 1/4 cup each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and whisk together.

Slice steak against the grain in thin slices.

Wash and dry the arugula or greens.

Place a generous portion of the greens on each plate.

Arrange steak slices and red pepper on top of greens and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Pour the oil and vinegar mix on top. Enjoy!

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 6.