Incredible steak salad made with perfectly grilled New York strip steak, tons of veggies, avocado, goat cheese, and a yummy herby vinaigrette dressing!
We are huge salad fans at Fit Foodie Finds, especially if they are jam-packed with toppings such as veggies, cheese, and homemade dressing. Our grilled chicken salad, for example, is a reader favorite!
This recipe for steak salad is something that we throw on the menu when we’re searching for leftover steak recipes. When in doubt, we always grill too much steak and have leftovers to eat for a couple of days after!
This steak salad is made with grilled steak, tons of veggies, and an easy herby dressing that comes together in no time.
Ingredients for this Steak Salad Recipe
- Grilled Steak: you already know the star of this steak salad is grilled steak. If you have leftover steak from a restaurant or from any other cook method (such as our cast iron steak or air fryer steak), feel free to use that too.
- Steak Salad Dressing: the herby dressing on this salad is super delicious and made with lemon, garlic, and tons of fresh herbs.
- Romaine Lettuce: the base of your salad is romaine lettuce. It’s crunchy and fresh. Feel free to use any other salad green your heart desires.
- Veggies: we’ve mentioned a few times that this steak salad recipe is packed with veggies. Here’s what you need: corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and avocado.
- Seeds: sunflower seeds add a nice crunch. You can also use pumpkin seeds or any slivered nut such as almonds.
- Goat Cheese: every salad deserves some cheese! We used goat cheese because it’s light, creamy, and so yummy. Try this salad with feta cheese, instead.
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Best Steak for Salad
We have been swooning over our Grilled New York Strip Steak and that’s what we used in this steak salad. It has the perfect amount of lean meat and fat and cooks so beautifully on the grill.
Our grilled steak recipe is a 3 step process:
- Marinate: marinate your New York Strip Steak is the most delicious steak marinade for 30 minutes.
- Grill: sear your steak on high at 500ºF for 2 minutes on each side. Then, lower the heat to 400ºF and continue grilling until the internal temperature reaches at least 140ºF for medium/rare.
- Rest: let your steak rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Other Steak Options
Flank Steak: this grilled flank steak is made with a simple marinade. First, it’s tenderized with a meat pounder and then grilled to medium/rare.
Sous Vide Steak: sous vide steak is a fool-proof way to cook a steak to a certain doneness. Finish it off in the grill or sear it on a cast-iron skillet.
Cast Iron Steak: This cast iron steak is perfectly seasoned with our amazing homemade steak seasoning and seared to perfection in a cast iron skillet. Enjoy!
Skirt Steak: our skirt steak recipe is tenderized, marinated, and then pan-fried. It would be delicious on this salad.
Any other leftover steak: got leftover steak? This is one of the best leftover steak recipes because your steak is already cooked! Here are some cuts we recommend:
- Strip steak
- Flank steak
- Ribeye steak
- T-bone
- Skirt steak
- Sirloin
Should I serve my steak warm or cold?
When it comes to your steak temperature, it’s all preference. If you are using your steak hot off the grill, we suggest serving the steak warm. If you’re using leftover steak, cold steak is also delicious.
Our personal preference for salad with steak? HOT!
Easy Steak Salad Dressing
This herby vinaigrette dressing is similar to a chimichurri sauce, just simplified and with more oil. It’s made in the food processor and pairs quite nicely with the steak. Here’s what you need:
- fresh parsley
- fresh cilantro
- green onions
- lemon juice
- minced garlic
- lemon zest
- apple cider vinegar
- olive oil
- salt
Do I have to use a food processor?
We’ve made this dressing with and without a food processor. The food processor does a nice job of really blending it all together, but it isn’t 100% necessary.
Instead, you can make sure to finely dice everything. You’ll end up with a much chunkier dressing, but it’s still delicious.
More dressing ideas
So many different kinds of salad dressings would be delicious on this steak salad recipe. Here are some ideas:
Storage
We recommend holding off on dressing your salad and storing everything separately until you’re ready to serve. This will prevent your salad from getting soggy. All ingredients will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
Steak salad not enough on its own? Here are some other delicious sides and drinks to go with your salad.
- Baked Potato in Foil: One of our favorites dinner sides is a baked potato in foil. Whether you’re hoping to make a grilled baked potato in foil or oven-baked potatoes in foil, we’ll teach you how to make a perfect baked potato every time!
- Oven Roasted Asparagus: Oven roasted asparagus is the best way to eat asparagus! It’s a healthy side dish recipe that’s cooked to perfection.
- Grilled Corn in Foil: Grilled corn on the cob is a summer staple! Get perfectly cooked corn every time with this easy Grilled Corn in Foil recipe. Enjoy!
- Smashed Red Potatoes: Need a delicious side for dinner tonight? These smashed red potatoes are flavorful, crispy, and perfect for every potato lover!
Steak Salad
Ingredients
Grilled Steak
- 1.33 lb. New York Strip Steak 2 2/3-lb. steaks*
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ~half juicy lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
Steak Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 green onions
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Steak Salad
- 7 oz. romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 large avocado sliced
- 4 English cucumbers sliced (~2 cups)
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 large red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup corn
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 oz. goat cheese crumbles
Instructions
Grilled Steak
- Combine the Worcestershire, balsamic vinegar, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon pepper. Then transfer it into a large container or gallon-size bag and add the steak. Marinate for at least 30-minutes or up to 2 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook the steaks remove them from the fridge and bring them to room temperature. Preheat the grill to 500ºF.
- Sear the steaks over direct heat for 2 minutes on each side to get those gorgeous grill marks. Then, turn the heat down to medium/high (~400ºF) and continue grilling for around 10-15 minutes*, flipping halfway through. For a medium-cooked steak, cook until the internal temperature of the steak is 140ºF
- Once your steaks are cooked to your liking, remove them from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then slice them into thin strips.
Salad Dressing
- While your steaks are marinating, prepare the salad. Place all the ingredients for the dressing into a food processor and process on high until smooth. If it seems a little too thick, option to add a few teaspoons of water. Set aside.
Steak Salad
- Next, place the romaine lettuce, avocado, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and corn into a large bowl and toss everything together.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss again.
- Finally, top the salad with sliced steak, sunflower seeds, and goat cheese.
Tips & Notes
- Steak: we used leftover grilled New York strip steak for this recipe. You can also use 1.33 lbs. of pretty much any cooked steak.
- Serve steak warm or cold depending on your preference.
Watch It
Nutrition facts
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
This recipe exceeded my expectations. The clear instructions and helpful substitutions made it easy to customize the dish to my liking. The end result was a restaurant-quality meal that I made in my own kitchen.
Thank You.