Steak Salad with Orange-Honey Dressing
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Steak salad with crisp romaine, carrots, celery, and juicy orange sections is dressed with a tangy orange honey vinaigrette.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This is an easy light entrée that is totally satisfying and flavorful.
How long it takes: 16 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: small skillet, bowl
Servings: 1 (it’s easy to double or triple it)
Instead of having a steak with a side salad, why not make it a steak salad? The contrast between the lean steak, cooked to medium rare, with a light citrus and lettuce salad, is perfect. Serve this light entrée with a crusty whole grain roll and a glass of rosé or sangria.
I adapted this steak salad recipe from Real Food magazine, one of my favorite magazines. The recipes are approachable and the ingredients are easy to find. I found this recipe in a category titled “Cooking for One.” but it would be extremely easy to double or triple to make more servings.
There’s a lot to like about this salad. It’s less than 500 calories, it’s inexpensive, and you can have it on the table in less than thirty minutes — and only one pan to wash. Actually, no pans to wash if you grill your steak outside. Happy day!
Husband’s take: He was skeptical at first, preferring a large steak served with sautéed mushrooms and a side of rice, rather than steak on a bunch of vegetables. Turns out, he loved it and requests it often. Imagine that.
About this steak salad
The recipe begins with an eye of round steak, an inexpensive cut that is lean and boneless. Choose the cooking method you prefer. I like to use my grill pan and cook the steak until it’s medium rare. You could also use a cast iron skillet, grill the steak outdoors, or broil it in the oven.
The rest of the salad can be prepared while the steak rests. It’s super simple so it doesn’t take long at all.
I’ll just run through the basics of the recipe here and give you a few helpful tips. The complete recipe can be found on the recipe card near the end of the post.
What You’ll Need
- Eye of Round Steak: I like this cut because it’s boneless and lean but choose the type of steak you prefer.
- Orange: Using a sharp knife, cut the peel and white pith away from the orange. The orange segments are juicy and provide a nice contrast to the other elements of the salad. A tablespoon of the juice is also used for the vinaigrette.
- Romaine Lettuce: For a single salad, the heart of the romaine is perfectly sized, crisp and refreshing.
- Red Onion: The crisp red onion is so good in this salad. If you prefer, substitute thinly sliced green onions or sweet white onion.
- Carrot: Shave the carrot with a vegetable peeler for attractive curls.
- Celery: Half of a large stalk or one small stalk is sufficient for one salad.
How To Make This Salad
Prepare the steak using the cooking method you prefer. Try not to overcook the steak; a lean cut like this can become dry and tough if overdone. When the steak has finished cooking, let it rest while you finish making the salad.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad of romaine lettuce hearts, sliced celery, and shredded carrots. Segment an orange (watch this video if you’re uncertain how to do this).
To make the vinaigrette, add honey and olive oil to the orange juice, whisk it up, and add the veggies. Toss the salad until everything is well-coated.
Thinly slice the steak against the grain. Arrange the salad on a large plate, adding steak slices and orange segments to the top. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
Make It Your Own
- Try a different cut of beef, or replace the steak with grilled chicken or shrimp.
- Use a different type of lettuce, baby spinach, or baby kale.
- Add more vegetables, like thinly sliced cucumber, radishes, mushrooms, bell pepper, or whatever you like best. Pickled red onions are really good on this salad, too.
Make-Ahead Ideas
To get a jump on making this salad, wash and chop the lettuce. The onions, carrots, and celery can be prepped ahead of time, too, and refrigerated. Segment the orange and make the dressing.
When dinnertime rolls around, all you’ll have to do is cook the steak!
More main dish salads
Here’s a few more recipes for hearty salads that include meat:
- Taco Salad
- Grilled Shrimp Salad
- Shrimp Salad with Mango and Avocado
- Southwestern Quinoa Bowl with Chicken
- Farro Salad with Chicken and Beets
- Crunchy Kale Salad with Popcorn Shrimp
- Spinach Orzo Salad with Chicken Meatballs
- Asian Chicken Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 eye of round steak, fat trimmed (4 ounces)
- coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste
- 1 medium orange, peel and pith removed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 small heart romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
- 1 small carrot, shaved with a vegetable peeler
- 1 small stalk of celery, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a small skillet or grill pan, heat ½ teaspoon oil over medium high. Pat steak dry, season with salt and pepper and cook until medium rare, 6 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.
- Working over a medium bowl, cut out orange segments, set aside. Squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from the membranes into bowl. Whisk in honey and 1 teaspoon oil, season with salt and pepper.
- Add lettuce, onion, celery, and carrot; toss to combine.
- Transfer salad to a plate and top with sliced steak and orange segments. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Double, triple, or quadruple the recipe depending on how many people you’d like to serve.
- This salad is also great with grilled chicken or shrimp.
- Add or substitute other veggies, like cucumbers, radishes, or sugar snap peas.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.