This Blue Cheese Steak Salad is a satisfying and delicious meal that comes together in under 30 minutes. This salad pairs the richness of a tender steak with fresh, juicy tomatoes, crunchy romaine lettuce and tangy pickled onions. To top it all off, the creamy blue cheese dressing brings everything together for a savory mouth-watering meal that’s truly impressive.
What Cut of Steak to Use
There is no single best cut of steak to use for this salad—the best cut is one you like and can find. Below are a few cuts we recommend along with guides on how to cook time
- Top Sirloin (here are how to cook top sirloin). This cut is beautifully marbled and flavorful.
- Skirt Steak (check out how to cook skirt steak). Flank steak is quick-cooking, affordable and has a great beefy flavor.
- Ribeye (try reverse searing the steak or fire up the air fryer). An expensive and decadent cut with pockets of fat.
- NY Strip (the perfect cut for reverse searing). A very tender and flavorful cut. Middle-of-the-road on price.
5 Ways to Cook the Steak
All of these guidelines are for a 1-inch thick steak. Anything thicker will require a longer cook time and anything thinner will require a shorter cook time. Be sure to use an instant-read thermometer to achieve desired doneness.
Grilled
Grilling steak is one of the most popular methods for it’s quickness and ease. Start by preheating the grill, with all burners on, for about 10 minutes. Then turn all but the main burner off and cook the steak over the main burner for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or 5 minutes per side for medium.
Pan-Seared
One of our favorite methods for cooking steak is pan searing it. This method can be smoky, so make sure you have your vent fan on or windows open. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add a splash of vegetable oil and cook the steak over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes total (3 minutes per side) for the perfect medium-rare, or 8 minutes total for medium.
Broiled
Broiling steak is a great indoor alternative to grilling. A gas broiler achieves the best results, but an electric one will also work.
Broil the steak on a baking sheet set as close to the heating element as possible. Broil for 2–5 minutes per side until desired doneness is reached. (All broilers are different, so use an instant-read thermometer to determine doneness.)
Reverse Seared
Reverse Searing steak is one of the most effective methods for achieving a perfectly-cooked steak. The method starts by slow-cooking the steak in the oven before searing the sides until golden and crisp.
Air Fried
You may be surprised to learn you can cook a steak in the air fryer! It’s very easy and results in an evenly cooked steak with a nice crisp crust. Preheat your airfryer to 400ºF. Cook the steak for 8–12 minutes or until desired doneness is reached.
How to Make a Good Steak Salad
A good steak salad needs to have a variety of textures and be both fresh and ultra-savory.
The Steak: Slices of medium-rare steak cut against the grain is the star of the show here. Choose a steak that has bold, beefy flavor and is nicely marbled. We recommend top sirloin, ribeye or flank steak.
The Dressing: a creamy blue cheese dressing is the way to go here. And just because it’s creamy doesn’t mean it has to be heavy. We make ours with whole milk greek yogurt and buttermilk. It’s tangy and savory with chunks of blue cheese. And more importantly, it coats the crunchy salad greens nicely.
The Salad: to add that delectable crisp crunch, use hearts of romaine. Then build out the rest of the salad with fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh chives and pickled onions.
Dressing or Vinaigrette
A creamy blue cheese dressing is classic for a blue cheese steak salad (very reminiscent of a steakhouse salad). But if you’d prefer to dress this with a vinaigrette, that will be delicious too. We recommend using our go-to Classic Vinaigrette Recipe. Then be sure to double up on the blue cheese crumbles in the salad.
FAQs
We love to use flank steak for tacos, Negimaki (Japanese steak and scallion rolls) and to make our Steak and Eggs! It’s a quick-cooking cut that has a great beefy flavor.
Thinly slice any leftover steak and pile it into a sandwich! Use our Italian Tri-Tip Sandwich as a guide. You can also dice up the steak and reheat it gently in some butter. Serve the steak bites with some mashed potatoes.
We love this Chive Butter recipe as well as this Garlic Rosemary Butter recipe.
More Beef Salad Recipes to Try
If you love a steak salad, try our Thai Beef Salad! It’s fresh, savory and herby.
Beef Larb is a quick and flavor-packed meal made with ground beef and loads of fresh herbs. Serve the salad in lettuce wraps for a light and satisfying meal.
Top our Asian Cabbage Salad with sliced Top Sirloin.
Blue Cheese Steak Salad Recipe
Description
Ingredients
Steak
- 1 (1-inch thick) ribeye, NY strip or top sirloin steak
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salad
- 5 cups chopped hearts of romaine
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup pickled red onions
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Instructions
Steak (Airfryer)
- Preheat airfryer to 400ºF.
- Pat steak dry with paper towels then season with 1 teaspoon salt.
- Place steak in air fryer basket and cook until browned and an instant read thermometer inserted in the center registers 120–125ºF for medium-rare or 130–135ºF for medium, 8–12 minutes.
- Transfer steak to a plate and tent with foil; let rest 5 minutes.
Steak (Pan Sear)
- Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over high for 5 minutes.
- Pat steak dry with paper towels, then season with 1 teaspoon salt.
- Reduce heat to medium-high. Add a splash of vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Place steak in skillet. Cook until charred and beads of moisture begin to form around edges of steak, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 125ºF for medium-rare, about 3 more minutes. For medium cook to an internal temperature is 135ºF, about 4 minutes per side.
- Transfer steak to a clean plate, tent loosely with foil or parchment paper and let rest 10 minutes.
Steak (Grill)
- Turn all burners to high, cover, and let grill preheat for about 15 minutes. Brush grill grate clean.
- Pat steak dry with paper towels, then season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- When ready to cook, keep primary burner on high and turn other burners off.
- Place steak over hot part of grill and cook until beginning to char and beads of moisture appear on edges of steak, 5–6 minutes. Flip steak and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 125ºF for medium-rare, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer steak to a clean plate, tent loosely with foil or parchment paper and let rest 10 minutes.
Dressing
- Whisk together yogurt, blue cheese, buttermilk, vinegar, Worcestershire, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper until thoroughly combined; set aside.
Salad
- Combine romaine, tomatoes, pickled onions, blue cheese crumbles, and chives in a large serving bowl.
- Slice steak against grain and arrange over salad.
- Drizzle dressing over top and serve.
- Season salad with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post is written and created in partnership with the Iowa Beef Council. As always the thoughts, opinions, recipe, photos and content are all my own.
