Enjoy this Steak Salad with grilled steak, Romaine, cherry tomatoes, dried cherries, almonds, red pepper, green onions, and feta, all tossed in a cilantro-lemon vinaigrette.
The Best Steak Salad
Near my home, there’s a fantastic salad and sandwich shop with plenty of healthy, fresh, and organic options. It’s become a favorite spot for my boys and me to enjoy a quick lunch. I’m particularly obsessed with their salads, and my boys are fans too. Their steak salad recipe is my personal favorite, inspiring me to create and share my own “copycat” version.
This salad is loaded with fresh veggies and herbs, topped with an irresistibly tangy and slightly sweet lemon-cilantro vinaigrette. The dressing, brimming with cilantro, fresh citrus, and just the right touch of honey, perfectly balances the flavors. If you’re a fan of cilantro and lemon, this vinaigrette will absolutely delight you!
Ingredients In Steak Salad
Salad Ingredients:
- Steak or Chicken: Grilled for a savory, smoky flavor.
- Olive Oil, Pepper, Salt: Used to season the meat.
- Romaine Lettuce: Provides a crunchy base.
- Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Red Peppers: Add sweetness and tang.
- Green Onions: Offer a mild crunch.
- Dried Tart Cherries/Cranberries, Sliced Almonds, Feta Cheese: Create a mix of sweet, nutty, and tangy flavors.
Dressing Ingredients:
- Lemon, Lime: Add citrusy brightness.
- Onion Powder, White Wine Vinegar, Honey: Enhance the dressing with tang and sweetness.
- Cilantro, Dijon Mustard: Give a fresh, herbal note and a mild spice.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Emulsifies and smoothens the dressing.
How To Make This Steak Salad Recipe
It’s as easy as 1,2,3…
- Cook the Steak/Chicken: Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill on high heat until cooked. Let it rest, then slice against the grain.
- Make Dressing: Mix lemon and lime juice, onion powder, vinegar, honey, cilantro, mustard, and olive oil until smooth.
- Assemble Salad: Toss lettuce, tomatoes, red peppers, green onions, cherries, almonds, and feta with half the dressing. Top with meat and remaining dressing.
Quick Tip
Generously season the steaks. A good steak doesn’t need much more than a drizzle of oil and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper! But don’t skimp on the S&P; it’s going to bring out all the flavor in the beef.
Temperature Tips
For the best flavor and texture, cook New York steak or rib-eye to medium rare, although it’s fine to cook to your preference. Here are the temperatures for different doneness levels:
- Rare: 120-125°F
- Medium-Rare: 135°F (4-5 minutes per side)
- Medium: 140°F (5-7 minutes per side)
- Medium-Well: 150°F (8-10 minutes per side)
- Well-Done: 160-175°F.
Storage
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips:
Steak Salad is best eaten fresh as it doesn’t store well. Once mixed, the dressing wilts the greens and softens the almonds, and the steak loses its flavor and texture. Halve the recipe to avoid leftovers.
For prep-ahead:
- Store prepped ingredients separately in the fridge for this Steak Salad.
- Grill steaks and combine with other ingredients just before serving.
The dressing can be made a day ahead and kept in a covered jar. Shake well before using.
More Salad Recipes
- Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
- Chicken Spinach Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Pasta Salad
- Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Steak Salad
Equipment
- Grill
- Small blender
Ingredients
- Canola oil for greasing grill grates
Salad
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce 2 heads
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 3/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 5 thinly sliced green onions
- 1/3 cup dried tart cherries or dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
Dressing
- 1 large lemon
- 1 to 2 large limes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1-1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup lightly packed cilantro 1 bunch
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
Steak
- Heat grill to high (400–450°F). Once heated, clean and liberally oil the grill. I do this by drenching a paper towel in canola oil and, holding tongs, rubbing the paper towel over the grill. Remove steaks from the fridge and drizzle with olive oil (about 1 tablespoon total), then generously sprinkle with salt and pepper over all sides (about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper total).
- Place steaks on the grill and cook about 4–5 minutes. Using tongs, flip the steak over and continue to grill 3–5 minutes for medium-rare (internal temperature of 135°F; see note 1). Once steaks are cooked to your desired doneness, remove them and tent loosely with foil 5–10 minutes to give the juices a chance to redistribute. Cut steak against the grain into thin slices.
Dressing
- Using a zester, zest lemon to get 2 teaspoons zest. Squeeze to get 3 tablespoons juice. Squeeze the lime to get 2 and 1/2 tablespoons lime juice.
- For the cilantro, chop off the large stems (no need to remove all the tiny stems) and lightly pack into measuring cup to get 1 cup.
- Combine all dressing ingredients except the olive oil in a small blender. Add salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/4 teaspoon each). Blend until cilantro is broken down. Add olive oil and pulse until emulsified. Do not overblend with the oil or it can make the dressing taste metallic. Taste and adjust dressing to personal preference (more honey, more salt/pepper, etc.). Place in the fridge until ready to use.
Salad
- Wash and thoroughly dry the lettuce. Chop lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the roasted red pepper, and thinly slice the green onions.
- When ready to serve, toss the lettuce, green onions, and tomatoes with half the dressing. Stir in the dried cherries, sliced and toasted almonds, and feta cheese. Add thinly sliced steak on top and drizzle with the remaining dressing (add dressing to desired preference; I like all the dressing on this salad, but you may like less).
Recipe Notes
- Rare: 120–125°F
- Medium-Rare: 135°F (about 4–5 minutes on one side and another 3–5 minutes on the other)
- Medium: 140°F (about 5–7 minutes on one side and another 3–5 minutes on the other)
- Medium-Well: 150°F (about 8–10 minutes on one side and another 3–5 minutes on the other)
- Well-Done: 160–175°F.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe states see notes on roasted
Red pepper don’t see the notes.
Thanks so much Pam, I just fixed that!
Loved this salad. We cut it in half and served without the feta (forgot to buy some) is the calorie total per serving or total for the whole salad? Thanks.
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Calories are per serving! Thanks Morgan! 🙂
This is super delicious and easy.
This salad looks absolutely gorgeous! Just the dish to get me back on track after the holidays.
Yum this is very healthy and delicious! Perfect for my New Year’s goals
I’ve been craving healthier stuff lately. Despite my best efforts, I still ate a whole lotta bad stuff over Xmas.