Steak Salad with Chimichurri Dressing

Can a steak salad be satiating? I believe it can! First off, I think chimichurri is one of the most amazing sauces, especially for steak. This dish came together one night, honestly, when I had some steak, some home grown kale that was gifted to me, some beets in the fridge, and the ingredients for chimichurri. Threw it all together for dinner and was not expecting how well all the flavors worked together. The bitterness of the kale combined with the pepperiness from the arugula and chimichurri, also the acidity from chimichurri and sweetness from the shredded beets made for a flavorful, satiating mouthful. 

Where is Chimichurri from?

Chimichurri is a specialty sauce from Argentina and Uruguay typically used on grilled steaks, but also works great on other meats and vegetables. It is a versatile herb sauce that can be used as a marinade, dressing (as in this case here), and sauce. Heck, I’d happily dip some paleo bread in this. It is typically made with parsley, and if that is all you got, then feel free to make the whole sauce with parsley (it will still be delicious). In my version, I add some cilantro and lime juice. I love the tanginess and flavor this adds, it’s the right kind of extra (*winky face). 

This has easily become one of my favorite dishes. It’s also quick to make. Put together the chimichurri dressing for the steak salad first. That way the sauce will have time for all the flavors to meld together. If you want to be extra (all about the extra here), I recommend making this the night before, which will save you time too. Want to just double, triple the quantity and put this sauce on everything (well maybe except ice cream haha), I’m definitely not one to judge! 

Making Chimichurri

You can chop everything finely by hand for the chimichurri which I find relaxing. Chop chop chop chop. But if you have mouths to feed, it’s been a long day of work, or you just don’t like chopping, you can throw all the ingredients into the blender or food processor and it wonderfully comes together that way too! Bam, sauce done.

Preparing the Skirt Steak

Next is the skirt steak. Make sure the steak is room temp and season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Be mindful of how much salt  you put on the steak as skirt steak is thin. There is also salt in the sauce. I like to rub some onion powder on the steak as well. Next, heat up your skillet over medium heat. A cast-iron skillet is recommended with enough avocado oil to coat the bottom. Lay out the steaks and cook each side for about 1-2 minutes if you like medium-rare to medium. Turn down the heat if you need to. Let the steaks rest and prepare the salad and beets. 

The Salad Blend

For this salad, I recommend a blend of red kale, washed and roughly chopped, mixed with some wild arugula. I just get one bunch of red kale and some arugula and mix them together. About a 50/50 blend. If you want to add some more lettuces like spinach, go for it! The bitterness of the kale and pepperiness of arugula with the steak and sauce are beautiful together. 

Shredded Beets are a Must

Now to soften the strong flavors of the kale salad, use a box grater to grate the beets (that have been peeled beforehand). This adds some sweetness to the salad, also it will turn everything fuschia, yay color! I like grating the beets because they will be soft and it blends so nicely into the salad rather than chomping down on chunks of beet. Also chunks of raw beet may be too much of an overpowering flavor for most. So trust me, grated is very nice in this steak salad! And it may just be me, but it definitely makes me feel fancy. Put however much you want on your salad and it’s ready for the steak and sauce.

Prepare Your Tastebuds for this Amazing Steak Salad!

Cut the steak into thin strips, place on the salad and top with the chimichurri dressing. Draw a smiley face with sauce if you’re really feeling it. Enjoy your steak salad!

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