Some steak salads can wow you simply by plating steak on top of a salad. Balsamic Steak Salad seeks to wow you by being the best steak and salad combination around for miles. The steak itself is grilled to a juicy, rosy medium-rare, elevated in its savory flavor with a tangy balsamic marinade… a marinade so good, in fact, that it’s also used as the salad dressing. Meanwhile, the salad is fresh and bursting with bright tomato and cranberry flavors, a crunchy bed for the steak to rest its head on the journey to your tastebuds. Balsamic Steak Salad literally cannot disappoint!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 (3/4-pound) beef flat iron steak or top sirloin steak
- 1 (9-ounce) package of ready-to-serve salad greens
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 1/2 medium ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- blue cheese, optional, crumbled, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, salt, and pepper together.
Step 2 –Place the steak and 1/4 cup of the dressing into a resealable plastic bag, reserving the rest of the dressing by covering it and refrigerating it.
Step 3 –Seal the bag and turn it to fully coat the steak.
Step 4 –Refrigerate the steak in the bag for at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
Step 5 –Preheat the grill to medium heat.
Step 6 –Drain the beef, discarding the marinade in the bag.
Step 7 –Grill the steak, covered, until the meat reaches at least 135 degrees F internally for medium-rare, about 6-8 minutes per side.
Step 8 –Let the steak stand for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.
Step 9 –Divide the salad greens between 4 plates.
Step 10 –Top the greens with even amounts of steak, tomatoes, radishes, and avocado.
Step 11 –Sprinkle each salad with cranberries, blue cheese, and the remaining pepper.
Step 12 –Serve with the reserved marinade as dressing.