This Greek inspired Steak Salad is the perfect summer pasta salad recipe. It has tender pieces of marinated flank steak, fresh herbs and veggies, and a flavorful dressing that you’re going to love.
This is a refreshing, new twist to a Greek Salad. This Steak Salad is made with grilled slices of meat that are marinated to perfection, and is paired with the flavors we all love of Mediterranean cuisine like tomatoes, black olives, and fresh herbs. The salad is perfect for a hot summer night when you’re looking for an easy dinner, or a tasty lunch.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Steak Salad
- Easy: This recipe is so easy to make and quick! The longest part of the recipe is just marinating the meat which you can do the night before, or you can even use leftover steak on this salad.
- Flavorful: The combination of marinated steak, fresh veggies and herbs, and refreshing salad dressing with lemon is the perfect flavor combination.
- Healthy: This hearty salad is a great way to up your veggie intake, and also get protein in while you’re doing it.
🍲 Ingredients
Flank Steak – Flank steak is a lean and flavorful cut of beef that comes from a cow’s abdominal area. It is packed with protein, essential B vitamins and minerals like zinc and iron. It also is a relatively low fat cut of meat, and is great for salads and sandwiches.
Fresh Herbs – Fresh herbs are a great addition to a pasta salad or lettuce salad because they can add so much flavor in a healthy way. For this recipe I use mint and dill which give that Greek vibe, but you can totally use something like basil or parsley as well.
Orecchiette – Meaning “little ears” in Italian, orecchiette is a great pasta shape for salads because of its concave design. The cup-like shape catches dressing and herbs, and it’s perfect for making every bite of your pasta salad bursting with flavor.
👩🍳 How to Make Steak Salad
- Marinate the steak: Add the steak marinade ingredients (olive oil, red wine vinegar, pressed garlic and onion powder) in a bowl and whisk together to combine. Add the steak to a plate or small baking sheet with a rim and pour the marinade over top of the steak. Flip the steak back and forth to make sure both sides are covered, massage the marinade into the steak and marinate in the fridge, covered for 2-4 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Once the steak has marinated, prep the orecchiette: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orecchiette according to package directions. Drain the orecchiette and toss it with a drizzle of olive oil in a large bowl so that it doesn’t stick together. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Season the halves of zucchini with a 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper.
- While the steak is done marinating, oil your grill and preheat to medium-high heat (425F). When the grill is hot, season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Then, grill steak for 4-6 minutes per side or until your preferred level of doneness (135F – medium rare is suggested). At the same time, add the halves of zucchini and grill for the same amount of time as the steak.
- When the steak is cooked to your temperature preference, remove from the grill. Let rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Also remove the grilled zucchini to a plate.
- While the steak rests, assemble the salad by adding the crumbled feta cheese, olives, red onion, capers, walnuts, cherry tomatoes, fresh dill and fresh mint to the bowl with the cooked orecchiette pasta. Chop the grilled zucchini into ½ inch pieces and add to the bowl as well.
- After the steak has rested, chop against the grain into bite size pieces and add to the pasta bowl along with all of the dressing. Toss to combine, taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired.
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Prep In Advance: The best part about pasta salads is that they are so good the day after. By making them ahead you give the pasta time to absorb all the flavors. This is a great recipe to meal prep or make ahead for a busy day or pot luck.
- Steak Resting Time: After cooking let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute, ensuring a more tender and juicy steak.
- Pasta: You can use any shape of short pasta in this recipe, but make sure you don’t overcook it. Al dente is best for pasta salad because you don’t want it to get soggy when it’s sitting in the dressing.
🗒 Variations
If you like this Greek-inspired pasta salad, you’re going to love some of these other pasta salad recipes I have that are great for summer.
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Pasta salad is a great dish to make ahead and keep in the fridge for an easy meal or side dish.
🤔 Common Questions
Flank steak, skirt steak, sirloin, or even beef tenderloin work well. These cuts cook relatively quickly and can be easily sliced.
For best results in a pasta salad, slice the steak against the grain into thin strips or bite-sized cubes.
Any short pasta is great in pasta salad. Things like orecchiette, penne, fusilli, macaroni, and orzo work great.
Greek Inspired Steak Salad
This Greek inspired Steak Salad is the perfect summer pasta salad recipe. It has tender pieces of marinated flank steak, fresh herbs and veggies, and a flavorful dressing that you’re going to love.
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Marinate the steak: Add the steak marinade ingredients (olive oil, red wine vinegar, pressed garlic and onion powder) in a bowl and whisk together to combine. Add the steak to a plate or small baking sheet with a rim and pour the marinade over top of the steak. Flip the steak back and forth to make sure both sides are covered, massage the marinade into the steak and marinate in the fridge, covered for 2-4 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
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Once the steak has marinated, prep the orecchiette: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orecchiette according to package directions. Drain the orecchiette and toss it with a drizzle of olive oil in a large bowl so that it doesn’t stick together. Set aside.
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Make the dressing: Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
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Season the halves of zucchini with a 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper.
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While the steak is done marinating, oil your grill and preheat to medium-high heat (425F). When the grill is hot, season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Then, grill steak for 4-6 minutes per side or until your preferred level of doneness (135F – medium rare is suggested). At the same time, add the halves of zucchini and grill for the same amount of time as the steak.
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When the steak is cooked to your temperature preference, remove from the grill. Let rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Also remove the grilled zucchini to a plate.
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While the steak rests, assemble the salad by adding the crumbled feta cheese, olives, red onion, capers, walnuts, cherry tomatoes, fresh dill and fresh mint to the bowl with the cooked orecchiette pasta. Chop the grilled zucchini into ½ inch pieces and add to the bowl as well.
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After the steak has rested, chop against the grain into bite size pieces and add to the pasta bowl along with all of the dressing. Toss to combine, taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired.
- You can swap out the pasta for another type of pasta of your choice if desired (fusilli, farfalle or rotini)
- We enjoy our steak medium-rare but cook the steak to your desired temperature.
Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 35.9g | Saturated Fat: 7.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18.9g | Cholesterol: 55.1mg | Sodium: 788.3mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 3.7g