Steak Salad
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Resting Time: 10 mins
Yield: 4 servings
Calories: 360
Net Carbs: 4g
DESCRIPTION
Steak Salad is a fancy meal that can be enjoyed as a healthy lunch or dinner. Perfect medium-rare steak, crispy bacon, avocado, and fresh tomatoes are served over a bed of vinaigrette-tossed lettuce. Keto, low carb, and paleo friendly.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 boneless strip steak (0.75 to 1 lb), 1 1/2 inches thick (avoid thicker ones which are harder to cook evenly, resulting in tougher steak)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 pint (2 cups) multi-color cherry or grape tomatoes (10 oz wt. total), halved or quartered for larger ones
- 2 romaine lettuce hearts (10 oz wt. total), chopped
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp
red wine vinegar - 1 tbsp
dijon mustard - 1 small shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pat the steak dry with paper towels, and trim off the fat. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature.
- Fry bacon slices in a pan (I use an 11-inch nonstick pan) over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 10 minutes, flipping them occasionally. Turn off the heat, and transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Spooning about 2 tsp of the bacon grease from the pan, drizzle over both sides of the steak. Brush all over the meat to slather it in bacon grease (I use a silicone pastry brush). Discard the remaining grease in the pan by pouring it out. Wipe the pan dry with a paper towel.
- Heat the now-dry pan over medium-high heat until very hot, then add the greased steak. Cook for 2 minutes, flip to the other side, cook for another 2 minutes, and flip again. Then flip every minute until it's medium-rare in the thickest part (120 to 125 F), 3 to 5 minutes longer depending on the size of your steak. Transfer to a cutting board, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- While the steak is resting, whisk all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl until emulsified. Toss the vinaigrette with the chopped romaine lettuce until nicely moistened. Arrange lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado on 4 large plates or bowls. Crumble bacon on top.
- After the steak has rested, cut it into 1/4-inch slices. Thinner slices will taste more tender, so take the extra time to make very thin cuts. Lay sliced steak on top of the salads, and serve.
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 360 | |
| Total Fat 27g | 41% |
| Saturated Fat 5g | 24% |
| Cholesterol 44mg | 15% |
| Sodium 370mg | 15% |
| Net Carb 4g | |
| Total Carb 9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 19% |
| Sugars 3g | |
| Protein 20g |
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Looking for more keto salad ideas? You might like chicken salad with bacon and avocado, seafood salad with crab, or avocado egg salad.
Salad Customizations
This salad is easy to customize to your preferences. Here are some ideas:
- Add extra veggies like sliced onions and chopped bell peppers.
- Summertime? Add grilled corn and cucumbers.
- For extra protein, add hard-boiled eggs, nuts, and seeds.
- For more flavor, add sliced olives and cheese like feta or parmesan.
- Don’t like strip steak? Use your favorite cut of steak; either pan-searing or grilling will work.
- Replace red wine vinaigrette with your favorite dressing. Or do a simpler substitution by replacing red wine vinegar with balsamic or sherry.
- Instead of romaine lettuce, use your favorite leafy greens. Another idea is to use shredded cabbage and carrots.
pouring vinaigrette dressing 
tossing the lettuce with dressing
Making Ahead
Steak salad tastes best when enjoyed right away. If that’s not possible, store the salad tightly covered in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend making this more than a half-day in advance because the bacon loses its crispness, the lettuce starts to wilt, and the avocado turns brown. For best results, keep the avocado uncut, the lettuce undressed, and toppings separated until just prior to serving.
This looks fabulous – though I’d have to omit the Avocado (darned things taste like dish soap to me)… and definitely add the onion. It’s good to see you use the bacon drippings to cook the steak. Bacon really does make everything better.
Just one note – I’ll definitely be using a cast iron skillet to cook the bacon and sear the steak – Heating any sort of non-stick cookware to a high temperature can significantly increase the probability that potentially toxic elements of the non-stick coating will leach into the food. Not that I have anything against non-stick – my favorite cookware is a non-stick set made by Ausker… but nothing beats cast iron for searing.
Sounds yummy but I wouldn’t use Strip Steak. Way too lean. I’d go for ribeye or porterhouse or t-bone, whatever’s on sale.