Skillet Steak and Veggies with Chimichurri

Here’s what makes it work:

• One skillet, start to finish. The steak and the veggies share a pan, which means less cleanup and more flavor.
• Serves two. Perfectly sized for a date night at home, and it scales up easily if you’re feeding more.
• Simple ingredients. Olive oil, vinegar, garlic, fresh herbs. Nothing you can’t find at a regular grocery store.
• The marinade does the work. Thirty minutes will get you there. A couple of hours is even better.
• Homemade chimichurri. It takes about ten minutes and it’s the thing everybody asks about.

Why I Make This One

I do not cook steak every day around here. It’s just not something that lands on our table very often. But when I do make it, my husband is a happy man, and this is the recipe he asks for.

The whole idea started because we wanted a nice dinner without going out for it. You know how it is — you get to thinking a night out sounds good, and then you look at what a steakhouse dinner runs for two people, and suddenly staying home sounds a whole lot better. So I started making this at home instead, and honestly, I think it’s better. You get exactly the steak you want, cooked exactly the way you like it, and there’s a sauce on the table that came out of your own kitchen.

I’ll be honest with you — the chimichurri is the part that makes this feel fancy. It’s really just fresh parsley and oregano, some garlic, vinegar, and olive oil. That’s it. But when you spoon it over a piece of steak, it tastes like something you’d pay good money for.

And I’ll tell you something else. The last time I made this, I told Darren it was going to be a fancy dinner, and he went and put on a nice outfit for it. Right there in our own kitchen. That’s the kind of night this recipe turns into.

So if you’re looking for a way to make an ordinary weeknight feel like an occasion, jump on in and make it with me.

Skillet Steak and Veggies with Chimichurri

Prep Time: 20 minutes Marinating Time: 30 minutes to 4 hours Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes (with a 30-minute marinade) Servings: 2

Ingredients

For the marinade:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 flank steak, cut in half

For the chimichurri sauce:

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the skillet:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 more tablespoon for the vegetables
• 1/3 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Instructions

1. Make the marinade right in the bag. There’s no need to dirty a bowl for this one. Put the salt and pepper into a gallon zip-top bag first — I always measure my dry ingredients before my wet ones so I can use the same spoons for both. Then add the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, the Worcestershire sauce, and the minced garlic. Roll the top of the bag back before you start pouring; it’ll stand up on its own and save you a mess.
2. Add the steak. A flank steak is usually pretty long, so cut it in half and you’ll have two good servings. Slide it into the bag, press out most of the air, seal it up, and move it around gently so the marinade works its way all over the meat.
3. Let it sit. Into the refrigerator it goes. Thirty minutes to an hour will do it, and you can go as long as four hours if you have the time. I usually land somewhere right in the middle, around two hours. And don’t let that tablespoon of salt worry you — very little of it actually soaks into the steak, and some of it ends up seasoning the vegetables later.
4. Chop the parsley for the chimichurri. Pull the leafy parts off the stems, gather them into a small bundle, and give them a good rough chop. Go back through it once or twice until the pieces are fairly small. You want about a half cup once it’s chopped.
5. Chop the oregano. Here’s a little trick that saves time: hold the stem at the top, pinch your fingers together, and slide backward down the stem. The leaves come right off. You want about two tablespoons.
6. Finish the sauce. In a bowl, combine the chopped parsley, chopped oregano, crushed red pepper, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, or season it to your taste. Stir it all together and set it aside. Letting it sit while everything else cooks is what makes it taste so good — those flavors need a little time to get acquainted.
7. Heat the skillet. Put your cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat and drizzle in about two tablespoons of olive oil. While it comes up to temperature, get your vegetables ready.
8. Slice the red onion. Use about a third of a large red onion, sliced thin. You can absolutely use more if you love that flavor, but I don’t want the red onion to take over the whole dish.
9. Slice the green onions. Four stalks, sliced all the way down into the white part. Set a little bit aside to sprinkle on top at the very end.
10. Snap the asparagus. Take a spear in both hands and just bend it until it snaps. It’ll break naturally right where the woody part ends, and what’s left is the good tender part you want to eat. Do that with about half a bunch.
11. Cook the steak. Lay it right into the hot skillet and cook for about four minutes on each side for medium rare, which will still have some pink in the middle. If you like yours more done, add an extra minute or two per side. Your skillet might run hotter than mine, so keep an eye on it.
12. Halve the tomatoes while the steak cooks. I slice mine lengthwise — it doesn’t really matter, I just think it looks pretty. Cutting them makes them a little more bite-sized, too.
13. Rest the steak. Take it out of the skillet and let it rest for about ten minutes. Don’t skip this. It’s what keeps all those juices in the meat instead of on your cutting board.
14. Cook the onions. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then the red onion and green onion. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, just long enough for them to soften.
15. Add the asparagus. It only takes about five minutes to become tender.
16. Add the tomatoes last. When the asparagus has about 40 seconds left, add the tomatoes. You only want them in there long enough to just begin to burst — they cook so fast.
17. Bring it all together. Turn off the heat. The skillet will still be plenty hot. Set the rested steak right back on top of the vegetables and pour in any juices that collected on the plate.
18. Add the chimichurri. Drizzle about half of it over the steak and vegetables. Save the other half in a little bowl for the table, because somebody is always going to want more.
19. Plate it up and finish. Let it sit a couple of minutes off the heat, then serve it up with those reserved green onions sprinkled over the top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different cut of steak?

Absolutely. I use flank because it takes a marinade beautifully and it slices up nice, but sirloin, flat iron, or skirt steak all work well here. Use whatever cut you like and whatever’s on sale that week.

Do I have to use a cast iron skillet?

No. Cast iron holds heat so well that you get a really nice sear, and that’s why I reach for mine. But if you don’t have one, any heavy skillet will do just fine.

How long should I really marinate the steak?

Thirty minutes will give you good flavor. Two hours is my sweet spot. Four hours is the longest I’d go — after that, the acid in the vinegar starts to change the texture of the meat.

How do I know when the steak is done?

Four minutes per side over medium-high heat gets you medium rare. Add a minute per side for medium, and two for medium-well. Every skillet and every stove is a little different, so use that as your starting point rather than a hard rule. A meat thermometer takes all the guesswork out: 130°F for medium rare, 140°F for medium.

Is the chimichurri spicy?

There’s a teaspoon of crushed red pepper in it, so you’ll get a hint of warmth — not heat. Darren isn’t a big spice person and he said it wasn’t bad at all. If you’re sensitive to spice, cut it back to half a teaspoon or leave it out entirely.

Can I make the chimichurri ahead of time?

Yes, and I’d encourage it. It actually gets better as it sits. Make it a few hours ahead or even the day before, keep it covered in the refrigerator, and let it come to room temperature before serving.

Can I double this for four people?

You sure can. Use a whole flank steak, double the vegetables, and you’ll probably want to cook the steak in two batches so you don’t crowd the pan. A crowded skillet steams instead of searing.

What should I serve with it?

Honestly, it’s a complete plate as it is — protein and vegetables all in one. But if you want something more, some crusty bread for soaking up the chimichurri is perfect, or a pan of crispy potatoes on the side.

Skillet Steak and Veggies with Chimichurri

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Marinated flank steak seared in a cast iron skillet, then tomatoes, asparagus, and onions cooked in the same pan and finished with fresh homemade chimichurri. A steakhouse dinner for two, made at home.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Marinate and Rest 2 hours hours

Serving Size 2 people

Ingredients

For the Marinade

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 flank steak cut in half

For the Chimichurri Sauce

• 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Skillet

• 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1/3 large red onion thinly sliced
• 4 green onions sliced
• 1/2 bunch asparagus woody ends snapped off
• 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes halved lengthwise

Instructions

Marinate the Steak

• Add the salt and pepper to a gallon zip-top bag, then add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and minced garlic. Roll the top of the bag back so it stands upright while you pour.
• Gently shake the bag to combine the marinade.
• Add the flank steak halves, press out most of the air, seal the bag, and move the steak around so the marinade coats it all over.
• Refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours. Two hours is ideal.

Make the Chimichurri

• Pull the leaves from the parsley stems, gather them into a bundle, and give them a rough chop until you have about 1/2 cup.
• Strip the oregano leaves by pinching the stem and sliding backward, then chop until you have about 2 tablespoons.
• In a bowl, combine the chopped parsley, chopped oregano, crushed red pepper, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir well.
• Set aside at room temperature while you cook so the flavors have time to meld.

Prep and Cook

• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Thinly slice the red onion, slice the green onions all the way into the white parts, and reserve a small amount of green onion for garnish.
• Snap the woody ends off the asparagus by bending each spear until it breaks naturally.
• Place the marinated steak directly into the hot skillet and cook 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Add 1 to 2 extra minutes per side for more doneness.
• While the steak cooks, slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise.
• Remove the steak from the skillet and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, then the red onion and green onion. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
• Add the asparagus and cook about 5 minutes until tender.
• Add the tomatoes for the final 40 seconds, just until they begin to burst.

Bring It Together

• Turn off the heat. Return the rested steak to the skillet on top of the vegetables and pour in any collected juices.
• Drizzle about half the chimichurri over the steak and vegetables, reserving the rest to serve at the table.
• Let the skillet sit off the heat a couple of minutes, then plate and sprinkle with the reserved green onions.

Video

Notes

• Flank steak takes a marinade beautifully, but sirloin, flat iron, or skirt steak all work well here.
• Don’t marinate longer than 4 hours — the acid in the vinegar will start to change the texture of the meat.
• For temperature accuracy, pull the steak at 130°F for medium rare or 140°F for medium.
• The chimichurri can be made up to a day ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before serving.
• To double this for four, use a whole flank steak and sear it in two batches so the pan doesn’t get crowded.
• The crushed red pepper gives warmth rather than heat. Cut it to 1/2 teaspoon or leave it out if you’re sensitive to spice.

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