Ready in under 25 minutes, this Strawberry Steak Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing is quick and easy enough for lunch or weeknight dinner! It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit savory, and a whole lot of deliciousness in every bite!
By now you’re well aware of my penchant for turning leafy green rabbit food into meal-worthy salads.
I’ve been dreaming of this particular salad ALL WINTER LONG. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in pumpkin, butternut squash, and brussels sprouts and though I’ve loved every second of it, a change in seasons means a change in produce and gosh darn it I need no less than 500 strawberry salads in my face, STAT!
Typical “Strawberry Fields” style salads are usually accompanied by a bevy of nuts, cheeses, and sugary dressing which kind of makes it feel like a dessert salad to me. It may be great in moderation as a tasty little side dish but as a dinner salad? Oh honey no. I can’t.
This salad features a bed of leafy greens topped with juicy steak, ripe strawberries, buttery avocado, and a finger-licking homemade balsamic dressing. It’s super simple and the perfect blend of sweet and savory.
Strawberry Steak Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing
Want more of this tasty dressing? Double, triple, or quadruple the dressing measurements as needed – it’ll keep several days in the fridge and taste great with any salad you can dream up! Store bought salad dressing can’t compare!
As for the salad, the recipe is for two large meal-sized salads, but can also serve 4 as a hearty side salad, perfect for pairing with soup or half a sandwich! You can even toss the cast iron skillet aside and fire up the grill, putting these sassy salads on the menu for your next barbecue or party. Your family and friends will love it!
Extras + Swaps
Looking to veg things up even further? Tender roasted or blanched asparagus would make a delicious addition to this salad! Green beans would too!
In fact, if you’d like to make this sassy strawberry salad vegan you can 100% swap the steak for roasted asparagus and use pure maple syrup in place of the honey in the dressing. Just two small swaps and it’s positively plant-based! Woot!
Strawberry Steak Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD:
- 10-12 oz sirloin steak
- olive oil or avocado oil as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4-6 oz looseleaf lettuce washed and chopped*
- 8-10 oz fresh strawberries as many as you’d like!
- 1 large avocado**
- 2-3 tsp sweet balsamic glaze (optional but delicious!)
FOR THE DRESSING:
- ¼ cup quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar extra to taste
- 1 TBSP red wine vinegar
- 1 TBSP dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 clove garlic smashed and minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pat steaks dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. For best results, allow steak to come to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add to pan and sear until browned, approx. 2 minutes for the first side and 1 minute for the second side.
- Using a potholder, place skillet, steaks and all, in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until desired internal temperature is reached. If using steaks larger than 6 oz each, adjust times as needed.
- Remove from oven (potholder! grab one!) and place steaks on a plate. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Resting is crucial for a juicy steak and gives us ample time to make our salad and dressing!
- Chop your lettuce, strawberries, and avocado. Drizzle avocado with lime juice and/or oil to keep things gorgeously green.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake well. Feel free to adjust levels of balsamic and honey to taste. The above measurements are my dream combo!
- Once rested, thinly slice your steak into bite-sized pieces. Toss together greens, berries, and avocado then top with your steak. Drizzle with a little of the dressing and dive in!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this Strawberry Steak Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing, let me know! Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation! I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
What a lovely mixture of flavours, that maybe on the face of it wouldn’t go so well, but now having thought it, I imagine this is really yummy. Would be a great outdoor dining meal this summer.
Thank you Helen! They go sooooo well together it’s insane. I can’t stop making this one! 🙂
I really love adding strawberries to savoury salads, as they’re a bit sour they balance the flavours so well.
Steak salad has always been one of my favorites — and those ripe berries sound great with the balsamic dressing. I want to try this one soon.
Thank you Lisa! Super stoked for you to try it!
This looks so good. A few weeks back, I tried Spinach Strawberry salad with Balsamic dressing and it turned out really well.
Such a good combo right?! Love it so!
I love fruit in my salads and now that it’s PYO strawberry seasons I am so excited to use up all the strawberries for all the nommies! 😀 This is a great recipe and it looks absolutely delish! Your strawberries look gorgeous!
Thank you Joyce!! I eagerly await U-pick season here in FL every year. We pick blueberries and strawberries and it’s so fun! (and tasty!)
I really appreciate the fact that this is a dairy free salad! With berries in season I know what I’ll be grabbing at the store this week!
This looks absolutely delicious! My mouth is watering just looking at those photos. I’m definitely going to give it a try this weekend.
Thank you Dave! Hope you love it as much as I do! 🙂
Mmm, this looks so good! I actually used to think I didn’t really like steak until I started ordering steak salads. Turns out I just didn’t like a giant piece of meat with a potato on the side…so boring to me! Steak salads are one of my favorites though – so hearty and ligth at the same time. This looks like a great version!
Girrrrl I wish I knew I loved them sooner! Grass-fed steak and greens is only a recent obsession for me but I love it so! 🙂 The strawberries really set the combo over the top!