Grilled Steak Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Grilled Steak Salad with caramelized onions, mushrooms and a tangy Dijon Vinaigrette is a flavorful summer salad everyone will love!

Around here salads are most often served as a side dish. Usually along side my favorite Shrimp Linguine or Grilled Pizza. But every once in a while, I like to make a big ol’ hearty salad loaded with all kinds of goodies. The kind of salad that you can serve as a meal itself.

Salads like this Grilled Steak Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette. It is packed full of flavor with perfectly cooked steak, caramelized onions, and mushrooms all tossed in a tangy Dijon Vinaigrette.

Let’s discuss all of the things you need to make it:

Steak Salad Ingredients: 

This steak salad recipe is broken into two parts: the salad itself and the dressing. To assemble the salad you’re going to need: 

• STEAK: You could really use any cut of steak here that you like. I’ve made this steak with both flat iron steak and top sirloin. Both work extremely well and are going to be on the leaner side. You could also use New York Strip. 
• ONION: Yellow onion is going to work the best here. Caramelizing it gives it a sweet flavor. 
• BUTTER: To sauté the onions. 
• MUSHROOMS: Steak, mushrooms and onions just go hand in hand in my mind so obviously they are great in this salad. I like to slice them thin. Crimini mushrooms are going to give you more flavor than white button mushrooms. 
• SALAD MIX: I used a baby spring mix for this recipe which had baby romaine, baby spinach and red lettuce. 

For the Steak Salad Dressing: 

• OLIVE OIL: I prefer using extra virgin olive oil when making salad dressings. It’s going to give you the most flavor. 
• RED WINE VINEGAR: Made with red wine, red wine vinegar is sharp and tangy with a subtle fruitiness. It has a more robust flavor than white vinegars and works great in vinaigrettes like this one. 
• DIJON MUSTARD: Also adds some tang. It is spicier than yellow mustard. If you don’t have Dijon, I suggest substituting a stone ground not yellow mustard. 
• GRANULATED GARLIC: Will add a subtle garlic flavor to the dressing without being overpowering. 
• WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: One of my favorite sauces to add to give a umami flavor to just about any dish. Because this salad also has beef in it, Worcestershire sauce works extremely well. 
• SALT AND PEPPER

Step by Step Photos and Instructions: 

Steak Salad might be a bit more work than your traditional garden salad, but it’s still pretty easy to make. Follow along with these step by step photos and instructions. 

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STEP #1: Properly caramelizing onions does take a bit of time so you’ll want to start that first. It’s going to take about 20 minutes. Heat butter and a little olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally. Until the onions have turned brown and caramelized. Remove from the heat. 

STEP #2: Preheat the grill to medium heat. Liberally season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides. 

STEP #3: Cook the steak to desired doneness. This will vary greatly depending on the thickness of the steak. We like medium rare and a 1 inch thick cut steak took about 5 minutes on each side. Keep in mind that when you remove a steak from heat it will continue to cook as it rests. 

STEP #4: Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. 

STEP #5: Assemble the salad. Place the lettuce in a bowl and top with mushrooms. After steak has rested, slice thinly against the grain, and place on top of the lettuce. Top with caramelized onions and drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately. 

Storage and Leftovers: 

This salad is best eaten right away. Leftovers won’t hold up very well. You can however keep any leftover dressing in the refrigerator and use within a week or so. Just let it come up to room temperature before using. 

Looking for more steak recipes? Try these:

Grilled Rosemary Balsamic Flat Iron Steak is one of my favorite dinners to make for special occasions.

Ribeye Steak Sandwiches are perfect for summer lunches!

If the weather is cooler but you’re still craving steak, you’ve got to try my Creamy Steak and Potato Soup. It will warm you right up!

Note: This post was originally published in 2010. It was updated in 2023 with new photos, step by step photos, a slightly modified recipe and nutrition information.