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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 salad ingredients on white background.
  • 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. 

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. 

Why should you let a steak rest?

Letting a steak rest after cooking allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak. This will help keep the steak tender and juicy. For thin steaks rest 5 – 7 minutes. For thicker steaks rest 10 minutes.

What is the difference between sautéed onions and caramelized onions?

The main difference between sautéed onions and caramelized onions is the cooking time. Sautéing onions only takes a few minutes while caramelized onions are cooked low and slow. Caramelized onions will be tender, sweet and brown.

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.

Grilled Steak Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Tender grilled steak, greens, mushrooms, caramelized onions and Dijon vinaigrette. The perfect way to welcome summer.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 700 kcal

Ingredients
  

Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 top sirloin steaks 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 2 teaspoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 5 ounces salad mix
  • 1 cup thinly sliced crimini mushrooms

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning steak
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper plus more for seasoning steak

Instructions
 

  • Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have caramelized. About 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Preheat your grill to medium heat. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
  • After you start the onions, begin cooking your steak. For medium rare, cook for 10 - 12 minutes (about 5 - 6 minutes per side). Transfer to a plate and cover with foil, allow to rest for 10 minutes, the steak will continue to cook during this time. If you would like it more well done cook 15 or 20 minutes before resting.
  • While the steak is cooking and the onions are caramelizing, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Place lettuce mix and sliced mushrooms in a salad bowl.
  • After steak has rested, slice thinly against the grain. Place sliced steak on top of lettuce. Top with caramelized onions. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Serve.

Notes

Please remember! It is important to let steak rest! If you cut into the steak too early, the juices will run out and the steak will be dry.
Nutrition information for estimation purposes only. 

Nutrition

Calories: 700kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 53gFat: 49gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 608mgPotassium: 1255mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 826IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @lifesambrosia or tag #lifesambrosia!
Keywords: 4th of July Recipes, beef, caramelized onions, dijon vinaigrette, Labor day recipes, salad, steak, summer

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    Liz
    June 22, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    I found this recipe after googling for steak salad recipes. I made it this evening for dinner, with only a few minor alterations (due to the limitations of my refrigerator and pantry), and it was absolutely delicious. So easy and so tasty. This recipe will definitely be going into my dinner rotation. Thank you!

  • Reply
    k
    September 23, 2010 at 11:45 am

    sorry…subtlety ;)

  • Reply
    k
    September 23, 2010 at 11:41 am

    fantastic! the grilled onions added a sweet sublity to the tangy dressing :)

  • Reply
    Dawn Hutchins
    June 28, 2010 at 11:01 am

    I swear I did almost the same salad last Friday but your photos look much better than mine LOL. I guess that’s what happens when there is a 2 year old tugging at the tripod!

  • Reply
    Deseree
    June 26, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    I’d love some of that AZ weather Jenn! Send it our way :) Stephen- It may sound like AK but we’re in WA so sometimes it can feel like it. What is your Asian inspired salad? I’m intrigued.

  • Reply
    StephenC
    June 26, 2010 at 9:10 am

    Are you in Alaska? 75 degrees? We hit 99 in Denver yesterday. Your lovely salad reminds me of an Asian-inspired one we’ve made off and on. I think I know now what to do with two thin-cut ribeye steaks in the fridge. Stir fry and salad is what you’ve inspired me to do.

  • Reply
    Jenn's Food Journey
    June 25, 2010 at 5:33 pm

    What? Summer just started for you all? Heck, I’ll send you some of the Arizona summer, we’ve been over a hundred for over a week now!! :) Love grilling, love steaks, love salads….can’t wait to try this!

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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