Balsamic Steak Bites, a fantastic dinner option (even in the summer)!
Let’s be honest, the idea of steak and potatoes on a warm spring or summer night doesn’t always seem like the best option. Nothing like feeling crazy full while on the patio with the hot sun beating down on you. Not to fear, though, this recipe brings a sweeter profile to the steak, making it lighter on the palate while still providing a fulfilling meal.
When you add a marinade with balsamic vinegar, it helps bring a sweetness and fruitiness. Add in the soy sauce, and it’s the perfect combo of sweet and savory. Now, we chose to serve this with some garlic mashed potatoes (which did make it a little more dense), but this dish could just as easily be paired with rice or served on top of a delicious salad.
The options are endless, and I can’t wait to hear about what you choose to add these steak bites to!
As always, I will now walk through a few of the key ingredients and cooking tips to help you crush this meal and be the dinner time hero:
- Beef – Choosing the right beef and cooking it properly are definitely the most important aspects of this recipe, so let’s break down each section 1 by 1.
- What beef to pick? Lean is not the answer, so please do try to chop up and top round or sirloin. If that is all you have, the marination process can help break it down (the longer the better). My preference is using Flank Steak or looking in your meat aisle for “stir fry beef”.
- Marination – This process is also very key to the success of the meal. My website is usually built for simple, everyday recipes, and this one still qualifies, but you need to make sure you give the beef the proper time to marinate. Maybe mix it up before work, the night before, or over lunch. At a minimum, I recommend 4 hours for this portion of the process.
- Cooking – The last step is cooking. Heat the pan on medium and add all of the steak and remaining juice (which shouldn’t be a lot). Cook for around 10 minutes, only stirring a few times, and then add back the mushrooms and onions (cooking in a previous step). Continue to cook the beef until it is fork tender (which could be another 8 minutes). If you don’t do the extra time, the meat will have only been steamed, which will cause it to be very tough to eat!
- Onions/Mushrooms – Taking the extra time to cook these both low and slow will provide an incredible addition of flavor to this meal. I highly recommend doing so if you can.
- Sides – There a plenty of options to serve with this one, both on the starch side and the veggie side:
- Potatoes – Mashed potatoes, garlic mash, and baked potatoes would all be delicious.
- Rice
- Pasta
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Brussel Sprouts
- And anything else you dream of!
See below for full measurements and cooking instructions!
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Cooking pan
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. dijon
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 onion diced
- 1/2 pint of mushrooms sliced
Instructions
- Slice your beef into tiny cubes. I bought stir-fry beef and cut it into smaller pieces.
- Mince the garlic cloves.
- Find a large mixing bowl.
- Add the minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, dijon mustard, olive oil, and red pepper flakes into the bowl and mix them up well.
- Add in the beef and stir well, coating all sides. Marinate for 4 hours.
- In a high rimmed pan, heat to medium and add some oil.
- While that’s heating, slice the onions and mushrooms.
- Cook the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes until nice and golden, and then add the sliced mushrooms. Season both with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, removing both once golden.
- Keeping the heat at medium, add the beef with the sauce and cook for 10 minutes (stirring only on occasion).
- Add back the onions and cook until tender. (I did about 6 more minutes, read further description above if needed, so the meat isn’t too tough.)
- Serve with your favorite side. (We did mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.)
- Enjoy!
