Creamy Steak Pasta

This steak pasta features perfectly cooked marinated steak on top of a creamy sauce. Marinating the steak in balsamic and searing it with a crispy crust makes all the difference. 

If you’re craving another pasta recipe, try one pot taco pasta, braised short rib pasta, or salmon pesto pasta.

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I’ve attended countless beef cooking demos with the Ohio Beef Council, and took all those tips to purchase, prep, and sear the best steak for this recipe. There’s nothing like a crusty steak (color equals flavor!) on top of creamy pasta.

Drizzle balsamic glaze on top for an easy, delicious dish. Add some fresh spinach and sun dried tomatoes for some greens and extra flavor.

Save this for a romantic dinner date or make it quickly during the week for the whole family. Everyone loves perfectly cooked steaks on top of creamy cheesy pasta!

Try this slow cooker braised short rib pasta next! The short ribs melt into the sauce, making the most tender short-rib pasta you’ve ever tasted.

Steak

• Sirloin steak: I love a top sirloin because it comes from the top part of the cow, making it extra tender because of it’s minimal use. A similar cut of steak is the ribeye, which has a bit more marbling. You could also use skirt steak or flank steak—something that benefits from a marinade and cooks quickly!
• Balsamic vinegar:  The vinegar helps break down some of the tissue in the beef and makes it even more tender.
• Salt and black pepper (basic, but important for beef recipes)

Creamy Pasta

• Fettuccine: I love this pasta for alfredo and creamy dishes. But whatever you have in your pantry will do. My recent obsession is Kaizen pasta because it’s low-carb, high-fiber, and high-protein.
• Butter, flour, and garlic: together these create the roux and thicken the alfredo sauce. I like Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour.
• Milk or cream: whole milk, heavy cream, or dairy-free milk are all great options.
• Parmesan cheese: this salty variety of cheese adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. Swap this for the similar nutty, salty ingredient, nutritional yeast, for a dairy-free option.
• Spinach and sun-dried tomatoes: these are totally optional if you’re look for a basic steak with pasta on the side, sans veggies. But I’m also trying to sneak in some greens and spinach is ideal!
• Toppings: steak and blue cheese are a match made in heaven—highly recommend adding some crumbles (like this buffalo chicken casserole).

What Steak To Use (You Have Options)

Our favorite cut of beef to use for pasta is one that’s naturally tender, so they don’t require a ton of marinating. I also love a steak on the thinner side because they cook quickly.

For these reasons, we love NY strip steak, sirloin, or ribeye steak. Ribeye is going to have more marbling (fat), so it will have a little richer flavor.

Learn more about the different cuts of beef and how to prepare them.

Let’s Make this Steak Pasta

Skip down to the recipe card if you want to see the full recipe and print it out. Keep reading if you’re a visual learner (like me!) and want to see the recipe with photos at each step. 

Marinate the Steak

Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper and place in a ziplock bag with the balsamic vinegar and marinate for 20-30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.

Can you skip this? Technically, yes you will still have delish seared steak with salt and pep only. But the acid makes it tender and the sugars give it a crispy crust. Highly recommend.

Sear the Steak 

Give the steak a good sear in a hot skillet (medium high heat) for 4 ish minutes on each side while the pasta cooks. Sear both sides of the seasoned steaks for about 4 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 135-140°F for medium rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board to rest (key for a juicy steak).

Hate all the smoke? America’s Test Kitchen can show you an easy way to sear steak without the splatter and smoke.

Make the Creamy Sauce

Saute fresh garlic in melted butter over medium heat then stir in the flour to create a roux. Cook for a few minutes to get rid of any raw flour taste then slowly whisk in the milk and parmesan cheese until it’s thick. 

I didn’t try it in this recipe, but adding white wine to deglaze the pan would be so good (it works well in this Boursin chicken).

Mix it All Together

Stir in the spinach and sun dried tomatoes (optional) and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Top the pasta with sliced steak for the perfect meal. 

Add Sliced Steak and Serve

Top the pasta with sliced steak for the perfect meal. 

Storage and Reheating Steak Pasta

• Store: place leftover steak and pasta in a separate airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: although it won’t be as creamy and fresh, you can freeze steak pasta. Place in an air tight container in the freezer. If it’s well sealed it should last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: allow any frozen food to come to thaw overnight in the fridge. The best way to warm up this dish is by adding the pasta back to a pan with additional milk to warm it through and thin it out. Warm the steak separately in the microwave or a pan and enjoy!

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4.84 from 25 votes

Creamy Balsamic Steak Pasta

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Marinade Time:: 20 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

This steak pasta features perfectly cooked balsamic marinated steak on top of a creamy pasta sauce tossed with spinach. Drizzle balsamic glaze on top for an easy, delicious dish.

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Molly Thompson

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Servings: 6 people

0.5x1x2x3x

Ingredients

Steak

• ▢ 1 1/2 lbs sirloin or ribeye steak
• ▢ 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Creamy Pasta

• ▢ 12 ounces fettuccine (I used Gluten free)
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons flour gluten-free if needed
• ▢ 2 cups milk any kind
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (Note 1 Dairy-Free)
• ▢ 3 cups fresh spinach optional
• ▢ 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes roughly chopped
• ▢ Optional toppings: balsamic glaze, blue cheese, fresh chopped parsley

Instructions 

• Marinate the steak: Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper and place in a ziplock or reusable storage bag with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
• Cook the pasta: While the steak is marinating, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water then drain the pasta from the rest of the water and set aside.
• Sear the steak: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Remove the steak from the fridge and place it on the hot pan, without any additional oil. Discard any remaining marinade. Cook the steak for 4 minutes on each side or until it reaches your desired doneness. We like to remove the steak when it reaches an internal temp of 135°F to allow for 5-15 degrees of carry-over cooking while it rests to achieve a medium-rare steak (145°F).
• Make the creamy sauce: While the steak is resting, melt the butter, or vegan butter, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the flour (or gluten-free flour) to the butter and stir well to create a paste, also known as a roux.
• Slowly whisk in the milk then add the salt and pepper. Continue to stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until thickened. Add the parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast) and stir until melted and/or combined.
• Mix it together: Stir in the cooked pasta. If the sauce seems too thick, pour in the reserved pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time to reach your desired consistency. Add the fresh spinach and sun dried tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
• Top with steak and serve: Slice the steak into thin pieces against the grain and top the pasta. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and top with gorgonzola and parsley if desired.

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

Notes

Note 1. Dairy-Free: use a vegan butter, almond milk and nutritional yeast.

Gluten-free: use GF pasta and 1:1 gluten free flour.

Store: place leftovers in an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Freeze: although it won’t be as creamy and fresh, you can freeze steak pasta. Place in an air tight container in the freezer. If it’s well sealed it should last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheat: allow any frozen food to come to thaw overnight in the fridge. The best way to warm up this dish is by adding the pasta back to a pan with additional milk to warm it through and thin it out. Warm the steak separately in the microwave or a pan and enjoy!

Video

Equipment

• Large, deep skillet or dutch oven

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.3g | Protein: 37.2g | Fat: 13.6g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 468mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 4.9g | Vitamin A: 173IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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