This steak pasta features perfectly cooked balsamic marinated steak on top of a creamy sauce tossed with spinach. Drizzle balsamic glaze on top for an easy, delicious dish.
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Creamy Steak Pasta
This is the ultimate comfort food recipe! The creamy pasta is rich and satisfying and the steak packs so much protein and iron. We have options to keep this gluten-free and dairy-free (as usual!) and we just can't get enough of the balsamic glaze.
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!
Marinating the steak in balsamic and searing it with a crispy crust makes all the difference.
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.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Here are the simple ingredients for this steak alfredo. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
For the steak
- Sirloin steak: I love a top sirloin because it comes from the top side 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. Both are great options for this steak pasta!
- Balsamic vinegar: this is not to be confused with balsamic glaze! The vinegar helps break down some of the tissue in the beef and makes it even more tender.
- Salt and black pepper
Pasta for Steak
- Fettuccine: this long, thick cut of pasta is a favorite of ours with a cream sauce. We used Barilla gluten-free fettucine. It breaks apart a little easier, but still has great texture. Penne is another great option if you have that on hand.
- Butter: we use butter as the base of the sauce to create a roux, but a quality vegan butter or coconut oil is a great dairy-free option.
- Fresh garlic: this makes all the difference, but garlic powder works too.
- Flour: this ingredient is critical to thicken the cream sauce. We tested this with a 1:1 gluten free flour (like Bob's Red Mill) and it turned out great.
- Milk or cream: whole milk, heavy cream, or dairy-free milk are all great options.
- Salt and pepper
- 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: use fresh spinach if you can! We tested this with frozen and while it worked out ok, I found the fresh spinach to be much butter.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: these add a great bite of acid, flavor and texture.
What Steak to Use for Pasta?
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.
How to Make Steak Pasta (step by step)
The full printable recipe card is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. This steak and pasta is really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure they turn out every time.
- 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.
- Sear the steak: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat place the marinated steak on the hot pan, without any additional oil. Discard any remaining marinade. Sear both sides of the 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.
- Make the cream sauce: Melt butter in a deep skillet, like a cast iron skillet, or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes then sprinkle in the flour (or gluten-free flour) and stir well to create a paste (aka 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.
- Cook and add the pasta: cook and simmer the pasta according to the package directions, to al dente. You can start this and sear the steak while the pasta cooks. When it's done, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water for later, then drain the rest. Add the cooked pasta to the thickened sauce and mix well. If the sauce seems too thick, pour in the reserved pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time to reach your desired consistency.
- Stir in the veggies:Stir in the spinach and sun dried tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
- Slice steak and top the pasta:Slice the steak into thin pieces against the grain and top the pasta with the steak strips. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and top with gorgonzola and parsley if desired.
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Pro Tip - Cooking Your Steak To The Right Temperature
The FDA recommends steak be cooked to 145°F for medium-rare.That results in a cooked steak with a slightly pink center. That's the way we love to enjoy this steak pasta and what I recommend, but you can look at our guide to determining beef doneness to reach your desired steak temp.
I highly recommend using or investing in an Instant Read Thermometer to help you know when the steak is done. I like to remove my steak from the heat when it reaches about 135°F to allow for 10-15 degrees of carryover cooking.
Storage and Reheating
- 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!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Creamy Balsamic Steak Pasta
Ingredients
Steak
- 1 ½ lbs sirloin or ribeye steak
- â…“ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Creamy Pasta
- 12 oz fettucine we used Gluten free
- 3 tablespoons butter or vegan butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour or 1:1 gluten free flour
- 2 cups milk or almond milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- â…“ cup sun dried tomatoes roughly chopped
- Optional toppings: balsamic glaze, gorgonzola, fresh chopped parsley
Recommended Equipment
- Large, deep skillet or dutch oven
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 ½ 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 cream 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.
- 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.
- 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.
KniteStarz says
Your ingredients up top say heavy cream, but your ingredient list says milk. I'm just going to mix both, but think that should be clarified.
Caroline says
This is my new favorite recipe! Quite possibly the best pasta I’ve ever had. This recipe is so simple but so flavorful and uses a lot of ingredients I already have on hand. Highly recommend!
Molly Thompson says
Thank you, Caroline!! That means so much. We have this one on our meal plan to make tomorrow!
Sam says
SO SO good! I made ours with a venison sirloin. Even my 3 year old loved it! I stayed almost entirely true to the recipe except for the sub for venison and I used 1 C frozen chopped spinach instead.
I think personally I would add some more sun-dried tomato and I might marinade the meat with some more seasonings; it didn’t pick up a ton of balsamic flavor but the balsamic DID do an amazing job in the searing process for a gorgeous crust. Also note the sauce is very thick even with the pasta water. It was creamy and delicious but next time I might try 2 Tbs flour for a sauce a little thinner.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I was looking for some way to use venison sirloin other than street tacos and I’m so happy I found this one. Defs going to make again!
kaitie says
this was soooo yummy! however, i added a few extra things that i think really brought out the delicious flavors in this dish. first off, when i marinated the steak i cut it into strips raw and added raw minced garlic to the mix, as well as some basic italian seasoning and paprika. after cooking the steak, i set it aside and made the sauce in the same pan! i also added red onion to the butter and garlic before making a roux. i added paprika and italian seasoning to the sauce as well. cooking the sauce in the same pan as the steak made it pick up some more flavor! yummy and i will definitely make again 🙂