Pasta with Steak and Spinach
This steak pasta with spinach is a favorite summer pasta dish and an easy 30-minute recipe. Tender steak is tossed with spinach, pasta and a tangy Dijon mustard and balsamic dressing. Serve it warm, at room temperature, or cold for an easy pasta dinner.
Steak Pasta Recipe
Steak and pasta tossed together with pasta, spinach, and a tangy balsamic-mustard sauce is my idea of summer eating. It’s easy to make, you can serve it warm, at room temperature, or cold, and it’s filling without being heavy.
It’s ready in about 30 minutes, so it’s great for weeknights – especially if the weeknight in question is a warm and summery one.
Ingredients
- Steak – Use a tender cut that cooks quickly. I like New York strip steak or sirloin steak. Readers have shared in the comments that tenderloin, filet mignon (fancy!), and ribeye steak are great choices, too.
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Penne
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Spinach
- Parsley
- Crumbled feta cheese – if you’re not a fan of feta, grated or shredded Parmesan cheese would work well, too.
Variation: I love steak, but chicken would work great, too! Just adjust the cooking time.
How to Make the Recipe
Season the steak with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Boil the penne until al dente.
While the pasta boils, cook the steak in a hot skillet with the olive oil until it’s seared and cooked to about medium-rare (or your desired doneness). Or you can cook it on a hot grill.
Mix the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard together in a large bowl.
Slice the steak against the grain and place it in the bowl with the sauce. Add the spinach, parsley, and cooked pasta. Toss to coat it all evenly – as you toss, the spinach will wilt a bit from the hot steak and pasta.
Garnish the steak pasta with the feta cheese, and it’s ready to serve!
Recipe Tips
- The cooking time will vary based on how thick your steak is. I like to use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature – once it hits about 140°F I take it out of the pan and let it rest. It will continue to cook for a few minutes.
- This is also a great recipe to use up leftover steak – just toss it in with the other ingredients.
- I love this recipe because it’s great served warm or at room temperature. You can also pop it in the fridge for later and serve it cold. Just give it a good toss before serving it.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days.
I hope you give this steak pasta a try soon! It’s a favorite at our house and perfect for a warm summer night.
Happy cooking!
More Steak Pasta Recipes
I love easy pasta recipes ❤ Here are a few more of my favorite ones you might like, too.
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.
PrintPasta with Steak and Spinach
This steak pasta with spinach is an easy dinner recipe that can be served warm, at room temperature or cold. Tender steak tossed with a mustard and balsamic dressing is a delicious dinner full of flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sear
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounce New York strip steak (see note)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces of penne pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Season the steak on all sides with the mixture and set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve one tablespoon of the starchy water before draining the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Cook the steak for 5-7 minutes on each side (depends on how pink you like it – 7 minutes will be barely pink). Remove the steak from the pan and leave it on a plate to rest.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, and mustard until it’s thickened.
- Thinly slice the steak, against the grain and place it in the bowl with the dressing along with the pasta, reserved pasta water, spinach, and parsley. Toss it all together. As you toss it the spinach will wilt.
- Garnish with the feta cheese and serve the pasta warm, at room temperature or you can chill it before serving. If you chill it, hold off adding the cheese until serving and give the pasta and steak a toss before serving.
Notes
Any quick-cooking and tender steak will work well for this recipe. Readers have used sirloin, ribeye, filet mignon, and tenderloin instead of the New York strip. Depending on how thick the steak is you may need to adjust the cooking time.
Adapted from Food Network
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 672
- Sugar: 4.9g
- Sodium: 1046.8mg
- Fat: 36.1g
- Saturated Fat: 8.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 25.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 49.2g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 37.7g
- Cholesterol: 79mg
Keywords: steak pasta, easy beef pasta recipe, pasta with steak and spinach
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Post and photos updated from the archives. First published in April 2015.
I have made this twice now and it’s a huge hit with my family. We had a chest freezer go out and I had to cook some steaks or lose them. I grilled, sliced then froze them. I have used those precooked frozen strips both times and it is a terrific use for them. Quick, easy and flavorful the recipe trifecta if you ask me.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thanks for the tips with the frozen steak, too 🙂
My family loved this!! My 4 and 6 year old boys gobbled it up! We used elk steak since we are a hunting family and it was excellent. Thanks.
★★★★★
So glad your family loved it!
Hi. This looks YUMMY! However….I detest Balsamic vinegar. Can I sub something else for it?
You could try red wine vinegar – hope that helps!