Thick, juicy steaks lend themselves naturally to grilling and broiling. However, thin-cut steaks can present more of a challenge when it comes to figuring out what to do with them. Thin-cut steaks are actually more versatile than thicker steaks, and you can use them in a number of tasty and interesting meals.
Steak Salad
Steak salad works best with thick, sturdy lettuce, such as Romaine or iceberg; flavorful vegetables, such as tomatoes; bell peppers and beans; and hearty dressings, such as blue cheese, ranch or a balsamic vinaigrette. Toss your salad and plate it. Season and broil or panfry your steak, then slice it into strips. Top the salad with the steak, and add dressing, shredded or crumbled cheese and thick croutons.
Steak-and-Cheese Sandwich
Cut your steak into very thin strips. Saute mushrooms, onions and bell peppers in a hot skillet until the onions are nearly translucent. Add in the steak, and cook it for another 2 to 3 minutes. While the steak and vegetables are still on the skillet, top them with cheese. Choose a robust, tangy cheese that can stand up to the steak flavor, such as cheddar, Monterey jack or pepper jack. For an added kick, top the cheese with jalapenos and allow them to melt in. With a spatula, scoop up the meat, veggies and cheese and stuff it into a sub roll. Serve the sandwich with homemade potato chips or french fries. For an Italian flare, substitute the bell peppers for zucchini, and spoon hot tomato sauce in the roll before adding the steak and vegetables.
Steak Pasta with Cream Sauce
This dish works best with thick, short, tubular pasta such as rigatoni, penne or ziti. Use a bottled cream sauce, or make your own by cooking equal parts flour and butter together, then adding milk and/or cream, salt and white pepper. Saute the steak in a pan with hot oil for just a couple of minutes on each side, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice it into 1-inch pieces. Top cooked pasta with the cream sauce, then the steak. For added nutrition and flavor, add cooked vegetables into your cream sauce.
Stir-Fry
Stir-fry is a simple, yet flavorful, way to use thin steaks. In fact, thin steaks work better for this dish than the sliced beef labeled in supermarkets for stir-fry. Slice the steak into short ribbons. Saute veggies, such as water chestnuts, broccoli, carrots, mung beans, mushrooms and onions, in a skillet or wok with hot oil. Make sure that your oil is hot enough, otherwise the vegetables and steak will boil rather than saute. When the veggies have nearly cooked, throw in the steak, along with minced garlic, soy sauce, and a small amount of grated ginger. Toss the mixture in with spaghetti noodles, or serve it with a side of rice.
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