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April 14, 2020

Pan Seared Steak + Steak Meal Prep Ideas

This Pan-Seared Steak has a garlic rosemary-infused butter that makes it taste steakhouse quality. You’ll be impressed at how easy it is to make the perfect steak – seared and caramelized on the outside, and so juicy inside.

Thank you to Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff for sponsoring this garlic butter steak recipe. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

Juicy steak on a pan topped with garlic rosemary butter

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

As everyone is staying home, working from home and homeschooling, people are cooking way more often and looking to improve their cooking skills. You all have been asking for more simple and delicious recipes that come together fast and have minimal ingredients. This steak recipe is so satisfying and will impress your entire family.

The BEST Pan-Seared Steak

This 20-minute recipe is done on the stovetop in one pan (no need to finish it in the oven). This is one of our favorite steak recipes and we make it year-round because it’s such a quick and convenient cooking method. That garlic butter is lip-smacking good! Read on for great tips on how to improve beef sustainability, reduce food waste and you will love our ideas for easy meal prep with leftover steak.

Ingredients for Garlic Butter Steak.

It really doesn’t get any easier than this and you don’t need much to make a lip-smacking good steak. We used 2 New York Strip Steaks (pictured below), each weighing 1 pound and 1 1/4″ thick. Keep in mind a thicker steak will take longer to cook through and a thinner steak will cook faster.

Well-marbled steaks will give you the juiciest results. Our favorite steaks to cook on a skillet are:

Ingredients for pan seared steak with garlic rosemary butter

How to Pan Sear Steaks:

Pat dry – use paper towels to pat the steaks dry to get a perfect sear and reduce oil splatter.
Season generously – just before cooking steaks, sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
Preheat the pan on medium and brush with oil. Using just 1/2 Tbsp oil reduces splatter.
Sear steaks – add steaks and sear each side 3-4 minutes until a brown crust has formed then use tongs to turn steaks on their sides and sear edges (1 min per edge).
Add butter and aromatics – melt in butter with quartered garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs. Tilt pan to spoon garlic butter over steaks and cook to your desired doneness (see chart below).
Remove steak and rest 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Pro Tip: We prefer using a large cast-iron pan for best heat conduction, but a large heavy stainless steel pan will also work.

Step by step photos how to season and sear a steak on a skillet

Steak Doneness Temperature Chart:

A steaks internal temperature continues to rise as it rests, so remove steaks from the pan about 5-10 degrees before reaching your desired doneness. Use this chart to determine steak doneness when testing with an instant-read thermometer. For example, if you desire a medium doneness steak, remove it from the pan at 145 degrees F and it should rise to 150-155˚F as it rests. The USDA recommends cooking steaks to at least 145 degrees. Read more beef safety tips here. Use the following steak temperature chart. These numbers reflect the final temperature after resting 10 minutes.

Medium Rare (soft, dark pink inside): 145 degrees F
Medium (soft, some pink inside): 160 degrees F
Well Done (very firm, no pink inside): 170 degrees F

Slice of steak cooked to medium doneness

Pro Tip: Check the temperature using an instant-read thermometer, inserting it horizontally into the side of the steak, so it penetrates the thickest part of the center of the steak (without touching the bone or fat portions).

Checking steak temperature inserting thermometer into side of steak

What to Serve with Steaks:

Steak is so versatile but our favorite sides for making the perfect steak dinner are:

Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Oven-roasted Baby Red Potatoes.
Another classic steak pairing is Corn on the Cob.
Chimichurri Sauce is a quick way to add tons of flavor

Pro Tips for the Best Steak:

Preheat pan 5 minutes before adding steak for a great sear with good color and flavor.
Press steak down just as it hits the pan to ensure steak makes contact with the surface of the pan.
Loosely cover and rest steaks on a cutting board 10 minutes before slicing so they don’t dry out.
Don’t slice too thin, or the steak cools too quickly.
Slice steak against the grain and at an angle for a steakhouse presentation

Juicy steak topped with melted garlic butter and rosemary

How to Buy and Store Beef:

We love buying larger packages of beef, which are often a better value in price per pound. Once we have our meal plan for the week figured out, we refrigerate what we plan to cook within 3-4 days and freeze the rest. To preserve the quality of our steaks, we vacuum seal since air is the enemy of food. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can also use a freezer-safe zip bag and squeeze out as much air as possible before freezing. To reduce waste, follow these guidelines:

Refrigerate Steaks (at 40˚F) for 3-4 days from purchase date
Freeze Steaks for 6-12 months*
Refrigerate or freeze right after purchasing
Place in freezer bags removing as much air as possible, or vacuum seal.

Vacuum sealed steaks ready for the freezer

Steak Meal Prep:

Did you know 40% of all food brought home in America goes uneaten? Some of the things we do to reduce waste are to eat what we have in our kitchen and also to repurpose leftovers. Leftover steak is perfect for meal planning. Cooked beef can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen 2-3 months. We love using leftover steak to meal prep Steak Cobb Salad in reusable to-go containers. Here are some more great ideas for using up leftover steak:

Dice or thinly slice cooked steak for tacos or Steak Fajitas
Whip up some easy Cheesesteak Quesadillas
Make a quick Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich

Love Beef? Visit Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. for more great dinner inspiration and recipes.

Steak cobb salad in meal prep container

Pan-Seared Steak with Garlic Butter

5 from 499 votes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Pan-Seared Steak on skillet topped with butter and fresh rosemary

This Pan-Seared Steak has a garlic butter that makes it taste like a steakhouse quality meal. You'll be impressed at how easy it is to make the perfect steak that's seared on the outside, and perfectly tender inside.

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Ingredients

Servings: people or 1/2 steak per person

2 lbs New York Strip Steaks (2 steaks), or Ribeye or Top Sirloin Steaks (1 lb each steak, 1 1/4” thick)
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil, or any high heat cooking oil like canola or extra light olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Instructions

Thoroughly pat steak dry with paper towels. Just before cooking, generously season with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper
Heat the cast iron pan until hot then add 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat. Once the oil is very hot, add steaks to the skillet. Sear the steaks on the first side for 4 minutes until a brown crust has formed then flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the steak on its sides to render the white fat and sear the edges (1-minute per edge).
Reduce heat to medium and immediately add 2 Tbsp butter, quartered garlic cloves and rosemary to the pan. Spoon the butter sauce over the steak, tilting the pan to get butter on your spoon. Continue spooning the sauce over the steak for a minute or until the steak is about 5-10 degrees from your desired doneness (the temperature will continue to rise another 5-10 degrees while steaks rest).
Transfer steak to a cutting board, loosely cover and rest 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" strips to serve. Spoon extra butter sauce over sliced steak to serve.

Notes

Steak Doneness Chart:
Medium Rare: 145 degrees F
Medium Doneness: 160 degrees F
Well Done: 170 degrees F

Nutrition Per Serving

542kcal Calories1g Carbs46g Protein40g Fat19g Saturated Fat154mg Cholesterol991mg Sodium608mg Potassium1g Fiber1g Sugar211IU Vitamin A1mg Vitamin C19mg Calcium4mg Iron

Nutrition Facts

Pan-Seared Steak with Garlic Butter

Amount per Serving

Calories

542

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

119

Cholesterol

154

Sodium

991

Potassium

608

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

Vitamin A

211

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: garlic butter steak, pan seared steak, steak recipes

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $15 to $20

Calories: 542

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Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.