Shawarma Flank Steak Salad – Healthy One Bowl Dinner Meal

When I was up in Cleveland this past weekend I went out with my brother and mom to a funky Mediterranean place that my brother had heard of. I ordered a beef shawarma salad…and omg it was amazing. The beef had the best spices on it….smoky, cinnamony…tender….such a great combination. So great in fact that I was dying to attempt to make the same dish – but with flank steak. Since I’ve also been dying (gee…dramatic much, Amelia?) to conquer flank steaks.

Ok, moving on….here goes a great main course salad – Shawarma Flank Steak Salad. It’s a relatively cost effective cut of beef – although, not nearly as cheap as I wish it was. But what intrigued me the most is that it’s one of the most lean cuts of beef available – and I’ve been craving beef lately like crazy! I think it’s because I am sick of chicken.

Onto the steak marinade – this needs at least 6 hours to marinate. But really, no one’s looking – if you only have an hour….go for it! If you only have 15 minutes – rock on. Ha. I am the queen of forgetting to prep for dinners the day before….thawing something from the freezer, forgetting to marinate something, and forgetting to buy key ingredients – that’s how I roll. But, I impressed myself this time…I remembered to prepare my steak the night before. Yay me!

Combine all the ingredients pictured below. Yogurt might seem like an odd choice to you as a marinade….trust me. There’s something in the enzymes that break the meat down and really tenderize it. I like to use yogurt to marinate chicken all the time b/c it keeps it insanely moist as well.

Throw the steak with the marinade into a Tupperware and let it marinate overnight – I flipped the container around a few times to get the steak covered completely.

Fast-forward to the next day – it’s time to cook the steak and assemble the salad. Exciting!

Time management tip: grill the steak. While it takes only a few minutes on each side to cook to a nice medium rare – you need the steak to rest. So while the steak is resting…you can prepare your salad.

Before you put the steak on the grill pan, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temp, about 15 minutes. Heat your grill pan on high. I wanted to create a really great crust on the outside of the steak. Remove the steak from the marinade and wipe off any excess yogurt marinade. If you don’t…it will keep the outside too wet to create a nice crust on the outside and the steak will simmer rather than grill.

Once the grill pan is really hot….place the steak on there and let it sear for 4 minutes on each side. Let it cook more if you want it cooked medium or medium well. Warning though…..flank steak turns tough really fast. So the longer you let it cook, the tougher it will be.

Once the steak has finished cooking, take it off the grill pan and let it sit for 15 minutes. Do not cut into the steak – resist the urge! Lesson learned on my behalf….if you slice the steak too soon, the juices will run out of the meat and you’ll have a dry steak!

While the steak is resting, you can start the dressing for the salad. Chop up the mint and dill – about two tablespoons of each is all you’ll need.

Add the juice from a lemon and half (a third of a cup), the dried basil and oregano, salt and pepper, and then whisk in the olive oil. Done with the dressing….super easy, super fast….and super delicious!

Now its time to assemble the salad. For my salad I sliced half of a roma tomato, 4 slices of cucumber, and one green onion (green parts only). Then I added in about 4 kalamata olives and a ¼ cup of feta cheese.

Have 15 minutes passed yet? Yes! Ok, now it’s time to slice the Shawarma Flank Steak….slice it on a diagonal against the grain….also super important b/c if you cut it with the grain, it gets tough as well. Sprinkle over as much dressing as you’d like and place the sliced steak in the middle of your salad.

This salad is amazing….seriously, so good. The beef has a delicious flavor with the spices I used and the dressing is tart and herbalicious. Such a great combination….it’s a recipe I’m going to keep going back to when I want something healthy, easy, and completely satisfying. I really hope you try this! Enjoy!

Shawarma Flank Steak Salad

Serves 3

Click here for recipe.

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 cup fat free greek yogurt
1 ½ T. red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 T. onion, grated
½ t. cumin
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. cayenne
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
.75 lb flank steak 

Salad & Dressing:
1 head of lettuce, shredded
3 roma tomatoes
½ seedless cucumber
12 kalamata olives, pitted
¾ cup feta cheese – divided
¼ c. olive oil
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 T. fresh dill
2 T. fresh mint
1/8 t. dried basil
1/8 t. dried oregano
1/8 t. garlic powder
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper

Directions:

1. Make the marinade for the steak. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a Tupperware container. Place the flank steak in the container and cover the steak with the marinade. Let the steak marinate overnight.
2. Take steak out of the fridge for 10 minutes to get to room temperate. Preheat grill pan over high heat.
3. Wipe off excess marinade from the steak.
4. Place steak on grill pan. Sear on each side for 4 minutes to get steak to medium rare.
5. After steak has finished cooking, place on a plate and let rest for 15 minutes.
6. While steak is resting, make the dressing.
7. Chop dill and mint. Add in the basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add in the lemon juice and finally the olive oil.
8. Assemble the salad, chop up the tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and make salad.
9. Top with the kalamata olives and feta cheese. Sprinkle over dressing
10. After 15 minutes slice the steak on a diagonal against the grain. Place four ounces on top of each salad.

Enjoy!