Minute Steaks with Pesto Butter
Simply seasoned and perfectly seared steaks, topped with creamy pesto butter. The butter is smooth and vibrant and boasts basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese. The perfect weeknight dish.
Can you believe this is a 3-ingredient meal? Well, 4 if you count olive oil. There’s so much flavor in the basil pesto, you need nothing else. Plus, the meal is gluten-free, protein-packed, and ready in under 30 minutes.
You’ll want to slather this pesto butter on everything. I served it over perfectly cooked steaks, but it would be equally amazing over chicken, pasta, rice potatoes, and vegetables. You should keep this pesto butter in your fridge at all times! In one simple move, you can transform an ordinary dish into something extraordinary.
What kind of pesto should you use? You can use refrigerated pesto (often sold near the refrigerated pasta) or shelf-stable pesto. Both work great here. And, when you want to try something different, you can use tomato, carrot, or kale pesto!
What kind of steaks should you use? I chose minute steaks because I wanted dinner in a flash. Minute steaks literally cook in a minute – about 30 to 60 seconds per side in a hot pan. But you can choose any steak you want, or what you find on sale. From rib-eye to skirt steak, this pesto butter will catapult the meal.
How can you make sure you cook the steak perfectly? In general, cook “regular” steaks (not thin-sliced minute steaks) for 3 to 5 minutes per side for rare to medium-rare (140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for rare), or longer for more fully cooked steak. Remove the steaks from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Minute Steaks with Pesto Butter
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon prepared basil pesto, refrigerated or shelf-stable
- 4 steaks of choice, about 4 to 5 ounces each, I used thin-sliced minute steaks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Chopped fresh parsley for serving, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Season both sides of the steaks with salt and black pepper. Let the steaks stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the butter and pesto. Mix well (using the back of a spoon makes blending the pesto and butter a lot easier).
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side for rare to medium-rare, or longer for more fully cooked meat (when cooking minute steaks, cook them for 30 to 60 seconds per side). Transfer the steaks to a plate and tent with foil. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the steaks to dinner plates and top with the pesto butter. Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve.