Cooking: Asian Marinated Steak Pasta Salad (Recipe)

You know me, I have a thing for pasta salads. Especially in the summer. Because they involve lots of good vegetable, they are an easy one-dish meal, and because it seems like you are eating well when you pull out the leftovers the next day or two.

This week I was craving steak so I decided to come up with a steak pasta salad with Asian flavors. It turned out so umami! I love it. This combination of marinated steak and vegetables is great in a green salad, or a pasta salad (same dressing), or you can throw a bunch of spinach in with the pasta salad to reduce the proportion of the noodles and have something in-between.

This steak marinade is the best! I altered a marinade recipe from my good friend JoAnn, who is a fantastic cook. This recipe is one you'll want to keep around for any grilled steak, whether you add it to a salad or eat it with something else on the side.

The pasta salad is great chilled so I recommend making it ahead or even the day before. You could also marinate the grilled steak and all the vegetables in the dressing overnight and then toss it with some greens for a green salad. The flavors are so deep and earthy, and with the steak, I think the men in your life would enjoy it too.  Marinated steak salad for Father's Day? Why not?

Click to view the recipe.

ASIAN MARINATED STEAK PASTA SALAD

This pasta salad is best made ahead and served chilled.

Steak Marinade:
1 cup soy
2 T sesame oil
1 scallion thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t ginger powder
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

Pasta Salad:
1 lb Penne Pasta, cooked in well-salted water, drained and cooled
A large handful of green beans, blanched and cut into 1" pieces on the diagonal
1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 pint yellow and red cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 pint of sliced white mushrooms
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 lb marinated and grilled steak (I used strip steak, but flank steak would be great too) thinly sliced on diagonal (use more if you would like!)
1 t black sesame seeds

Asian Dressing:
3/4 cup soy
4 t grated ginger (or you can substitute 2 t ginger powder)
6 T sesame oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
3 t sweet chili sauce
1/2 scallion, chopped into small pieces
Pulse all ingredients in a blender to combine.

Combine all the ingredients for the steak marinade in a large ziploc bag. Add the steak. Marinate 3 hours or overnight. Grill the steak on high heat to sear. Cook to medium rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice thinly on the diagonal. Put the sliced steak in the refrigerator to chill.

Cook the penne pasta in a large pot of generously salted water. When it is al dente, drain it. Pour a little sesame oil over the noodles to keep them from sticking together and let them cool.

Combine the green beans, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions and steak with the pasta in a large bowl. Add freshly ground salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, sprinkle the sesame seeds, and toss well to combine.

Chill the pasta salad before serving.