Al-right-al-right-al-right, now ladies. YEAH! 🎶
Let’s make some steak.
This recipe goes out to all the guys who like steak, to all the ladies who like 4 ingredient recipes (PS. why am I even using the word “ladies” right now? dislike), and to my girl Sage, whose only favorite human food is red meat.
As I have mentioned many times in the last month of posts, red meat on Pinch of Yum is sort of a new and/or rare thing. See what I did there? I’ve never been much of a meat eater and I’d just rather make meals with plants (read: noodles) because there is less careful preparation, a lot of awesome taste, and ample opportunity for boatloads of sauce. It’s no secret that I don’t love chicken – although if it’s coated in white wine and shallots and butter and bacon, I’m more than happy to talk about it – and I’m just not super excited about any sort of red meat situation. But gosh, you guys. Lately I am a hungry girl who is really enjoying a meaty-full recipe. I’m thinking it might have to do with being sugar free right now – I think I’m making up for the lacking sugar with a little bit of extra protein. Right?
Remember the steak and cheddar mac and cheese?
And must I remind of you of the spicy sausage rigatoni?
And now this. This is my twilight food zone.
Let’s not pretend I’m something I’m not here. I can face the truth.
Being a steak newb, I am not quite ready to cook a perfect steak in ONE WHOLE PIECE. Major intimidation. Let’s just leave that to someone who knows what they’re doing and/or is not still stuck in the anti-foodie habit of ordering her steak cooked medium well.
So naturally, cutting up said steak into small bite-sized baby pieces and giving them a super quick sear in browned butter seemed so much more my style. So that’s exactly what I did and IT ROCKED MY LIFE. Especially when we followed up the quick sear with a quick swim in that luscious DeLallo creamy vodka sauce which, if I may, might be the best tomato sauce I’ve ever had from a jar, evereverever. I honestly will probably never make my own sauce again. No point whatsoever.
This saucy vodka steak, which took no more than a few minutes, was then scooped up and served piping hot onto a pile of raw, crispy-spiraly zucchini noodles, because one thing I take issue with when it comes to zucchini noodles is their watery sogginess, so I just skipped the cooking part and left them raw, which was a) faster, and b) tastier. Highly recommend.
Of course, if you like pasta, please. By all means. You know how I feel about all things noodle.
But I will just give a soft encouragement to at least try this combo with zucchini noodles, whether you use the magic machine known as a SPIRALIZER or just peel them really thinly with a Y-Peeler. I am really enjoying my spiralizer deez dayz and I truly think these light, crispy zucchini noodles are just the right balance to the heaviness of the steak and the vodka sauce.
We are still in the midst of our Safe Families placement with the three kids, and as I posted in my VIP Facebook group last week (and as you might have seen on SnapChat), I feel like with the sudden addition of the littles to our 900 square foot house, I’ve lost a little bit of my cooking mojo. A little bit, or maybe a lot bit. For me, fights over the Hungry Caterpillar book = anxiety = lack of appetite, plus the tiredness factor is REALLY REAL.
Finding things to cook for the last 9 days has been really difficult. I don’t just mean blog cook – I mean life cook. Like, okay, it’s dinner time and now we have a responsibility to help these kiddos actually eat for real, and NO, chips and salsa do not cut it. Bjork is helping out majorly with kids’ choice specialties like spaghetti and hot dogs, which is a huge deal because previously his only recipe of choice was scrambled eggs and coffee. I love you, Bjork!
But this recipe? This deliciously filling, veggie-friendly, 4 ingredient recipe that’s ready in 20 minutes or less? Oh Praise Be. I seriously cannot think of an easier meal, other than Friday’s chicken nuggets that took a direct path from freezer to oven to kids’ mouths to… ahem… obviously NOT our mouths because we would never be that desperately exhausted. *scream* Someone please put me in a time out.
This recipe is for the tired, hungry, need-a-filling-recipe-STAT peeps of the world! Cuz ur my kindred spirits right now.
Carry on, good veggie-noodle-steak-loving-vodka-sauce-licking people of the real life world! 💪
4 Ingredient Creamy Vodka Steak Pasta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Only 4 ingredients and 20 minutes to make this Creamy Vodka Steak Pasta on zucchini noodles! So very simple and so delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound sirloin steak
- 35–40 ounces DeLallo Vodka Sauce (it’s about 1 1/2 jars)
- 2–3 large zucchini (or you could use regular pasta, but zucchini is so good!)
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large heavy duty skillet over medium low heat until lightly browned but not black (this just adds flavor to the steak).
- Cut the steak into bite sized pieces. Turn the heat up (higher heat is good!) and add the steak to the butter in the skillet. Let the steak sit in the pan for about a minute without stirring – this helps it get a nice sear on one side, like you see in the picture. Flip the steak pieces and cook for another minute or two, until both sides are well-seared. This should only take 2-3 minutes – because of the size of the steak pieces, you really only need to sear the outside and the insides will continue to cook just enough once you remove from the pan.
- Remove the skillet from heat, transfer the steak to a bowl, and wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove excess grease. Add the sauce to the pan. Stir in the steak and simmer for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the zucchini noodles or pasta.
- Spiralize or cut the zucchini into noodles, or cook the pasta, depending on what you’re using. Top with the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
For the nutrition facts, I did not enter the DeLallo nutritional values specifically – I just used a generic vodka sauce, so there may be some variance.
Zucchini noodles are notorious for getting watery once you add sauce to them, but I haven’t had any problems as long as I eat this right away. The leftovers will get some excess moisture, but you can either just stir it up like in the last picture, or store the noodles and sauce separately.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: zoodle recipe, vodka steak pasta, vodka pasta
For more spiralizer ideas, check out this post:
8 Life-Changing Ways To Use a Spiralizer
I really don’t know how you do all you do Lindsay!
And this dish… love the combo of the zoodles (love that) and the steak, something my husband and I would both enjoy. I’m also new to the steak-cooking scene (having never even eaten steak until about a year ago) so I like how you make this so easy! 🙂
You two are the busiest bees ever but thanks for taking on those kids! Totally awesome. Isn’t feeding a family insane? But having kids has stretched me so much and made me much more flexible and loving and has just sharpened and honed my character on so many levels. LOVE how you posted a red meat recipe. Now we really are family, totally making this, kids will goggle down. Wishing you tons of blessings. Would love to meet you in New Orleans at the conference but travel with kids really bogs me down! Someday =)
Lindsay is my name and easy is my game! 😉 😉
I have similar steak-y sentiments! (Plants and noodles FOR LIFE). I grilled my first whole steak a few weeks ago and almost passed out, I was so nervous. This recipe looks much friendlier and more flavorful too!
Sounds like we are on the same wavelength! Thanks for the comment, Erin!
I LOVE me a good piece of steak, but still require the hubs to cook it in its natural, hunk of meat form. I can TOTALLY handle cooking this steak recipe though, and I KNOW that my taste buds can MAJORLY handle shoveling it into my face! Pinned!
Thanks Taylor! 😀
Had me at creamy vodka! 😀
That sauce! Ugh. so good.
I must confess that I am definitely one of those ladies who like 4 ingredient recipes! And this zucchini steak combination looks amazing!
ME TOOOOO! easy for the win.
So easy and awesome looking! I might want to use spaghetti AND zucchini to hit all the basic food groups 🙂
There you go! perfect!
This looks incredible! I’m always looking for an fun way to make zucchini noodles more interesting. I love the short ingredient list, too! I can’t wait to give this recipe a whirl. It’s beautiful!
Thank you Sydney! Appreciate that!
Makes sense, when you give up one thing I feel like you have to replace it with another. I’m not a HUGE red meat eater, only because for some reason I associate it with special occasions, I actually love it in all forms, and this “pasta” totally in love.
Thanks Nicole! 🙂 my dad makes steak for our birthdays so I associate it with special occasions, too. Except this time – easy weeknight dinner!
Best easy recipe ever, WOW!!
Thanks Matt! 🙂
Ha! I actually just posted a spiralizer recipe today too (with beet noodles). I frickin LOVE THAT THING. It really is great for heavier sauces like this and keeps the meal from legit weighing you down. Also, I’m the same as you where I’m not really into red meat and the thought of cooking a whole steak without screwing it up mildly terrifies me. So I really like your moves with cutting it up into tiny pieces and searing it in brown butter. Genius!!! We’ll have to try this one out sometime with our zucchini noodles. 🙂
Dooooo it! love that you are loving the spiralizer, too!
Oh yum! My husband is a steak lover and will LOVE this dish!
So awesome! Thanks Emily! Hope you guys love it as much as we did!
Chicken nuggets and grilled cheese. Total life savers!
You know it! 😉
This recipe looks delish! I’ve only put steak and “pasta” together in an Asian influenced meal, but this looks awesome. I don’t have a spiralizer yet, but I’m hoping to get one on my birthday (on Friday!) Squeeee! *fingers crossed*
Ooh, happy early birthday! Fingers crossed for the spiralizer!
Great recipe! thank you a lot Lindsay!
Thank you!
Ooooh, loving the brown butter and steak idea. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spent all day in the kitchen perfecting a recipe only to have dinner roll around and I’m too exhausted and fooded out to do anything other than nuggets, mac n cheese, and fruit. Done and done! Btw Love the photos. Beautiful!
Thank you Samantha! Means a lot!
I have yet to make a steak “pasta” dish and the limited ingredients in this one are right up my alley! Yay for more “zoodle” recipes too!
You and I are walking down the same alley, girl! 🙂
This recipe is right up my alley – fast and easy. Plus, I LOVE zucchini noodles. I could honestly eat them every day they are that delicious. I put mine in a covered microwave safe dish and cook them only for 2 or 3 minutes on high, then season them with salt and pepper – they still have lots of crunch. And my spiralizer is my new favourite kitchen toy, I am late to the game but now completely understand why people want to spiralize everything!
I don’t know anyone in real life who actually spiralizes – only internet people. So maybe we in Minnesota in general are just late to the game? or maybe the internet is making us all think we’re late to the game? I’m saying you and I are early with this one. 🙂
I love the zoodles recipes; thank you!!
And oh, Lindsay, I feel for you on the lack of time/energy with the littles in the house. Maybe this seems weird, but I wish you lived near us and we could help you out…’cause sometimes, in times like those, an extra hand or two is just what the doctor ordered! You’re doing awesome and, at the end of the day, what matters most is the love you’re showing the kids and the way of life you are modeling. You can do this!! <3
Thank you so much Hannah! We’ve been so incredibly blessed (and I don’t use that word lightly) by people in our lives who have been our “extra hands” during these last two weeks – it’s been such an overwhelming relief to get a dinner delivered, an extra person around at bedtime, etc. Thank you for your sweet comment! Super encouraging.
Thank you Lindsay the recipe is excellent and appetizing.
Thanks Paul! Appreciate that.
You may be a newby on steak, Lindsay, but those photo tell another story!!!! It look amazing and delicious!! And when I read the ingreadients my mouth start to produce to much water! I will definitly try it!
Thanks Cat! 🙂 Hope you like it!
Good comment by Erin ; “I have similar steak-y sentiments! (Plants and noodles FOR LIFE). I grilled my first whole steak a few weeks ago and almost passed out, I was so nervous. This recipe looks much friendlier and more flavorful too!”
Thanks Evan!
This is my husband’s favorite meal, Pasta! Now that his birthday is coming, i will surprise him with this tasty recipe. Thank you Lindsay for sharing.
Thanks Chella! I hope you guys like it!
Wow!! That pasta dish looks so hearty and delicious. I love the zuchinni pasta!
Thanks Mary Frances! 🙂
Welcome to steak-dom! I have been low carbing it for years. . .so steak is a regular on our menu. And that snazzy sauce you crowned yours with. . . I bet it takes the steak to a whole new level.
Snazzy indeed! you know how I like my sauce. 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! I love the short ingredient list, too! I really like your moves with cutting it up into tiny pieces and searing it in brown butter I’m too exhausted and fooded out to do anything other than nuggets and fruit. You’re doing awesome. Thank you Lindsay for sharing.
Thank you Li! Appreciate that! <3