Big Sunday dinners anchor the upcoming week, especially if you make a little extra. We partnered with Tillamook to join the #RealFoodSunday movement, encouraging families to cook and eat Real Food together once a week, but especially on Sundays.
The last dinner of the weekend seems to ceremoniously see off leisurely free time; it's the big shebang closing out a couple of days of bliss, especially during outdoor dining season. But the thing is, what you're cooking on Sunday can serve you all week, freeing up those mornings and evenings for other activities— so take advantage of your weekend, smartly: Grill a double portion of steak, head to the market and pick up some seasonal vegetables to roast (extra for eating raw), grab a loaf of bread to soak up the meat's juices, and revel as you—hopefully—eat dinner outside. Your weekend will go out with a bang, and you'll be set up to have magical lunches—or dinners!—for the rest of the week.
This recipe couldn't be simpler, either: Flank steak is drizzled with olive oil and salt and rubbed with crushed black pepper, cooked until medium-rare, and then drizzled liberally with balsamic vinegar. (If you prefer your steak well-done, just remember the longer you cook a steak, the tougher its leftovers will be.)
As for storage, keep the steak whole and slice as needed, as to preserve juiciness and texture. Then onward to a week of sandwiches, nachos, salads, grain bowls, and more:
On Sunday, you should cook:
- Bloody Good Steak (double up on the recipe!)
- Roasted seasonal vegetables, like asparagus, carrots, summer squash, and peppers
- A batch of quinoa
- Vinaigrette any which way you like
Make sure you have these on hand for the rest of the week:
- Sesame seed rolls, flour tortillas, tortilla chips, a loaf of your favorite bread, and pita
- Cornichons
- Arugula, spinach, avocado, cilantro, red onion, and red bell pepper
- Sour cream, a wedge of Parmesan, goat cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese (and cheddar, too, if you like)
- Canned black beans
- Mayonnaise, mustard, and salsa
- Flakey salt and black pepper
- Pumpkin seeds (or other nuts/seeds of your choice)
- Eggs
Here's how to make steak work for you every weekday:
Sandwich time! Toast a sesame seed roll with cheddar, spread mayo on one side of the bread and mustard on the other, mound arugula and sliced cornichons on the mayo side, top with sliced steak, and eat.
When you want a cheese-filled lunch (always, right?), make a quesadilla. Chop the steak and toss together in a skillet along with some canned black beans and chopped spinach. Along with Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, quesadilla the whole thing, folding the tortilla into either half-moon or a flattened burrito shape (more on that here). Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or avocado (sliced, mashed, or guacamole-d).
If you have 5 minutes, you can make this salad. Place 2 cups of arugula in a bowl or on a plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette, sprinkle with flakey salt and freshly ground pepper, and top with sliced steak. Using a vegetable peeler, shave some Parmesan over the salad. Serve with an extra vinaigrette and bread, if you like.
Grain bowls gladly accept any and all leftovers/remnants of your produce drawer. To make one, re-heat some quinoa and place into a bowl. Add your roasted vegetables, a handful of arugula (or any green), sliced steak, and drizzle with vinaigrette. Top with sliced avocado, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cilantro.
Is it breakfast? Is it lunch? Does it matter? Make an omelette, filling it with rewarmed roasted vegetables, chopped steak, and goat cheese. Serve with toast.
Nachos aren't just for snacking. In a skillet, warm some canned black beans and chopped steak and stir to combine. On a baking sheet, layer tortilla chips, the steak-bean mixture, and a good helping of cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes or until all the cheese melts. Top with salsa, avocado, and sour cream.
Personal-sized pizzas are perfect (plus, look at that alliteration). Preheat the oven to 425°F. Sauté a bit of red onion and red bell pepper until they’re tender. Top a pita with sliced steak, sautéed vegetables, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Bake for 8 minutes or until crisp. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve whole or cut into wedges.
What do you do with leftover steak? Let us know in the comments!
Tillamook invites you to join the #RealFoodSunday movement, which encourages cooking, eating, and sharing food together. Share your meals by tagging them #RealFoodSunday, get more tips and inspiration for your Sunday dinners, and find Tillamook cheese here.
A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).
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Written by: Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
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2 Comments
Thus, I do not recommend making a double batch of the aforementioned recipe. Just make a single recipe, have leftovers for a couple of days, and then cook something else fresh.
Cooked pork, on the other hand, lasts longer in the fridge, particularly large roasts or something like carnitas. If you need a cooked meat to go 5-7 days, use pork instead of beef and stick with preparations that retain a lot of the fat.
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