Transform a Tex-Mex favorite into a healthy parade of flavors with Steak Fajita Salad! This fresh take on fajitas features juicy, marinated flank steak atop a bed of fresh, colorful veggies like Romaine lettuce, avocado, bell pepper, and onions! It's topped off with a sprinkle of cheese and a drizzle of creamy, zesty Cilantro Lime Dressing.
This salad is savory, wholesome, and you won't find yourself missing those tortillas one bit. Guaranteed. Got leftover chicken fajitas? No problem. Swap out the steak and dinner just got twice as easy!
Can't get enough Tex-Mex in your life? Add these fully decked-out, piled high Fajita Nachos to your recipe lineup!
HOW TO MAKE FAJITA SALAD
- Mix together the marinade ingredients and add them to a ziptop bag.
- Marinate the beef 1 to 4 hours.
- Heat the pan and cook the flank steak. Set aside to rest.
- Prepare/chop the veggies for the salad.
- Make the Cilantro Lime Dressing by blending the ingredients together.
- Add vegetables to a large bowl and toss to combine.
- Slice the steak, add to the salad, and serve with Cilantro Lime Dressing.
If you love this salad, be sure to check out our Salad Recipes and bookmark your favorites to add to your lineup!
INGREDIENTS
Fajita Salad is an ideal recipe for using up leftover steak (or even chicken) fajitas, but if you don't have leftovers, fret not. We've got you covered! But first, let's talk about the salad as a whole and all of those yummy ingredients that make it up!
THE BEEF
It's no surprise that meat is the star of the show when it comes to Fajita Salad. If you're starting the cooking process from scratch (without any leftover beef or chicken), you'll begin by first marinating flank steak with a simple, cilantro-lime Fajita Marinade.
THE VEGGIES
And, what would be a salad without the veggies? This one boasts a colorful mix of vibrant flavors that pair perfectly with both the beef and the Cilantro Lime Dressing! The vegetable base of the salad is as follows:
- Romaine Lettuce
- Grape Tomatoes
- Avocado (or Guacamole)
- Red Onion
- Bell Pepper
- Sliced Black Olives
Of course, like any salad, the above ingredients are very interchangeable. Feel free to add to the recipe if it's missing one of your favorite salad staples or remove any ingredient you're sorely opposed to. You could even change out the raw onion and bell pepper for cooked Fajita Veggies for an extra special touch!
THE CHEESE
Cheese makes everything better, does it not? Crumbled Queso Fresco will add a nice salty bite to your Fajita Salad or you could enlist some shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, which would make for a nice mild and creamy addition.
Feeling a little decadent? Hit your salad up with a drizzle of queso!
THE DRESSING
Another incredibly flavorful component of this salad is the Cilantro Lime Dressing. It comes together in just five minutes and it is creamy, tangy, and perfect for adding a little Mexican flair to anything it touches!
7 MORE SALAD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Pulled Pork Salad
- Healthy Taco Salad
- Watermelon Arugula Salad
- Mexican Bean Salad
- Southwest Chicken Salad Tacos
- Beef Taco Pasta Salad from The Speckled Palate
- Corn and Chickpea Fiesta Salad from Simply Whisked
Steak Fajita Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE STEAK AND MARINADE:
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lime juice about 6-8 limes
- 2 cups roughly chopped cilantro leaves and stems about 1 bunch of cilantro
- 2 jalapeños roughly chopped seeds intact
- ½ white onion roughly chopped
- 5 large cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt + 1 ½ teaspoon separated
- 1 tablespoon black pepper + 1 teaspoon separated
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup canola or avocado oil + up to 4 tablespoons separated
- 2 pounds flank steak
FOR THE CILANTRO LIME DRESSING:
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed and roughly chopped
- 1 clove of garlic roughly chopped
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice about the juice of 2 limes
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup avocado or canola oil
FOR THE SALAD:
- 6 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- 1 ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ⅔ cup crumbled queso fresco or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup sliced black olives
Instructions
MARINATE
- Add the lime juice, cilantro, jalapeños, white onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin, as well as a ¼ cup of water to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Slowly drizzle in a ¼ cup of oil, whisking with the tines of a fork to combine.
- Place the steak in a gallon-sized ziptop bag, pour over the marinade, and seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
COOK THE BEEF
- Set the beef out at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to cooking. Remove the protein from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle with 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Rub all over to adhere, and set aside until ready to use.
- Add 3 tablespoons of oil to a large, skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Once the oil has come to temperature, add the flank steak and cook for about 12-14 minutes, turning it about half-way through. Set aside and allow to rest 5-10 minutes.
MAKE THE DRESSING
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor fitted with a blade attachment or blender and mix until the consistency is smooth and homogenous.
SLICE STEAK AND ASSEMBLE SALAD
- Then, slice the beef as thin as possible (cutting against the grain) and set aside.
- Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine. Top with the sliced steak and serve with Cilantro Lime Dressing.
Notes
Nutrition
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