Grilled Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and Marinated Tomatoes

We have a bit of a running struggle in our house. My husband and stepsons like steak. My daughters and I like veggies. Apparently, salmon does not count as meat. And potatoes don’t count as veggies. Dinnertime is a conundrum. 

Not so with our new crowd-pleaser Grilled Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and Marinated Tomatoes. We made this up earlier in the week, with permission granted for salad (as opposed to a big hunk of meat) only because we were all coming down from a big 10 days of San Antonio Fiesta, aka debauchery (read about the Fiesta experience here). Little did we know that this would become the dinner that everyone – everyone! – agreed was excellent.

My husband specifies prime ribeye here (he did not let me go to the grocery store alone), but I imagine you could use whatever cut of meat you enjoy. Grilled medium-rare it is a delicious topper to peppery arugula (cut with some iceberg for those of us who need it) and a creamy, acidic blue cheese vinaigrette. Marinated tomatoes elevate everything in my mind, but if you or someone in your house is anti-tomato, you can leave them out or, as I did, serve them on the side. 

Cheers to harmony!

Grilled Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and Marinated Tomatoes will satisfy the steak-lovers and the veggie-lovers. (Photo: Andria Dilling)

Grilled Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and Marinated Tomatoes

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

12-to-16-ounce prime ribeye steak
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced shallot
5 ounces crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
4 cups arugula
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Place the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Stir and let them sit at room temperature while you make the steak and salad.

Light a grill or heat a grill pan. Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, turning once, until it is browned and medium-rare, about 8 minutes. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a small, lidded container, stir the white wine vinegar together with the shallot, and let that sit for 10 minutes. Add the blue cheese, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Seal the container and shake until the dressing is emulsified and the blue cheese breaks up a little.

To serve, toss the lettuce and arugula together on a large platter or bowl. Season with a few pinches of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Pour the blue cheese vinaigrette over the lettuces. Slice the steak against the grain into slices that are about ¼ inch thick. Arrange the steak slices on top of the dressed salad, and spoon the marinated tomatoes around the edges of the salad. Sprinkle chopped flat-leaf parsley over it all.