This Steak and Mushroom Salad is filling, satisfying, yet healthy. Great texture and explosion of flavours. Perfect for meal prep! Check out my tips on what to do with leftovers.
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I took a little time off from blogging. There was a trip, a vacation, a couple of illnesses. I blinked an a month was gone. But now I am back with more delicious recipes, videos, and tips.
Today I am sharing an epic Steak and Mushroom Salad. It has everything a good salad should have: greens (obviously), beautifully-cooked herbed mushrooms, delicious steak, salty blue cheese, savoury and filling couscous, and tangy dressing.
The best thing about this Steak and Mushroom Salad is that all the ingredients can be cooked a few days in advance, thus making it a perfect candidate for meal prepping. In fact, it is much better to spend some time prepping all the ingredients one day (preferably in bigger quantities as you need for the salad), and then just assembling your meal prep bowls and other delicious dinners and lunches in a matter of minutes throughout the week.
What are the ingredients in this Steak and Mushroom Salad Recipe?
The ingredients are simple but they need some prep in advance.
- Greens (I use spinach in this particular version)
- Cooked Israeli (also commonly known as pearl) couscous
- Cooked steak
- Perfectly-cooked mushrooms
- Blue cheese
- Dressing
What is Israeli Couscous?
Israeli couscous looks like regular couscous on steroids. It looks like little pasta spheres or pearls. I have done some research and although most recipes and articles use Israeli and Pearl Couscous naming convention interchangeably, apparently those two are a bit different.
However, in this particular recipe, I don’t think it matters which kind you use. You can usually find it either in a Jewish section of your supermarket (which is easy for me as I live in a Jewish area) or it should be next to regular couscous and rice.
I will urge you to try and find Israeli Couscous at some point. It has a wonderful, slightly chewy texture. Very different from regular couscous.
It is great in cold salads, like this Steak and Mushroom Salad. It is also a delicious side when cooked and then toasted with some oil or butter.
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Can you use regular couscous instead of Israeli couscous?
Yes, you can use regular couscous in this Steak and Mushroom Salad recipe. The substitution may not work for other recipes but it works fine for this one.
The texture and flavour of the salad will be very different but it will still work beautifully.
More Mushroom recipes
- My secret to how to cook perfect mushrooms
- Mushroom crostini 3 ways
- Family-style steak with mixed mushrooms
- My most popular blog recipe: Vegan potato cakes stuffed with mushrooms
Meal prepping tips for Steak and Mushroom Salad Recipe
As I mentioned earlier, the great thing about this salad is that the ingredients can (and should) be prepped ahead of time.
- Steak
- Feel free to grill your steak in the summer or use your favourite oven or stove-cook method
- If you are cooking regular thick steak, then keep it whole in the fridge and only slice for the salad or other recipes
- Use leftover cooked steak for:
- Sandwiches
- Pizza
- Pasta
- Breakfast eggs
- Mushrooms
- Follow my tips on How to cook perfect mushrooms
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Use the perfectly-cooked mushrooms for:
- Sandwiches (with the steak or vegetarian with hummus)
- Pizza
- Pasta
- Mushroom crostini
- Breakfast with fried eggs
- Breakfast wraps
- Israeli couscous
- Cook according to the package instructions. Once cooked, add a little bit of olive oil and mix well to make sure that the individual pearls do not stick together
- Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Use cooked Israeli couscous for:
- Couscous salad similar to tabbouleh: add chopped fresh herbs, chopped cucumber, tomato, onion and mix
- Pan-fry cooked couscous in a little bit of oil or butter until toasted and slightly crunchy for a delicious side
Once all the ingredients are prepped, it is very easy to assemble meal prep containers with this Steak and Mushroom Salad. Fill half of the container with fresh greens, add some dressing to the bottom on the other side, top with the couscous, steak, mushrooms, and cheese.
The Steak and Mushroom Salad is great cold but it is also absolutely amazing warm. So, if you have an access to a microwave, then transfer couscous, steak, and mushrooms to a separate container and microwave for a few minutes.
If you are planning on eating the Steak and Mushroom Salad warm, then make sure that the meal prep containers are assembled in a way that is going to be easy to scoop out some of the ingredients out. Drizzle the dressing under the spinach, and add the cheese on top of the greens. Place the rest of the ingredients on the side as they will need to be moved out to be warmed up.
Ingredients and variations for the Steak and Mushroom Salad
This salad is very versatile and you can make different substitutions to come up with unique flavours
- Greens
- I used spinach here but you can use your favourite green mix
- Peppery arugula will be perfect for this salad
- Israeli couscous
- If you would like to make the salad low carb, then feel free to omit this ingredient
- If you can’t find Israeli Couscous, then you can use regular couscous but the flavour and texture will be different
- If you are eating gluten-free, then you can try and use gluten-free Israeli Couscous but I haven’t tried it
- Mushrooms
- I like using regular button mushrooms. I usually use brown button mushrooms
- You can use your favourite mushrooms
- Make sure to follow my tips on how to cook perfect mushrooms
- Steak
- It is winter now so I used beef inside round sandwich steak and cooked it on the stove really fast
- If you have time and desire then cook your favourite steak on the stove or oven
- If it’s summer and you have access to a grill then feel free to grill your steak also
- Season the meat to your liking
- Herbs
- I used flat parsley and dill just because those are the most used herbs in my kitchen
- You can use: cilantro, basil, mint, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, etc.
- Check out my mind-blowing trick on how to store herbs
- Cheese
- I love steak and blue cheese, it’s a very classic combination
- Feel free to use goat cheese, feta, parmesan
- You can even omit the cheese if you’d like to keep this Steak and Mushroom Salad dairy-free or kosher
- Dressing
- For this recipe I made a very quick and easy balsamic dressing
- You can use your favourite dressing to change up the flavour
- To be honest, I actually prefer just a drizzle of good olive oil on mine and maybe a squeeze of lemon
- It is also great with a spoonful of chimichurri sauce or pesto
Don’t forget to watch the video to see how easy it is to assemble this delicious Steak and Mushroom Salad.
Steak and Mushroom Salad
Ingredients
Israeli couscous
- 1/2 cup uncooked Israeli couscous (or 1 cup cooked)
- 1/2 cup water to cook couscous
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or butter
- 1/2 pound sliced brown button mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- salt and pepper to taste
Steak
- 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 pound thin beef inside round sandwich steak (or your favourite steak)
- salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey)
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 6 cups spinach
- 1/4 cup blue cheese (crumbled)
Instructions
Prepare Israeli couscous
- You will need 1 cup cooked Israeli couscous for this salad.
- If you don't have couscous then cook 1/2 cup dry Israeli couscous according to your packaging instructions. You will need about 1/2 cup plus a smidge of water to cook 1/2 cup dry Israeli couscous.
- Add the herbs, seasonings, and oil to the cooked couscous. Mix. Set aside.This can be done a few days in advance.
Prepare mushrooms
- Cook mushrooms according to my instructions on How to cook perfect mushrooms
- Add the chopped herbs, seasonings, mix, and set aside.This can be done a few days in advance.
Prepare steak
- Season the meat with salt and pepper or your favourite seasoning mix.
- If you are using thin beef inside round sandwich steak then heat up the oil in a pan on high heat.
- Once the oil is really hot, add the steaks
- Cook on high for about 1.5-2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 1 minute.
- Let stand for 5 minutes, then slice into strips.This can be done a few days in advance.
- If you are using regular thick steak then use your favourite way of cooking.
Prepare dressing
- In a small jar, mix all the ingredients and shake vigorously until well combined.This can be done up to a week in advance, just shake before using.
Assemble Steak and Mushroom Salad
- For each serving, use 1.5 cups of spinach, 1/4 cup Israeli couscous, 1/4 of the cooked mushrooms, 1/4 of the cooked and sliced steak, one tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese and a drizzle of the dressing.
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