Greek Inspired Steak & Rice

Greek Steak introSo, it’s St. Patrick’s Day.  And this recipe is not green, nor does it involve an orange mustache, or a pint of Guinness.  It’s not even from Ireland, it’s inspired from another country all together.  Kate and I were just chatting about how we sort of skipped St. Patrick’s Day this year.  We’ve done lots of fun things in the past, but I have to say, I was sick of this holiday about 3 weeks ago, after my Pinterest account and my Instagram feed were both already overloaded with non-stop recipes and craft projects for a holiday that used to be about wearing green so you didn’t get pinched, but is now about making goodie bags for all of your friends, custom printables for your classmates, and creating stealthy engineered contraptions to entrap naughty mythical creatures.  So, on that note.  Here’s an awesome recipe that has nothing to do with St. Patrick’s Day.

This recipe does require enough planning to marinate a piece of meat, but aside from that, the whole recipe is prepped and done in the time it takes for the steak to cook (which is only 10-15 minutes).  So if you can get your steak prepped, this makes a great quick and easy meal for a busy night.  The marinade (which we’ll also use to season the rice portion) is just a slight adaptation of Kate’s yummy Greek Dressing.  It takes just a few minutes to whip up in a blender.  After you do, set aside a little to use later, and pour the rest over a nice flank steak.

Marinating Flank Steak

When you’re ready to cook the steak, I’ve outlined 3 different methods in the instructions.  You can cook it on an outdoor grill, and indoor grill pan, or under the broiler.  This round, I’m going for the broiler.  In my house growing up, at least once a week my parents would cook flank steak under the broiler for dinner.  That smokey smell and sizzling sound is so nostalgic for me.

Broiling Flank Steak
The rest of the recipe will be done in the time the steak takes to cook.  Grab a little clamshell of grape or cherry tomatoes.  For me, the smaller the better.

Cherry Tomatoes

Heat a small sauté pan to medium heat and once it’s hot, add a tiny drizzle of olive oil.  You really need just a teeny tiny bit.  Toss the tomatoes around until they get little blackened spots and they start to wilt.

Cherry Tomatoes Saute

Cook them until they start to burst and then remove the pan from heat.  That usually takes me about 5 minutes or so.

Cooked Cherry Tomatoes

While those are cooking, crack open a little jar of marinated artichoke hearts.  Drain them and give them a rough chop.  You don’t want to chop them into little pieces, I cut the chunks into halves or quarters so I still have good sized pieces in there.

Artichoke Hearts

Add those to the hot pan with the tomatoes.

artichoke and tomato

Then add a couple cups of hot rice.  Little secret:  I use these ready-packs all the time.  I know there are people who will say “but Sara!  It’s not hard to cook rice!  For that same price you can buy a giant bag of rice and make 10 times that same amount!”  Ya, I know.  Sometimes I’m too lazy to get out yet another pot and wait 20 minutes for rice (or much longer for brown rice).  These packs are super convenient, and the the brown rice especially is perfectly cooked, soft and fluffy, and ready in 90 seconds.  And it’s not that fake-y texture of “minute rice,” it’s like real, freshly cooked yummy rice.  So it might not be an every day thing, but it’s super handy to have around for quick meals like this. (If you do cook your own brown rice, we have two awesome methods, here and here.)

Ready Rice

And since we’re on this topic, that one on the right (in the photo below) you can buy at Costco and it’s one of my favorite kitchen staples.  It’s a brown rice/quinoa mix.  It’s lightly seasoned and so perfect and easy.  That’s a go-to for quick weeknight meals at my house, keep an eye out on your next Costco run.

Rice and Quinoa
Okay, back to our recipe.  After that hot rice goes in (and by the way, you could use brown rice, white rice, quinoa, or cous cous.  All would be great here.)  Add in a big handful of fresh parsley

Rice Mix

and some feta cheese.

Crumbled Feta

I always buy either reduced fat or fat free feta.  It honestly tastes just the same to me, especially in recipes, and saves quite a few calories.

Rice Mix Premixed

Then you’ll season the rice mixture with the little bit of marinade we set aside at the beginning.  I recommend about 2 tablespoons, and then you can drizzle a little more over your steak after you plate it.

Dressing over rice

Mix it all up and that rice starts soaking up the bright, fresh flavor of the dressing.  As you can see in this picture, the ratio of rice to other stuff is about even, which I like.

Mixed Greek Rice

The only thing left to do is slice your steak nice and thin.  Make sure you’re slicing across the grain.  If you’re not sure what that means, check out this post.  Another thing to take note of is that flank steak turns quite tough when cooked past medium rare, so take it out of the oven when a digital thermometer reads about 135.  You’ll want to let it sit for about 5 minutes before slicing into.

Sliced Flank Steak

Place steak strips over rice mixture and sprinkle with a little extra feta and a little extra drizzle of dressing if desired.

Steak and Rice from Our Best Bites

It’s so quick and easy, this makes a great weeknight meal when you’re short on actual cooking time, and the meal itself is so flavorful- and healthy, too!  The dressing, artichokes, and feta give the best savory tang and the steak brings it all together and makes it hearty and filling.

Greek Steak with Rice from Our Best Bites

Greek Inspired Steak & Rice

Greek Inspired Steak & Rice

5 from 5 votes
Steak and rice are paired with Greek seasonings, bright lemon, and tangy feta in this quick and easy Mediterranean meal.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Marinating Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 26 minutes
Servings4 servings

Ingredients

Marinade & Dressing

  • zest from 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup lemon juice fresh
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ cup olive oil

Steak & Rice

  • 1 ½ - 2 pound flank steak
  • non-stick spray or drizzle of olive oil
  • 10-12 ounce pack grape tomatoes
  • 6 ounce jar artichoke hearts, marinated drained and roughly chopped
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa, cous cous, or white rice
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup reduced fat or fat free feta cheese

Instructions

Marinating

  • Rinse steak in cool water and pat dry with paper towels.  With a sharp knife, very lightly score the top in a diamond pattern.  Place steak in a zip-top bag or a shallow pan.
  • Place all marinade ingredients, except oil, in a blender. Blend for a few seconds and then with the blender on low, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Set aside ¼ cup of marinade and store in fridge. Place remaining marinade in bag with steak and marinate, refrigerated, for at least 6 hours (longer is fine). Rotate bag occasionally to evenly distribute marinade.

Cooking

  • When ready to cook, remove steak and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  You may cook steak in one of 3 ways:
  • Broil:
    Preheat broiler and place steak on a broiler pan.  Cook for about 5-8 minutes on each side, or until top is slightly browned and internal temperature reaches about 135 degrees.
    Outdoor grill:
    Heat grill to high heat.  Lightly oil grill grates and place steak on grill.  Decrease heat to medium-high.  Sear 5-8 minutes per side or until internal temp reaches 135 degrees.
    Indoor grill pan:  
    Heat indoor grill pan to medium high heat.  Once pan is hot (water droplets should sizzle when dropped on pan) brush pan with canola/vegetable oil.  Place steak on pan and cook for 5-8 minutes.  Flip steak and cook until internal temp reaches about 135 degrees.
  • When steak is done cooking, place on cutting board and tent with foil.  Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • While steak is cooking, heat a small sauté pan to medium heat. When hot, add a small drizzle of olive oil and add tomatoes. Stir/toss often, cooking for 4-5 minutes or so, until skins are slightly blackened in spots and tomatoes start to burst. Remove from heat and add rice, artichokes, parsley, and feta. Add 2 tablespoons reserved marinade/dressing and toss to combine. Slice steak thinly across the grain and serve over rice mixture.

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 42g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 107mg, Sodium: 918mg, Potassium: 854mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 612IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 70mg, Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Courses
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Keyword: Flank steak, Flank Steak Marinade, Greek Inspired Steak & Rice
Calories: 442kcal
Author: Sara Wells
Cost: $20
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite RecipesSavoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting MagazineBetter Homes & GardensFine CookingThe Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

Read More

Join The Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Questions & Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    We made this for dinner and it was a huge hit. I did add some grilled vegetables–zucchini, summer squash, and onions. It was fantastic, and surprisingly quick with the instant brown rice and quinoa.

  2. 5 stars
    My husband loved it! I usually overcook red meat according to him, but with your instructions, I did it perfectly! Great flavors and I may try the same marinade with shrimp or chicken!

  3. This looks so delicious and healthy and the Greek-ness makes me think of summertime and island life, which I need a little of in this never-ending winter. Thank you!

  4. 5 stars
    I made this tonight and my family LOVED it. I used brown rice and no one even seemed to notice, and they usually complain about that. I also used burgundy olives instead of artichokes because I could have sworn I had a can of artichokes in the pantry, but didn’t. The olives were good, but the artichokes would have been better. I will absolutely make this again. My husband thought the marinade on the meat was just amazing, which is awesome because I’m sometimes not so great at making meat taste yummy and so I felt like I’d won the lottery. Thank you!!!

  5. 5 stars
    Okay, so I made this tonight. I LOVED it. The kids, not so much, since it wasn’t fried or filled with artificial colors. That’s okay. I love Greek flavors, and it was easy to make. Thank you!

  6. I’m not getting your posts either…tried unfollowing &’following & still no luck…:(…any ideas/thoughts?

  7. Sara, you rock. I COMPLETELY agree with your sentiments on St. Patrick’s Day. Why is everyone making SO much more work for themselves for EVERY TINY holiday these days?

  8. I recently discovered that while rice does not keep well in the fridge, it does store perfectly in the freezer! We often end up with 1/2-1 cup leftover & now I always store those for later, but you could also cook up some large batches to keep on hand like the instant rice.

  9. Since my husband is GREEK, I will definitely give it a try.

    Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe.

    Glad I found your blog and will definitely be back.

    Regards,

    Rosana Santos Calambichis, CEO BIG CHEF

  10. Great minds think alike! I made your grilled Greek tacos served on flatbread for St. Patrick’s Day, and I’ve been craving Greek anything and everything since then. I love your Greek dressing and am sure this will be a hit. Now I just need to go to the store to get a carton of tomatoes and more feta cheese. After the last few days I finished up my Costco sized feta. 🙂 Then I think I’ll make this and the couscous salad from your first cookbook. Yum!

  11. I love all of the ingredients in this recipe. This sounds wonderful.

  12. So feeling the lack of love for St Patty’s day this year. Can we go more than 2 weeks without a hyped up, overcommercialized holiday in America these days? If it is important to you; awesome, more power to you. If not, move along…

  13. I love, love, love all your recipes. I’m having a problem saving the recipes in my recipe box. When I press the save recipe button, it always saves a Southwestern Rice recipe- regardless of what recipe I save. any thoughts as to why this is happening?

  14. Your posts aren’t showing up in my bloglovin feed… I tried unfollowing and refollowing with no luck – is this a known problem or am I the only one?!

      1. I’m having the same problem as Lori – you aren’t in my bloglovin feed anymore either.

  15. this looks delicious. We wear green on St. Patricks day and thats about it. Simple is fun and easy.

  16. When you say Greek I get a little nervous (like I almost didn’t read the recipe) because that’s not always my thing, but this sounds simple and delicious and it has no olives in it. My husband is starting a biggest loser contest at work and I am joining him even though I can’t officially participate so maybe we’ll give it a try in a few days.

    Also, I’m not really into St. Patrick’s Day either, but an 11-year-old leprechaun set her alarm for 3 a.m. and put green in the milk and all the toilets and left a little gold package with a few little chocolates next to everyone’s pillow. We’re having our 14th snow day so I guess she thought she could sacrifice a few minutes of sleep and the rest of the kids have been super excited all morning. They think it’s super fun and I didn’t have to do anything. Win!

    1. I’m not a big olive fan either- but for those who are, they would be delicious in this! Lol