This steak tips recipe is a simple, satisfying, husband-approved 30 minute dinner, with sautéed mushrooms and a creamy blue cheese sauce. Try serving it with my crispy roasted potatoes!
It’s hard not to love a dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes. Especially if it’s a meat and potatoes kind of meal, which Jeff loves.
Steak tips are an inexpensive cut of meat that can be seared off quickly, then the pan can be used to create a rich, complementary sauce from shallots, mushrooms and blue cheese. Fresh chives add a nice finishing touch for flavor and presentation.
What Are Steak Tips?
Contrary to what the name suggests, steak tips (also referred to as sirloin tips or flap meat), do not come from the tip of steaks. While there’s a pricier version of steak tips that come from the tenderloin, true steak tips come from various muscles in the sirloin and round, and average around $5 per pound.
You might find it sold as strips, cubes, or small steaks. I recommend using the small steaks and portioning them yourself.
You can learn more about steak tips in this more thorough overview from Cook’s Illustrated.
Tips For How To Sear Meat Perfectly
Searing meat might seem a bit intimidating at first, but if you’ve ever enjoyed a perfectly cooked steak, you know what a difference that crispy, dark exterior can make in terms of both flavor and texture.
Here are my top 5 tips for perfectly seared meat:
- Always season the raw meat with a light coating of salt and pepper on all sides. It adds so much flavor, and will better adhere to raw meat prior to cooking. Lift your hand high above the meat to sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly; this will prevent the seasoning from dropping all in one spot. Read more on seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Avoid searing meat in a nonstick pan. The nonstick coating prevents that crispy dark exterior from forming, just like when caramelizing onions. Use a pan made from cast iron or stainless steel. Caramelization = flavor.
- Make sure to use an oil or fat with a high smoke point. My favorite fat for searing any type of meat is clarified butter. Grapeseed oil is my second choice.
- Be patient. The raw meat will initially stick to the surface of the pan, and that’s ok. Once the steak is properly seared, it will detach on its own. If you try to detach the meat while it’s sticking, you’re going to lose that beautiful seared exterior that’s being created.
- If the pan starts getting too smoky and you’re worried the steak is burning, remember that you control the heat. Move the pan off the hot burner until the smoke subsides, then place it back on the heat. You can also turn down the heat a bit.
Always remember: caramelization = flavor.
Additional Recipe Notes
- While I recommend baby bella or crimini mushrooms (they have a wonderful flavor that goes especially well with red meat), you can substitute any mushroom.
- The quality of your blue cheese will make such a difference in the flavor of the sauce! For years I thought I hated blue cheese because I’d only tried the pre-crumbled versions. Get a nice block of blue cheese (I especially love roquefort), and crumble it yourself before adding to the sauce.
- If you can’t locate sirloin tips, boneless beef chuck is a good substitute.
What To Serve with Steak Tips
I highly recommend serving this steak tips recipe with my crispy oven-roasted potatoes! It’s an easy, hands-off side dish that can be prepared simultaneously. Plus, meat and potatoes are always a winning combo. A few other options to consider:
- Roasted Broccoli
- Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Duck Fat Fries
- Mashed Potatoes (from Simply Recipes)
More 30 Minute Dinners
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out my Crispy Sesame Chicken Fingers with Spicy Peanut Sauce, Penne alla Vodka, and Sheet Pan Shrimp Scampi.
Steak Tips with Mushrooms and Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak tips (flap meat), cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or clarified butter, or as needed (see notes)
- 1 large shallot, chopped (1 cup, see notes)
- 10-12 ounces baby bella or crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup chicken stock (homemade or low-sodium)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup good quality blue cheese, crumbled by hand, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives or scallions, minced
Instructions
- Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large stainless steel, cast iron, or aluminum skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add steak tips in a single layer and sear on all sides until the exterior is nicely caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes. Depending on the size of your skillet, you might need to do this in 2 separate batches. Transfer the steak to a serving dish in a single layer, and loosely cover with foil.
- Adjust the heat to low, then add the shallots to the pan along with a pinch of salt (if the bottom of the pan isn't shiny, add a small splash of oil first). Stir, using a spatula to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. If the brown bits won’t detach or look like they might burn, deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of water to help loosen them.
- After 1-2 minutes, add the mushrooms and garlic, turning the heat up to medium-low, and cook until the mushrooms are soft, 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the stock, cream, and any juices that have accumulated around the steak. Scrape up any additional brown bits if they appear. Simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the blue cheese. Pour the sauce over the steak, and top with the remaining cheese and chives. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Crispy Oven-Roasted Potatoes (shown in photos)
- Roasted Broccoli
- Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Duck Fat Fries
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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This is one of my all time favorite meals! I cannot wait to try this version – it looks totally delicious!
I love how quickly this dinner recipe came together. It was delicious.