A stove-top recipe for perfectly cooked flank steak, peppers and onions tossed with penne pasta and a simple creamy pan sauce that’s ready in 30 minutes!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- JUMP TO THE RECIPE
- REASONS TO LOVE FLANK STEAK
- 6 RECIPE NOTES WORTH READING
- MORE MAIN DISH PASTA RECIPES
I cook flank steak like this ALL. THE. TIME. to slice up for steak tacos, rice bowls and, well, fajitas.
We probably have flank steak at least twice a month because it’s a very cost-effective way to serve steak, it cooks super quickly and I can do all sorts of things with the meat.
I decided to try it out in a pasta dish and I’m so glad I did because this dish went straight to the #1 spot with the family!
REASONS TO LOVE FLANK STEAK
You don't need a grill! Flank steak used to intimidate me. For one reason, I thought I needed the grill. I just don’t have time to fool with grilling when I’m trying to get supper on the table quickly.
You don't need to marinate! I also thought flank steak required hours or days of marinating to make it tender. That’s not true either. Flank steak is cut into thin strips, against the grain, so every slice is perfectly tender.
There's something for everyone! Once I figured out how to cook it on the stove and that I didn’t have to do anything special to it, the other thing I fell in love with this that the whole steak yields varies degrees of doneness, so those of us who like it rare eat the center slices and the weirdos eat the slices from the ends which cook more quickly.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR STEAK FAJITA PASTA
This seems like it might be one of those overly complicated, fussy recipes but it’s really very simple and doesn’t use a ton of ingredients. All you’ll need is:
- 1 flank steak
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 large onion
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 cups penne pasta
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- Fajita Spice Mixture (recipe below)
- Olive oil
Now that I fully understand and appreciate the magic that is pasta water, I’ve been using it to make all sorts of pasta dishes and knew it would work perfectly with this too.
I didn’t want to use gobs of cheese or condensed soup since steak is the star of this recipe so I just let the hot, salted pasta water and some cream work their magic for this sauce.
If you’ve never made a pasta water sauce, check out my posts and recipes for Spicy Sauce & Kale Rigatoni and The BEST Philly Cheesesteak Pasta to see it in action and learn a little more about why it works.
6 RECIPE NOTES WORTH READING
- You will need a very wide pan to prepare this recipe. Mine is about 14-inches wide. If you don’t have a skillet that wide, the recipe can be made in a large dutch oven.
- You will think the sauce isn’t going to thicken but I promise it will. The pasta water acts as an emulsifier and will cause the sauce to really cling to the pasta. If it thickens too much, simply add more heavy cream.
- This recipe will cook the flank steak to medium doneness (once it has rested). If that little bit of pink is a no-go for you, simply add the sliced steak in with the pasta a few minutes early (when the sauce is starting to get thick but not quite there) and the pink will cook right out.
- If the flank steak is very wide, you may want to cut the strips of meat in half before adding to the pasta.
- 3 cups of regular penne pasta is about 3/4 of a 1-lb box. Feel free to use the full box. If doing so, you’ll want to use 2 cups of heavy cream (vs 1.5 cups) to ensure there is enough sauce.
- Feel free to use green, orange or yellow bell peppers instead of red and consider using more than one pepper if you love them!
MORE MAIN DISH PASTA RECIPES
CAJUN PASTALAYA - A flavor-packed Cajun pasta recipe made with sausage and chicken – like jambalaya but made with noodles instead of rice.
HELPFUL HAMBURGER STROGANOFF - A family-size recipe for ground beef stroganoff like homemade Hamburger Helper that’s quick, easy and surprisingly delicious!
ITALIAN SAUSAGE & CHEESE BAKED MANICOTTI - An easy recipe for classic, meaty baked manicotti stuffed with Italian sausage and cheese.
EASY SHRIMP WITH PASTA - An easy pasta recipe with seasoned sauteed shrimp, your favorite pasta sauce and fresh parmesan that's ready in 30 minutes!
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK PASTA - A family-sized pasta recipe with seared ground beef, green bell peppers, onions and seasoned pasta folded into a velvety Philly-style cheese sauce.
SPICY SAUSAGE & KALE RIGATONI - A rustic, 30-minute pasta recipe of Italian sausage and kale with a simple but unbelievably delicious sauce.
Recipe for How to Cook Fajita Steak Pasta
Steak Fajita Pasta
A stove-top recipe for perfectly cooked flank steak, peppers and onions tossed with penne pasta and a simple creamy pan sauce that’s ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 2-lb flank steak
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 large onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 cups penne pasta (uncooked)
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- Fajita Spice Mixture (recipe below)
- Olive oil
- Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Score top of flank steak in a diamond pattern, cutting about 1/4-inch deep. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat.
- Combine ingredients for Fajita Spice Mixture. Set aside 2 teaspoons to add later then rub remaining spices all over both sides of flank steak.
- Heat a very large skillet over high heat. Drizzle just enough olive oil into skillet to coat the bottom. When the oil is shimmering, add the flank steak, scored side down, then cook for 4 minutes without disturbing.
- Flip flank steak then continue cooking over high heat for 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove steak to cutting board then cover with foil.
- Put pasta water on to boil.
- Chop peppers and onions then add to the same skillet the steak was cooked in. Sauté 4 minutes over medium-high heat, adding more oil if necessary. Add garlic and reserved 2 teaspoons Fajita Spice Mixture then continue cooking 1 minute longer. Turn off heat until pasta is ready.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in liberally salted water for 2 minutes less than al dente preparation instructions. The last minute of cooking, remove 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta.
- Add reserved hot pasta water to skillet with peppers then heat over high heat until boiling. Add heavy cream and cooked pasta then cook and gently stir until sauce has reduced and thickened (about 5-7 minutes). Taste for seasoning then add salt and pepper if needed.
- Cut rested flank steak into thin strips then stir into pasta. Garnish with chopped cilantro then serve immediately.
Notes
- 3 cups of regular penne pasta is about 3/4 of a 1-lb box. Feel free to use the full box. If doing so, you’ll want to use 2 cups of heavy cream (vs 1.5 cups) to ensure there is enough sauce.
- You will need a very wide pan to prepare this recipe. Mine is about 14-inches wide. If you don’t have a skillet that wide, the recipe can be made in a large dutch oven.
- You will think the sauce isn’t going to thicken but I promise it will. The pasta water acts as an emulsifier and will cause the sauce to really cling to the pasta. If it thickens too much, simply add more heavy cream.
- This recipe will cook the flank steak to medium doneness (once it has rested). If that little bit of pink is a no-go for you, simply add the sliced steak in with the pasta a few minutes early (when the sauce is starting to get thick but not quite there) and the pink will cook right out.
- If the flank steak is very wide, you may want to cut the strips of meat in half before adding to the pasta.
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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.
I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).
And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy