An easy summer dinner on the patio
Dinner on the patio or a picnic all summer long, please!
I love having a few recipes that I have made over the years and maybe I tweak it a bit or even substitute an ingredient, but it’s a recipe you can trust. It’s one your family loves but it’s special enough to serve friends, both old and new!
We don’t eat a lot of red meat, so when we do it’s either a really good burger or a filet. This salad can be made with whatever cut of steak is your favorite, but we love it with a filet. And the only way I make a filet is with a thick smear of butter and seared in a hot pan. First, you have to dry the meat with paper toweling and then add the butter to each filet. Heat a pan (dry) on the stove and when it’s hot, add each filet, butter side down and sear it for about 2 minutes. Turn over and finish in the oven. I would attempt to say for how long, but it depends on how rare or well done you like your meat and the thickness of the meat.
We make our filet with a smear of butter and then seared in a hot pan on the stove
You get a nice browning on the butter side and then turn and you can pop into the oven to finish cooking
Pasta Salad with Filet
One of our favorite summer salads. We started making it while living in California. It’s a wonderful one dish meal to take on a picnic…or to The Bluff for a beach picnic.
Ingredients
- 3–4 small filets
- 2–3 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
- one teaspoon Italian Herb Blend
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- a handful of fresh basil and parsley washed, dried, chopped
- 2–3 cups arugula, washed dried and chopped
- reserved pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the steak by drying the filet on paper towels and then spreading a thick layer of butter on one side and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the Italian herb blend seasoning.
- Use a skillet that can go from stove top to oven. Place the dry skillet on the stove for about 3 minutes and make sure it’s very hot. Place the filets butter side down and cook for 2 minutes. Turn over and cook for 2 more minutes. Place pan in a 425˚oven on the top rack and cook until done. It depends on thickness and how you like your meat cooked. Once meat is done, remove from oven and cover with loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing the filet thin.
- Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Make sure not to overcook and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water when draining.
- Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the dijon, balsamic and olive oil. Add the minced garlic, shallots and herbs.
- Once the pasta is drained, mix 1/2 of the vinaigrette and a little of the reserved pasta water and toss together.
- Add the arugula and the filet to the pasta and toss with more vinaigrette and a little more reserved pasta water if it seems dry.
Homemade salad dressing starts with Maille Dijon Mustard
A One-Dish Meal Salad with steal, penne, and arugula
You might also like this post on main dish salads.
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I’ll have to try this pasta salad recipe soon! Looks amazing.
Yum! This looks so delicious! I love easy and simple recipes made with quality ingredients like this. Thanks for joining us!
Yum! This looks so good!
Your recipe looks so scrumptious! The pasta with your homemade dressing has my mouth watering! I will have to give your recipe a try! Thanks so much for joining us today!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks delish, and I’m going to try your method for cooking a filet. This is my kind of meal!
Judy! Let me know what you think after you try it! It’s the only way I do it now, even in the summer!