A simple and quick weeknight meal with a restaurant quality feel, Beef Tagliata is an Italian steak recipe that will win your heart.
What is Beef Tagliata?
Beef Tagliata is one of Italy’s most popular ways to prepare steak. A boneless steak is marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil and rosemary, then grilled. The steak is then sliced thin and served over peppery arugula and cherry tomatoes that have been been dressed with lemon juice and salt. Steak Tagliata is then topped with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.
Why this Tagliata Steak Recipe is a Keeper
Beef Tagliata was one of my favorite dishes I learned to make it in Culinary School.
Why? It’s a very easy steak recipe to prepare. Flank steak cooks in minutes and it’s loaded with flavor. And that flavor is augmented by the balsamic vinegar, a popular pantry staple and a perfect pairing for beef.
It’s somewhat of a meal in itself, and a healthy one at that. Lean steak served over greens and tomatoes is the traditional way to serve this Italian steak recipe, providing a naturally low-carb dinner. If you want to add a starch, polenta is a good option.
The steak marinade whips together in just a couple of minutes for minimal prep time. And with a short marinade time of just an hour, you’re on your way to a simple Italian dinner.
Let’s take a look:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Steak: I like to use flank steak because that’s what we used to make Beef Tagliata in culinary school. And it’s one of my favorite steak cuts to cook with. Easy to cook and has a nice beefy flavor.
- Rosemary: Preferably fresh.
- Lemon
- Arugula: Also called salad rocket or garden rocket.
- Cherry Tomatoes: A plum tomato variety works best here. They’re thicker skinned and less watery inside.
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Parmesan Cheese: Shaved or grated.
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Glaze: To use as a finishing drizzle. Homemade balsamic glaze is easy to make or purchase a bottle at the store.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Steak: There are a variety of boneless steak cuts that will work to make this Italian steak recipe. boneless Ribeye, New York Strip, or a good quality Top Sirloin. You can even use skirt steak or hangar steak.
- Rosemary: Fresh rosemary is preferred, but you can substitute dried rosemary.
Pro Tip: When substituting dried herbs for fresh, a good rule of thumb is 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs. Some herbs season better when used in dried form. Oregano is a good example.
How To Make Beef Tagliata, It’s Easy
- Step 1: Whisk balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and rosemary in a small bowl. Coat beef completely on both sides and let marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
- Step 2: During the end of the last 30 minutes of marinade time, add the greens and tomatoes with the lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
- Step 3: Oil grates or grill pan with vegetable oil. Heat the grill pan or an outdoor grill on high heat. Turn the grill or pan down to medium high and add the steak.
- Step 4: Cook for six minutes on one side, or until well caramelized and showing good grill marks. Turn the steak over and cook for another five minutes, or until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 130-140 degrees for medium rare.
Ta-Da! Steak Tagliata Ready To Serve
- Step 5: Remove the steak to a cutting board and slice the steak against the grain as thin as you can get it. Spread the greens onto a platter and place the meat slices over the salad. The excess meat juices will flavor and help break down the greens. Drizzle the steak with the high quality olive oil, and then with balsamic glaze or a high quality aged balsamic vinegar.
FAQ’s
Arugula is the traditional greens used for Steak Tagliata. It’s thick and sturdy and will hold up better to the heat of the steak. Anything more delicate will wilt become soggy and undesirable in texture.
Flank steak is a lean cut of meat containing almost no fat. It comes from the cows abdominal muscles and is one of the healthiest beef cuts. A flank steak has few calories and more protein than other steak cuts. Source: Men’s Health
To be able to enjoy a tender flank steak, you must slice the steak correctly, which means to cut it against the grain. Place the grilled flank steak on a cutting board and identify which direction the grain of the meat is running. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the meat thin in an angle against the grain. You’re cutting through the connective tissue which allows you to chew the meat better. Thin slices will be more tender than a thicker sliced flank steak.
Storing and Reheating
- Store any leftover flank steak in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, place the steak on a sheet pan and cover with foil. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and let it gently heat until warm but not hot. You don’t want to cook the steak, you just want to heat it through.
- Unfortunately it will be difficult to store the arugula. Since it’s been dressed with lemon juice, the acid in the juice will cause the lettuce to wilt.
Tips For Success
- Get the pan or grill nice and hot. Making sure the pan is properly heated will insure that once that steak hits the pan, it will immediately sizzle and create that golden crust we love. That’s called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created, creating flavor and sealing in juices.
- Choose the right pan. A cast iron grill pan works beautifully for this recipe, creating nice grill marks. A cast iron skillet or heavy bottom large fry pan works well here. And better yet, a chef’s secret weapon, a French steel carbon pan.
- Use an instant read digital thermometer. Place the thermometer halfway into the thickest part of the steak to determine internal temperature. Don’t push it too far into the meat, you’ll get too close to the heat of the pan which will give you a bad reading.
What To Serve with Beef Tagliata
Steak Tagliata is a healthy low carb one dish meal if served in the traditional manner. If you’d like to include a side dish, try this Zucchini Squash Casserole, Roasted Glazed Carrots, a Simple Side Salad. How about a pasta dish like this Tortellini Pasta Salad.
In Conclusion
I hope you give this super easy Italian steak recipe a try. Your weeknight meal plan will benefit from Beef Tagliata. And with a bottle of your favorite red wine, it’s a super way to entertain. You can’t beat that.
It’s truly one of our favorite Italian Recipes along with Chicken Spaghetti Bolognese and Fettuccine mio Amore.
More Popular Steak Recipes
One of our favorite all time grilled steak recipes is this one for Grilled T-Bone Steaks with Cowboy Butter. Here are some more ideas.
And don’t miss my category for Beef Recipes, you’ll find lots of steak and burger recipes including the most popular on my site for Crockpot BBQ Brisket. Looking for a high-brow steak dinner recipe? Try this popular recipe for Tournedos Steak, dressed to the nines with a luscious red wine mushroom sauce.
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Beef Tagliata (Italian Steak)
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Grill Pan or French Carbon Steel Pan
Ingredients
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary Rough chopped. Or 1 tablespoon dried
- 1 ½ pounds Flank Steak
- 1 teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 pint Grape Tomatoes halved through the stem end
- 1 lemon
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil high quality, for drizzling
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Glaze or high quality aged balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Whisk balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and rosemary in a small bowl. Coat beef completely on both sides and let marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- During the last 30 minutes of marinade time, add the greens and tomatoes with the lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper.
- Oil grates or grill pan with vegetable oil. Heat the grill pan or the outdoor grill on high heat. Turn the grill or pan down to medium high and add steak.
- Cook for 6 minutes on one side, or until well caramelized and showing good grill marks. Turn the steak over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 130-140 for medium rare.
- Remove the steak to a cutting board and slice the steak against the grain as thin as you can get it.
- Spread the greens onto a platter and place the meat slices over the salad. The excess meat juices will flavor and help break down the greens.
- Drizzle the steak with the high quality olive oil, and then with balsamic glaze or a high quality aged balsamic vinegar.
Notes
- Get the pan or grill nice and hot. Making sure the pan is properly heated will insure that once that steak hits the pan, it will immediately sizzle and create that golden crust we love. That’s called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created, creating flavor and sealing in juices.
- Choose the right pan. A cast iron grill pan works beautifully for this recipe, creating nice grill marks. A cast iron skillet or heavy bottom large fry pan works well here. And better yet, a chef’s secret weapon, a French carbon steel pan.
- Use an instant read digital thermometer. Place the thermometer halfway into the thickest part of the steak to determine internal temperature. Don’t push it too far into the meat, you’ll get too close to the heat of the pan which will give you a bad reading.
- Slice Flank Steak Correctly. To be able to enjoy a tender flank steak, you must slice the steak correctly, which means to cut it against the grain. Place the grilled flank steak on a cutting board and identify which direction the grain of the meat is running. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the meat thin in an angle against the grain. You’re cutting through the connective tissue which allows you to chew the meat better. Thin slices will be more tender than a thicker sliced flank steak.
Nutrition
Beef Tagliata – It’s What’s for Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Easy to make and absolutely delicious!!
My wife hates rosemary! What fresh herb do you recommend to replace the rosemary? Thanks!
Great question Tyler. Thyme will work well here.
Good looking hunk of beef Chef. We always enjoy flank steak on the grill and I know we would like this version. I’m not an arugula fan but it makes for a nice looking presentation.