3 Easy Leftover Steak & Quinoa Bowls
If leftover steak is a new concept for you, I understand. My family loves steak night and, as you can imagine, in a household with four man-sized appetites (well, five if you include me along with the spouse and three teenage boys) there is never a scrap left for the poor dog. But, since leftover steak might just be the best quick-meal invention ever, I started secretly throwing a couple extra hunks of beef on the grill and sneaking them into the freezer or fridge once cooled down.
Today I’m sharing three quick meals you can make with leftover steak and quinoa. Each takes just 20 minutes, even if you are preparing quinoa from scratch. There is so much creativity and flavor that can be infused into a bowl of quinoa and beef, it’s hard to get bored. My three favorite flavor combos can help you get started on this quick and easy meal solution made with leftovers.
- Truffle & Thyme Mushroom Quinoa Steak Bowl
- Lemony Turmeric Quinoa-Cauliflower Steak Bowl
- Pesto Corn & Zucchini Steak Bowl
As far as steaks go, anything will do. However, I have a fondness for top sirloin, flat iron and strip steaks as they don’t need a lot of special attention to come off the grill juicy, delicious and tender. Just an olive oil rub down and then liberal application of salt and pepper works wonders.
If we’re eating “steak” steak for dinner, I pull them off the grill on their way to medium-rare (remove at 135 F degrees and let in rest on the platter to 145 F degrees). However, I grill the steaks I’m going to hoard for leftovers only to rare doneness, pulling from the grill at only 115 F degrees, but with a substantial sear. I know that the red center is going to turn into pink (but hopefully not brown) as I quickly heat up in the skillet for these leftover recipes.
Not only is the super-seed known as quinoa a complete protein and tasty grain alternative, it’s amazing leftover its own right. Feel free to make a fresh batch for the recipes I’m sharing, you can also meal prep a huge pot of it and store in the freezer for quick and convenient entrees, salads and side dishes. I think it freezes much better than rice and doesn’t sacrifice any taste or texture. Another perk that quinoa has going for it is that the decent protein profile (8 grams per cooked cup) helps to stretch a tight food budget — you can sure make a little leftover steak go a long way!
