This steak pasta combines bold Mexican-marinated steak and creamy alfredo pasta for a comforting dish that’s full of flavor! Top this dish with fresh cilantro which pairs so well with the steak’s marinade. This combo is a match made in heaven. Both flavorful and rich, everything you want in comfort food!
Similar steak pasta recipes available online hardly season the steak and suggest you serve it in large pieces which still need to be sliced at the table. This diced steak is the same marinade I use in my Tri Tip Street Tacos and Steak Quesadillas. It has so much flavor and adds a layer of complexity to this relativity simple dish. Cubed steak pieces mean you don’t need to sit down with a steak knife, a fork is all you need to enjoy this pasta dish.
Follow this recipe for my simple, classic alfredo sauce. Or check out my lower calorie, higher protein “alfredo” sauce made with Greek yogurt. You can get that recipe here: Blackened Cajun Chicken with Light Fettuccine Alfredo, just top with this steak instead of the chicken!
See the key tips section below for details on how I prepare this steak in bulk for the freezer. Having this on hand makes it so easy to whip this dish up on a busy weeknight.
How to Make Steak Pasta Alfredo:
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Prepare the marinade:
- Combine all ingredients of the marinade (lime juice, olive oil, worcestershire sauce, salt, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper). Trim excess fat from the steaks if desired and place in a zip bag with the marinade. Marinate in fridge for at least 6 hours before cooking (preferably overnight).
- Cook the steak:
- When ready to cook, remove the steak from the bag and discard the rest of the marinade (shake off excess but do not pat the steaks dry). Grill steak to desired doneness, or cook in a cast iron pan with a swirl of oil. I cook in mine in a cast iron pan over high heat, turning every few minutes, until an internal temp of 135°F, about 8-10 minutes. (Note, the marinade may cause some additional charring on the outside, but this contributes to the flavor and isn't noticeable after slicing)
- Let the steak rest for a few minutes, then slice into bite-sized pieces as pictured. Toss the steak in the juices after cutting.
- Make the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta per package instructions for al dente while you prepare the rest of the dish. Reserve about a half cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot until ready to use.
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and black pepper stirring frequently, for about 1 minute until very fragrant, then add the cream.
- Bring the cream and butter mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low and add the parmesean cheese. Mix frequently until melted.
- Season with salt, taste and add more salt or black pepper as desired. Add a little bit of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Add the cooked pasta to the alfredo sauce and toss until evenly coated. Cover to keep warm until needed.
- Plate the alfredo pasta into the serving bowls. Top each bowl with steak pieces and garnish with some fresh cilantro, then serve immediately.
Key Tips - Steak Pasta Alfredo
Prepare the steak in bulk and freeze for later!
- You can also use this meat in my Tri Tip Tacos, Steak Quesadillas, or sub it for the chicken in my Chicken Burritos with Cilantro Lime Rice.
- My favorite way to prepare this meal is prepping the meat in bulk (it only takes a few minutes), and packing up ~1 lb packages for the freezer. My grocery store occasionally runs sales on tri-tip steaks for anywhere between $4 - $7 a pound, so this recipe lets me take advantage of the sale and prep some future meals!
- The recipe card below includes instructions on how to freeze this tri tip in bulk!
- To prepare from frozen, just thaw the package at least 3 hours before cooking, to give the meat time to marinate.
- I don't notice any loss in quality for the frozen steak compared to steak that is made the same or next day. In fact, the steak pictured in these photos is from a frozen batch!
Don't scrape the marinade off the steaks.
- When removing the steaks from the marinade, shake off the excess, but don't wipe them down. This will make the steaks a little more smoky when you cook them, and may result in some additional char, but it really helps keep the flavors from the marinade around.
- Don't worry too much about some extra char on the steaks, it's a very thin layer and once cubed isn't really noticeable.
After slicing, toss the steak pieces in the juices
- After cubing the steak, you'll likely have some juices on the cutting board. Toss the steak pieces in these to help keep more of that flavorful steak marinade with the meat.
For a lighter option, try my light alfredo sauce.
- I love real alfredo, but when I'm craving creamy pasta and I don't want it to be quite so high calorie, I make a greek yougurt based "alfredo" sauce instead! It's tangier than regular alfredo, but I love the taste.
- Just follow the recipe from my Blackened Cajun Chicken with Light Fettuccine "Alfredo" but substitue in this steak.
Dietary Restrictions - Steak Pasta Alfredo
Make it Gluten-Free:
- Use gluten-free pasta instead of regular pasta. My favorite variety is chickpea pasta!
A Note On Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. This is listed as a standard pasta serving of 2 oz, but some people may prefer to have more than in one serving. Pictured here are two servings per bowl.
Steak Pasta Alfredo
Ingredients
- 12- 16 oz tri tip steaks or similar, such as NY Strip
- 8 oz dried fettuccine pasta or similar
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro optional, for topping
For Steak Marinade:
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For Alfredo Sauce:
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic optional
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese about ¾ cup per batch
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus more to taste
Instructions
Marinate Steaks:
- Combine all ingredients of the marinade. Trim excess fat from the steaks if desired and place in a zip bag with the marinade. Marinate in fridge for at least 2 hours before cooking (preferably overnight).
Cook the steaks:
- When ready to cook, remove the steak from the bag and discard the rest of the marinade (shake off excess but do not pat the steaks dry).
- Grill steak to desired doneness, or cook in a cast iron pan with a swirl of olive oil. I cook in mine in a cast iron pan over high heat, turning every few minutes, until an internal temp of 135°F, about 8-10 minutes. (Note, the marinade may cause some additional charring on the outside, but this contributes to the flavor and isn't noticeable after slicing)
- Let the steak rest for a few minutes, then slice into small pieces as pictured. Toss the steak in the juices after cutting. Tent the steak with foil to keep warm until needed.
Meanwhile, prepare the alfredo pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta per package instructions for al dente while you prepare the rest of the dish. Reserve about a half cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot until ready to use.
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and black pepper stirring frequently, for about 1 minute until very fragrant, then add the cream.
- Bring the cream and butter mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low and add the parmesean cheese. Mix frequently until melted.
- Season with salt, taste and add more salt or black pepper as desired. Add a little bit of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Add the cooked pasta to the alfredo sauce and toss until evenly coated. Cover to keep warm until needed.
Finish the dish:
- Plate the alfredo pasta into the serving bowls. Top each bowl with steak pieces and garnish with some fresh cilantro, then serve immediately.
To prepare steak in bulk for freezer:
- Trim steaks and prepare appropriate quantity of marinade. Package steaks, in marinade, in a freezer safe zip bag or vacuum bag. Package size should be the quantity you will want to defrost at a time (I do 1 lb).
- Place marinated steak packs in the freezer directly after preparing.
To prepare steak from frozen:
- Defrost steak at least 3 hours before you plan to cook it, giving the steak time to marinate. I suggest moving from the freezer to fridge the night before.
- Follow the rest of the recipe as written, preparing the rest of the dish fresh.
Notes
Nutrition
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If you like this recipe, you might like my Tri Tip Tacos, Steak Quesadillas, Blackened Chicken Alfredo, or Chicken Burritos!
Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram, email me ([email protected]), or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!
Paul G says
holy s*** this is so good
E says
fireee