A simple midweek dish that will satisfy both the vegetarians and the meat-eaters in your household
I recently posted beans arrabbiata as a great veggie dish but a week later combined flat iron steak with beans arrabbiata.
I love it because, it’s simple, tasty and can feed both the veggies and meat-eaters in the house with little effort i.e. not using lots of pans.
Plus, it’s a great dish to enjoy steak but also cut down on your intake (for the planet).
SERVES: 3
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOKING TIME: 20 mins
DIFFICULTY: easy
IDEAL FOR: midweek meal, family, weekend meal
BUDGET: £
How to make steak a nice treat without breaking the bank
I love steak but it’s expensive.
And, now we know that cows play a role in heating up our planet.
We are obliged to eat less meat.
And the meat we do eat should be high welfare and as local as you can manage.
I’m probably never going to become a vegan.
I’ve tried a number of vegan dishes but it’s not for me.
I still believe that if we avoid cheap, industrialised produced meat.
And buy from smaller farms that are practising sustainable farming.
That we are supporting the farming industry, buying quality, nutritious food, and allowing animals to be a part of the cycle that helps the planet, not destroys it.
Here’s a post I did a while ago on grass-fed beef and regenerative farming.
Cooking tips for flat iron steak
As it is so lean flat Iron is best cooked rare or medium-rare.
- Pat dry and bring to room temperature.
- Preheat your griddle or heavy-based frying pan until it sizzles when you add a drop of oil.
- Season the meat just prior to cooking.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Cook over high heat turning the steak only once after a rich, golden crust has formed, reduce heat to medium when the crust has formed – approx. 3 to 5 minutes on each side for medium rare.
- Finish by adding a large knob of butter when frying or on the griddle.
- Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 5 – 10 mins before carving.
Flat iron steak with beans arrabbiata
Beautiful butterbeans!
They are such fantastic ingredients to (always) have in your store cupboard.
Creamy and nutritious, they pretty much go with any meal as part of the main or as a lovely side dish.
And this flat iron steak with beans arrabbiata is no exception.
Simply cook your flat iron and as it’s resting, get on with the beans arrabbiata.
If you have a vegetarian in the house (like us), just leave off the steak.
Otherwise, when you’re ready to serve, slice the flat iron steak into thin slices and serve alongside.
What is arrabbiata sauce
Arrabbiata sauce, or sugo all’arrabbiata in Italian, is a spicy sauce for pasta.
It’s made from garlic, tomatoes, and dried red chilli peppers cooked in olive oil.
It originates from the Lazio region, and particularly from Rome.
Bean Arrabbiata
I use Bold Beans Queen Butter Beans but you can buy any tinned ones (my cupboard also is full of tins)
BTW, I don’t get asked to promote them, I just like their product.
They’re big, fat, creamy and juicy.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 3 tsp chilli flakes, or 2 medium hot chillies, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- A handful of basil leaves (roughly 10g), plus a handful of leaves to garnish
- 2 x 400g tin of quality chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 700g jar of Bold Bean Co Queen Butter Beans (or 2 x 400g tins of butter beans), drained
- 25g parmesan, plus extra to serve
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli/chilli flakes. After about a minute, add the basil leaves and gently wilt them in the flavoured oil, approx. 1 minute.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Simmer for 4-5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Then, pour in the beans and mix well to combine. Simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Add the parmesan and plenty of black pepper.
- Serve with extra parmesan, scatter over some fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
