Easy Marinara Steak Pasta (Steak Spaghetti) (2024)

All it takes is a quick and easy homemade marinara sauce using canned tomatoes and some fresh juicy steaks to make the perfect steak spaghetti! Pick one of three variations for cooking juicy, tender, and flavorful steak to top your bowl of steak pasta. This pasta with steak and tomato sauce cooks up in less than 30 minutes and will be one you keep coming back to time and time again.

Steak and Pasta Recipe

Ahh...Italians! Their cultural appeal is magnetic and their food is amazing!

My wannabe Italian is showing in this pasta with steak and tomato sauce recipe. It's so easy and tasty, that you'll want to add steak spaghetti to your regular rotation. Trust me. This will become your go-to steak and spaghetti recipe.

At my house, this steak pasta recipe is constantly requested as a weeknight meal, and for good reason. Because of its simplicity and deliciousness, it's become a regular item on our family's dinner menu.

Spaghetti with steak strips instead of ground beef is a cut above the standard meat pasta dinner. Preparing the perfect steak is key to enjoying this pasta with steak and tomato sauce to the fullest.

If you love pasta steak, you are also going to love this other pasta favorite on Kitchen Divas. Don't forget the sides, serve up this steak pasta dish with some homemade garlic bread or breadsticks to dip up all the yummy sauce at the end.

For more recipes with ribeye steak, try this Fort Worth Ribeye or Air Fryer Ribeye. I'm sure you will love them!

Ingredients

In addition to pasta and steak, you will need just a handful of other ingredients to make this easy dinner recipe.

• Olive oil
• Fresh garlic
• Crushed tomatoes
• Italian seasoning
• Brown sugar
• Steaks: strip, rib-eye, top loin, or tenderloin
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cornstarch for Grilling
• Oil for Pan Frying

Check the recipe card for the exact quantities of each ingredient to make steak spaghetti.

How to Make Steak and Spaghetti

Step 1: Cook the Garlic

In a skillet over medium heat, preheat the oil until it shimmers or a drop of water dances when added to the skillet.

Add garlic and stir frequently until fragrant but not browned, less than a minute.

Step 2: Add Tomatoes and Cook

Stir in the canned tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about five minutes.

Step 3: Season

Add Italian seasoning and sugar (if desired), and season with salt to taste.

Step 4: Prep the Steaks

Pat the steaks you are cooking dry with a paper towel. Season as directed for the cooking method.

Step 5: Broil, Grill, or Pan Fry Steak

Choose the method you prefer to use to cook your steak for your bowl of steak spaghetti.

Broil

• Preheat the oven to 375-degrees F. Place the seasoned steaks on a wire rack.
• Set rack over your disposable aluminum pan and transfer to the lower-middle oven rack.
• After cooking, remove the pan from the oven.
• Flip steaks, pat dry with paper towels and rest for 10 minutes.
• Preheat broiler. Transfer pan to upper-middle oven rack and broil steaks. Flip as directed in the thickness chart and cook steaks to your desired doneness.

Grill

• Combine salt and cornstarch. Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and rub with salt mixture.
• Arrange on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until steaks are firm and dry to touch (at least 30 minutes, up to an hour).
• Season steaks on both sides with pepper.
• Grill, covered, over hot fire until well browned and cooked to desired doneness, four to eight minutes per side.

Pan Fry

• Heat a 12-inch heavy-bottomed large skillet for five minutes over high heat. Liberally sprinkle both sides of each steak with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium when the time is up.
• Coat the bottom of your skillet with oil to ensure the steaks don't stick. Add steaks, leaving space in between each.
• Cover the pan with a splatter screen or an offset lid, and cook until well browned on one side, about five minutes.
• Using tongs, flip steaks and cook three more minutes for rare, four minutes for medium-rare, or five minutes for medium.

If you prefer to air fry the steak you can find instructions for air fryer ribeyes and air fryer porterhouse steaks.

Step 6: Let Steaks Rest

When the steaks are done cooking, transfer them to a plate and rest for at least five minutes before slicing and serving up steak pasta to eat.

Step 8: Serve it Up

Place the pasta in a bowl and top with the sauce. Finish off each bowl of steak spaghetti with sliced steak and parmesan cheese.

Substitutions

• Italian Seasoning: Swap with 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or oregano or 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried basil or oregano leaves
• Crushed tomatoes: Pulse canned whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes in a blender to give the tomatoes a texture similar to crushed tomatoes.

Variations

• Add herb compound butter to the top of the steaks while they rest. It’s made by mixing ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature with 1 teaspoon fresh herbs such as tarragon, sage, or thyme OR 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic. It takes steak spaghetti to the next level of deliciousness!!
• For bacon flavor on your steak spaghetti, top the cooked steak with bacon butter while it’s resting.
• Change up the pasta. Steak spaghetti works with any kind of pasta.
• Don't eat beef? Swap out the beef with cooked sliced chicken or shrimp.
• Like marinated steak? Let it marinate in a Montreal steak seasoning marinade made with ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 heaping tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning for 15-30 minutes inside a resealable bag in the refrigerator, just before grilling.

Expert Tips

For best results when making steak spaghetti serve the perfectly cooked steak alongside or on top of the pasta.

A juicy ribeye or New York strip costs a little more than some other steaks but it's so worth it! It has the right amount of marbling for excellent flavor for your bowl of steak spaghetti

The steaks should be at room temperature before cooking. I recommend taking the steaks out of the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before cooking.

No matter the cooking method purchase steaks that are similar in size and shape to assist with even cooking.

Tips for How to Cook Steak for Steak Spaghetti

There’s no right or wrong way to prepare steak for steak spaghetti but my favorites are broiling, grilling (barbecue), and pan-frying steak. They all work great so choose the method that works best for you and go for it!

Seasoning and preparing the steaks differ slightly depending on the cooking method you choose so be sure to check the detailed instructions in the recipe card.

Tips for Broiled Steak

Using a tape measure or ruler, measure the thickness of each steak, to determine how long to prebake and broil the steaks.

• For one-inch thick, PREBAKE for six minutes and then BROIL, turning steaks every two minutes
• For one-and-a-half inches thick, PREBAKE for eight minutes, then BROIL, turning steaks every three minutes
• If it's two inches thick, PREBAKE for 10 minutes and while BROILING, turn steaks every four minutes

To minimize smoking, trim as much exterior fat and gristle as possible from your steaks before you start to cook them.

Spread two cups of salt over the bottom of a three-inch-deep disposable aluminum pan. This incredible trick will prevent smoking and absorb grease.

Tips for Grilled Steaks

Freeze the steaks before grilling. Given the freezer is dry, it will slightly dehydrate the outside of the steaks while keeping the inside super tender and juicy.

Rub steak with salt and cornstarch prior to freezing. Salt guarantees the steak will have terrific flavor and the cornstarch absorbs moisture and reduces freezing time.

Pan-Fried Steaks

Use smaller, more expensive cuts of steak like rib eye, boneless strip, or sirloin as they brown more evenly and are loaded with the full, rich flavor.

The technique of frying these pan-fried steaks starts with a really hot pan that sears the steak on contact. This heat is essential for a good sear and crust.

For best results use a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat the pan for 10 minutes on medium heat, then retain this heat level throughout cooking.

FAQs

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