These delectable Balsamic Steak Bites with Gnocchi could be dubbed “Italian Steak and Potatoes”. Steak is marinated in a balsamic vinegar comprised of soy sauce, Worcestershire, and a few other aromatics. Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling that you can easily find in a grocery store. (Otherwise, make your own if you have the time and skill!) Onion and mushrooms makes this a flavor packed dinner that you will love.
Balsamic vinegar is an Italian ingredient that I don’t use often enough. The vinegar has such complex flavors of both sweet and tart. Balsamic vinegar is delicious in a salad dressing, and adds a delicious tang to Pot Roast.
Potato gnocchi is on my list of recipes I plan to learn how to make, from scratch. In the meantime, shelf stable packaged gnocchi is always in my pantry. These Italian dumplings are delicious with marinara sauce, or browned in butter.
This recipe turned out even better than I imagined it would. I made this dinner out of necessity to use a thawed piece of Sirloin Steak. An idea was born, and here is the delicious result.
The marinade is incredibly delicious. I plan to use it to grill steaks, chicken or pork, in the future. It takes just a few minutes to make the marinade with ingredients that aren’t hard to find. Trim the steak of any fat. NOTE: Filet mignon would be extra delicious, if it’s in the budget.
Marinate the steak for at least an hour, or up to eight hours. I have a Foodsaver that I use several times a week. This is their quick marinator that speeds up the process in a fraction of time. Otherwise, a zip-lock bag or cover the bowl and pop the meat into the refrigerator. Bring it to temperature about 30 minutes before dinner.
While the steak is marinating, slice mushrooms fairly thick, onion and mince fresh parsley. It’s go time!
Remove the steak with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any excess marinade. (Blot the steak, a bit, so you can get a crusty sear.)
In a very hot skillet, melt unsalted butter and add the meat without crowding the pieces together. If necessary, sear the meat in two batches.
Cook the gnocchi, per the package instructions, in lightly salted water. Remove the seared steak, and drain the gnocchi.
Since the steak bites are small, it takes just a minute or two to be cooked to medium (pink). I snuck a bite. Wow! Delicious!
Final touches for the skillet dinner:
With the skillet still on medium-high heat, add 1 Tablespoon butter, and cook the mushrooms and onion until soft and tender.
I forgot to add additional garlic to the skillet! SPOILER ALERT: The dish was delicious, just the same.
Add the drained gnocchi, steak and any remaining juices. Turn off the heat, and give the skillet dinner a final stir.
TASTING NOTES: It took an hour for the steak to marinate. That gave me plenty of time to clean up the kitchen, and prep the rest of the skillet ingredients and the cooking time took less than 15 minutes. Balsamic vinegar isn’t sour. There’s a bit of sweetness and just the right balance of tart. I cannot wait to make this again. I recommend saving the marinade recipe, by itself, for grilled steak. It’s so good!
Balsamic Steak Bites and Gnocchi Skillet Dinner
Equipment
- 1 12" skillet preferably cast iron, for the best sear
Ingredients
For the marinade (cut in half for two servings):
- ¼ cup olive oil 2 Tbsp to cut in half
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp to cut in half
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp to cut in half
- ¼ cup soy sauce 2 Tbsp to cut in half
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 Tsp to cut in half
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 tsp to cut in half
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
For the skillet dinner:
- 1 package potato gnocchi easily found in grocery stores. I buy mine at Trader Joe's or World Market
- 1 pounds beef sirloin steak or rib eye, or filet mignon
- 1 pounds mushrooms sliced thick; I prefer Cremini mushrooms
- 1 medium onion I prefer red onion
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into equal sized pats
- 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley minced; garnish
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional, as garnish
Instructions
For the marinade:
- In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Set aside.
- Dice the steak into bite-sized pieces, trimming off any excess fat or sinew.
- Add the steak into the marinade to coat evenly. NOTE: Likewise, you can pour the marinade into a zip-loc bag and add the steak.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour, in the refrigerator or up to 8 hours.
Skillet dinner instructions:
- Bring the steak to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking dinner. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, leaving as much marinade behind as you can. To get a good sear, you don't want the meat to be really wet. I like to blot the meat, gently, with a paper towel.Since I was cooking for two, I tossed out the remaining marinade. If you want to using any remaining marinade, it's unsafe to eat— UNLESS you boil it for at least 5 minutes!
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil, and cook the gnocchi per the package instructions (usually about 3 minutes, or until they float to the top.) Drain.
- Using a cast-iron skillet (non-stick is not recommended) melt 2 Tbsp butter on medium-high heat. Add the steak bites, without crowding them together (do this in two batches if necessary). Sear for one minutes, and flip over with tongs. Remove the steak onto a plate, and set aside.
- Add 1 Tbsp. butter and add the onion and mushrooms, and cook until softened and browned (about 3-5 minutes.). Add the garlic (if using).
- Add the last Tbsp of butter, and the drained gnocchi to the skillet.Add the seared steak, and any juices to the skillet.
- Turn off the heat, and stir to combine evenly.
- Garnish with parsley and (optional) freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
A few weeks ago, hubby and I attended an annual club dinner where prime rib and shrimp were on the menu. We each got a HUGE slab of prime rib, but it was SO rare, we could only eat the outer portions that were more well done. As a result, we each took home most of the meat. A few days later, I found your recipe, and seeing that the meat was so rare, I decided to treat it just like raw! I had all the other ingredients, and holy cow, this was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I printed the recipe and will sure use it again! Thanks!
Very easy.and flavorful. A perfect little dinner fir two. I even had time to make 4 little cresent rolls and roast some broccoli as a side veggie.
That sounds like a perfectly rounded meal. So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you.