Garlic Butter Steak with Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

Garlic Butter Steak with Autumn flavors

If you’re looking for a steak recipe that features Fall flavors, look no further! This delicious Autumn dinner includes two amazing Fall vegetables: butternut squash and brussels sprouts.  Both are roasted in the oven, and then combined with the garlic butter flank steak and fresh thyme!

Brussels sprouts add the crunch, and the butternut squash adds a subtle sweetness to this savory dish. The overall result is a beautiful, colorful dish that a whole family will love!  My other favorite recipe this Fall is a vibrant and delicious chicken autumn dinner with roasted vegetables.

Cooking tips

• Best steak to use.  Flank steak works really well in this recipe.  It’s easy to cook on the stovetop, and it looks beautiful sliced into thin strips.  Similar cuts include hangar steak and skirt steak.
• Use fresh herbs.   I used ¼ of an ounce – or just a few sprigs of fresh thyme.  Fresh thyme is key for this recipe!  If you use dried thyme, use a much smaller quantity.
• Garlic.  Use fresh garlic that you minced yourself – it’s the best!  I used 5 cloves, but the more the better! It gets cooked before you use it, so it won’t have a strong flavor but it does add so much to the steak!

How to slice flank steak

Always slice the flank steak against the grain.  Here is how to do it:

• The grain normally runs along the length of the meat cut.  When you look at your meat, notice the long strands of fiber running parallel along the length of the meat.
• Cut the meat across the grain (against the strands of fiber running along the length of the meat).
• The slices should be around 1 inch wide and as long as you want them.  Long flank steak slices that are about 1 inch wide make an appealing presentation.
• In this recipe, I cook the whole flank steak first and only then slice it against the grain.

Why slice the flank steak against the grain?

• It shortens the fibers. When you slice the flank steak against the grain, you cut those tough fibers that run along the length of the meat into shorter sizes.
• It results in tender meat. This results in meat being less tough and less chewy when you eat it.  The flank steak sliced this way will be much more tender and easier to chew than if you sliced it along the grain (the fiber strands).
• A beautiful presentation. It is also much easier to slice the flank steak against the grain and it looks much better on a plate!

What to serve with steak

This garlic butter steak recipe features a lot of vegetables which makes it a perfect complete meal.  Here are some extras you can serve alongside this steak and veggies:

• Mashed potatoes
• Mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice
• Regular rice or wild rice
• Pasta. You can serve this a simple pasta on the side, such as spaghetti, angel hair pasta, or store-bought ravioli or tortellini.
• Bread.  Garlic bread, olive bread, or Italian bread will work well here!
• Roasted vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, or green beans.

• Instructions

  Roasted Butternut Squash

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Make sure the butternut squash is peeled, seeded, and cubed. Here is a very detailed recipe on how to peel, seed, cube, and roast butternut squash.
  • In a large bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Spread the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
  • Roast on the middle rack in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

  Roasted Brussels sprouts

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and remove yellow leaves. Slice all Brussels sprouts in half.
  • In a medium bowl, toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Spread the Brussels sprouts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
  • Roast on the middle rack in the preheated oven at 400 F for 20 or 30 minutes. You can roast them at the same time you roast butternut squash. Remove from oven.

  Steak

  • • Season the flank steak on both sides with ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon of chili powder, and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can use more than ¼ teaspoon of salt.
    • Heat an empty large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the cast-iron skillet to heat through. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the whole flank steak and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, without moving it at all so that it sears nicely.
    • Flip the flank steak over to the other side, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 minutes or more until the steak is cooked to your liking. As a guidance, the meat thermometer should register 130°F for medium-rare, and 145°F for medium in the thickest part of the steak (FDA-recommended safe internal cooking temperature for steak is 145°F).
    • Remove the steak from the skillet to a plate. Slice the steak against the grain into thin strips about 1-inch wide.
    • To the same, now empty, cast-iron skillet, add butter and minced garlic. Cook on low-medium heat for about 1 or 2 minutes or until the garlic softens.
    • Add cooked and sliced flank steak, fresh thyme, and coat thoroughly with the garlic butter sauce on low-medium heat for a minute or two. Remove from heat.

      Ingredients

      Roasted Butternut Squash

      • 3 cups butternut squash peeled, seeded, cubed
      • 1 tablespoon olive oil
      • salt and pepper

      Roasted Brussels sprouts

      • 12 oz Brussels sprouts
      • 1 tablespoon olive oil
      • salt and pepper

      Steak

      • • 1 lb flank steak
        • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
        • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
        • ¼ teaspoon salt
        • black pepper freshly ground, to taste
        • 2 tablespoons olive oil
        • 3 tablespoons butter
        • 5 cloves garlic minced
        • ¼ ounce fresh thyme

  • Add roasted butternut squash and roasted Brussels sprouts to the skillet with a cooked flank steak to warm everything up on low heat. If you used a large skillet, everything should fit. If not, work in batches. Top with more fresh thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.