This grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce is easy to make for company and extremely delicious. Flank steak is marinated in garlic and cherry juice for a tangy, savory flavor. Topped with a little bit of fresh chimichurri, it becomes a garlic-lovers dream.
Chimichurri on Grilled Flank Steak
Believe it or not, but I’ve actually gone 33 years without ever making chimichurri, which is basically just a green sauce of tons of herbs and peppers ground together with a little olive oil. I guess I just always figured it was kind of hard…or maybe I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of cleaning my food processor (things I probably shouldn’t be telling you guys). But I know you all get it. Sometimes you’re just tired and don’t really feel like cleaning a ton of dishes. Here’s the secret with this recipe - the only dish you have to clean (besides what you eat on) is the food processor. Mind. Blown.
Other Uses for Chimichurri Sauce
Once I figured out that this recipe was super easy with minimal clean up, it started making it’s way into our weeknight meals at least once a week. I loved it so much I used it for dinner parties or company, who also seemed to love it as much as I did. Don’t eat red meat? There’s no problem here. The marinade is awesome with chicken, and the sauce pairs beautifully with chicken, fish, and vegetables.
My Weeknight Meal Tips
- Use large ziplock bags to marinate meat. I personally prefer it because the marinade coats all sides a lot easier and I don’t have to worry about flipping over my meat a few hours into it.
- Grill. It’s grilling season! This is also a great way to get your husband (or wife) involved in the cooking. My husband loves the grill. That’s his man space. And he’s gotten quite good at it. Plus it takes a little bit of effort off my plate when I’m not feeling well. Pots and pans are my worst enemy when it comes to dishes, so grilling eliminates the need for them. If you don't have an outdoor grill, Lodge makes some great cast iron grill pans for less than $20.
- Keep a small herb garden in your house. So this one is a little more complicated, but if you can swing a little window space or a few small pots outside, basil and parsley typically grow extremely well with minimal effort. It will save you from spending $2-3 every time you want to use fresh herbs. I love this recipe with cilantro, but subbing it out for basil is also quite good. Check out this super cute indoor herb garden.
- Sauce it up. Even if you can’t get around to making your own chimichurri, Trader Joe’s has an awesome Zhoug sauce that’s HYH-compliant. When I’m too tired to even throw herbs in my food processor, I’ll use this sauce as a back up. It’s great on any plain, grilled meat.
Marinated Flank Steak Ingredients
Something that may seem a little odd is the use of cherry juice, but I promise once you try it, you'll be shocked you haven't used it before. Tart cherry juice is a great substitute for citrus, which many can't tolerate on a migraine diet. Pomegranate juice would be a good substitute if you can't find tart cherry juice, although I know they have it at Trader Joe's.
For other paleo and migraine safe meals - check out these recipes.
Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Equipment
- Gas or charcoal grill
- Food processor
Ingredients
Grilled Steak
- 1 ½ lbs flank steak
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup tart cherry juice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt * I use Diamond Brand with is less salty
Chimichurri Sauce
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
- 1 very small shallot, peeled
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ garlic clove
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large ziploc bag, add the ingredients for your marinade and let it rest in the fridge for an hour at the very least. Pull out about 30 minutes before you intend to grill.
- Preheat your grill or grill pan to 400-425 degrees F. Grill steak 8 minutes on the first side, then flip and grill another 6 minutes for medium. Place aside, cover with foil, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes
- Meanwhile place all your ingredients, except the salt and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse till everything is finely chopped, then add olive oil and blend till just combined. Taste and add salt as needed. If you like more tanginess, add a little more vinegar.
- Once the steak has rested, cut it against the grain (in the opposite direction of where you see the "lines"). This will allow for a more tender steak. Top with chimichurri.
Notes
- Marinating this for at least 2-24 hours will infuse a great garlic flavor to the flank steak.
- The chimichurri can be made ahead and stored for 3 days. It's great on other dishes like roasted potatoes, grilled chicken or fish.
can you substitute the cilantro for something like parsley? what's your recommendation? cilantro tastes like soap to me but this recipe looks amazing!
Hey! Did you know that's actually a genetic thing? So not uncommon! Yes you could use all parsley or even add a little combination of basil to it as well.
Wow, that chimichurri sauce has so much flavor!! So good!!!
Love this recipe!
This looks amazing and I can't wait to try it this weekend!
I hope you love it! I tend to go a bit heavy on the garlic and shallot so you have been warned. 🙂