My 20-minute Gluten Free Salad with steak is my favorite go to when I need a big dose of fresh vegetables and protein. It is loaded with crunchy veggies, creamy cheese, charred corn and grilled steak, tossed together with a homemade balsamic dressing. Truly it is always a crowd-pleaser! It is perfect to bring to a summer bbq, cookouts or when you need a light dinner heavy on the protein!
This gluten free salad is a good-for-you combination of crispy green lettuce, crunchy fresh vegetables, and a simple homemade salad dressing. It takes 20 minutes to make and the end result is fresh, colorful, and SUPER satisfying.
If you love easy weeknight meals with tomatoes, you’ll also love my gluten free tomato soup and my gluten free chicken casserole with tomato sauce.
What Makes this Gluten free Recipe Special?
- A perfect main dish or side dish. No matter how you serve this Gluten Free Salad, you’ll love how quick this salad is to put together. You can have this salad on the dinner table in no time.
- This recipe is allergy friendly. It is naturally gluten free. You can use dairy free cheese for an easy dairy free recipe!
- It’s an easy option for a meal prep lunches or dinners! I love to have it ready to go when I need to just pull it out of the refrigerator when I need it! I prep it in a mason jar when I know I need to have it ready to go!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sirloin steak: Any steak of choice works great! Leftover steak is perfect too!
- Corn: Corn on the cob, canned corn or frozen corn works! I like to grill or char my corn before adding to the salad for more texture. Make sure to pan char it if you are using frozen corn… I mean duh, right?
- Lettuce: Choose from iceberg, bib lettuce, baby gem lettuce, romaine lettuce, arugula, etc.
- Tomato: Cherry tomatoes or heirloom are my favorite.
- Gorgonzola or dairy free feta: Gorgonzola works great with steak but use dairy free feta for a dairy free recipe.
- Olive oil + Balsamic vinegar: This is to make a simple and easy at home gluten free salad dressing. You can use a storebought balsamic vinaigrette if you want!
How do I make this Salad recipe?
First I marinate my steak. In a bowl, I combine the steak with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. I let the steak marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours) in the refrigerator.
Next, I grill the steak. I heat a grill to medium-high heat. I grill the steak for 5-7 minutes per side, or until it reaches your desired level of doneness. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
Then, in a large bowl or mason jar, I combine the chopped lettuce, corn, and tomato.
In a separate small bowl, I whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and the juice of 1 lemon. I season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lastly, I add the sliced steak to the salad. I pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. I crumble the Gorgonzola cheese on top and serve immediately
Expert Tips & Tricks
Make sure all your chopped components are the same size. Salads can easily get wild and hard to eat when all the ingredients are cut to different sizes. I like a chopped Gluten Free Salad because all the pieces of the salad are chopped to be the same bite sized pieces. This way, every bite has a little taste of everything.
I always season my salads with salt and pepper. This one of the best tricks I’ve learned for really creating a restaurant-style salad. It gives the salad extra flavor and really helps it to feel elevated and not just like a sad side salad.
Make sure your lettuce is fresh! This is one thing that will immediately get you into sad salad territory. No one likes wilted lettuce. Make sure to keep your lettuce fresh by adding a paper towel to your bag of lettuce. This way, the paper towel will absorb any extra moisture. This prevents you from getting soggy salad greens!
Make in a mason jar for on the go convenience! I like to put the dressing on the bottom, that way it does not make the lettuce soggy! Then, when you turn it upside down the dressing is on the top!
How Can I switch up the flavors in this Gluten Free Salad?
I like to keep this Gluten Free Salad feeling fresh and new by switching up the mix-in’s every time I make it. It can really be a great clean-out-your-fridge opportunity to mix in fresh veggies or any extra herbs you have laying around.
- Olives: I am a big olive fan so for me an olive elevates any salad. Add black olives or green olives!
- Ripe Avocado: An avocado elevates any salad if you ask me! If you have a ripe avocado, throw it in! You can even mash it and mix it with the dressing for a smooth avocado vinaigrette.
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs help to elevate the flavors of a salad instantly! I love adding chopped green onions, chives, parsley, dill, cilantro, or basil to my salads!
- Fresh veggies: Add more crunch with veggies like cucumbers, bell peppers or radishes
- Chickpeas: I love adding canned chickpeas or even some crispy dried chickpeas for extra protein and extra crunch. Dried chickpeas come in flavors like ranch, bbq and spicy so they would be great to give your salad a flavor twist.
- Crunchy Seeds: Mix in some sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds!
How Do I Serve this Gluten Free Salad?
You can serve this Gluten Free Salad right away with the warm corn and steak on top. Or you can pop the salad in the fridge for a few hours and serve chilled. It tastes great either way!
How do I Store this Gluten Free Salad?
To store, I let steak and corn cool completely before mixing together my salad. I like to add the Gluten Free Salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days. I store the dressing on the side so the salad does not get soggy.
Can you meal prep this gluten free salad?
Absolutely! To meal prep this Gluten Free Salad into individual portions, divide into separate containers. These individual portions are my favorite for great grab-and-go lunches or quick dinners during the week. I store the dressing on the side so the salad does not get soggy.
Looking for more gluten free recipes?
If you make this recipe and enjoyed it, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and Pinterest. Purchase my cookbook Easy Allergy Free Cooking. Join my exclusive weeknight meal plan group for 5 weekly 30-minute dinner recipes. The weeknight meal plan also has an accompanying podcast as well! I would love for you to follow along!
Gluten Free Salad with Steak
Ingredients
- 8 oz Sirloin steak
- 1 1/2 cup Corn
- 2 cups lettuce chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1/4 cup gorgonzola or dairy free feta
- 6 tbsp olive oil divided
- 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar divided
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tsp garlic powder divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the Steak: In a bowl, combine the steak with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours) in the refrigerator.
- Grill the Steak: Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the steak for 5-7 minutes per side, or until it reaches your desired level of doneness. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
- Option to grill or char the corn: Grill corn on the cob until the corn is charred. Cut corn off the cob and set aside. OR add corn kernals to a cast iron pan. Cook on high heat until kernals are charred.
- Prepare the Salad: In a large bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, corn, and tomato.
- Make the Dressing: In a separate small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and the juice of 1 lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble and Serve: Add the sliced steak to the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Crumble the Gorgonzola cheese on top. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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