Garlic Steak Tortellini
Date night doesn't need reservations. It needs garlic, steak, and 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound sirloin steak about 1 inch thick or ribeye, strip
- 1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini 500g
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and pepper
Method
Cook the Tortellini
- Boil in salted water per package directions (usually 3-5 minutes for refrigerated). Drain, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
Sear the Steak
- Pat steak dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add steak. Don't touch it for 3-4 minutes — you want a deep brown crust. Flip, cook another 3-4 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board, rest 5 minutes, then slice thin against the grain.
- Resting is not optional. If you cut into a steak immediately, all the juices run onto the cutting board instead of staying in the meat. Five minutes. Set a timer if you're impatient. I always am, but I set a timer anyway because past-me has ruined enough steaks for present-me to learn this lesson.
Make the Garlic Butter Sauce
- Same skillet, all the steak juices still in there. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter. When it melts and foams, add garlic. Cook 30 seconds — fragrant, sizzling, not brown. Pour in beef broth, scrape up all the brown bits (the fond). Those bits are concentrated steak flavour. Simmer 2 minutes until slightly reduced. Add cream, stir until smooth. Add red pepper flakes if using.
Combine
- Add tortellini to the sauce. Toss to coat. Place sliced steak on top — don't toss the steak in or it'll overcook. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley. Serve from the skillet for maximum impact and minimum dishes. Light a candle if you're feeling it. Date night achieved.