This Easy Pepper Steak Recipe with tender sirloin steak, bright Italian bell peppers, and a rich pan gravy is just the thing you need to warm up on a cold winter’s night. On the table in under an hour, you can get your fill of comfort any night of the week.
My favorite thing about eating pepper steak is enjoying the amazing pan gravy. The rich red wine and beef juices soak into rice or mashed potatoes and turns the whole plate into a flavor explosion.
Try Instant Pot Beef Stew and Chimichurri Tri Tip for more budget and time friendly beef recipes!
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This dish is a great way to satisfy a craving for delicious steak on a budget. The browning and slow cooking deliver amazingly tender and fully flavored beef with moderate priced cuts.
The sirloin slices are first coated lightly in flour to help the meat brown beautifully. Then, the excess flour in the pan becomes the base for out of this world red wine pan gravy.
A medley of bell peppers and onions add sweetness, spice, and a bit of bite to balance the rich gravy and savory beef.
This easy pepper steak recipe is best served simply with mashed potatoes or white rice.
White rice is my favorite because each grain soaks up the pan gravy and becomes imbued with the amazing red wine flavor.
Ingredients
Flour- Dredging the beef in flour serves two purposes. First, the flour helps the beef brown which gives the dish an extra rich flavor. Then, the excess flour that sticks to the pan bottom acts as a thickening agent for the pan gravy.
Sirloin Steak- The sirloin is a nice moderately priced piece of beef. It is fairly lean and is great for this Pepper Steak recipe. You can also use a tri-tip strip or flank steak.
Instructions
Step 1
- Heat a Dutch oven or frying pan on medium/heat.
- Cutting against the grain, slice sirloin steak into ¼” thick pieces.
- Season with dry spices and then coat with two tablespoons of all purpose flour.
You can make great meals with moderately priced cuts of beef, if you just treat them right. Cutting meat against the grain is very important and will make the meat much more tender. This Easy pepper steak is the perfect way to make the most of budget friendly cuts.
Step 2
- Add olive oil to the hot pan. Then, add the floured, seasoned beef strips to the pan.
- Spread the meat out over the surface of the pan and then leave it alone until it starts to turn a golden brown.
- After 3-4 minutes, turn the beef over and brown the other side.
- Remove the browned steak from the pan and set aside.
A good pepper steak has nicely browned beef strips. Good browning will give you a deeper, richer flavor profile.
Step 3
- Turn the heat down to medium.
- Toss the sliced onions, bell peppers, and minced garlic into the hot pan, right into the leftover steak drippings. Cook until the onions are just soft.
Any combination of bell pepper will work. I usually choose one green (which tend to have a bit more spice) and one sweet (red, orange, or yellow) for balance.
Step 4
- Deglaze the pan with one cup of red wine.
Be sure to use a wooden spoon to get all of the delicious caramelized bits off the bottom.
Step 5
- Add the browned beef back to the cooked peppers and onions.
- Bring the wine to a low simmer.
- Cover the pepper steak and cook for on low for 20 minutes.
Make sure it stays at a low simmer. You don’t want to boil the beef strips or lose the liquids too quickly.
FAQs
Always cut a steak against the grain. When preparing a piece of meat like sirloin, tri tip, or flank identify the direction of the grain of the meat. Cut perpendicular or against the grain for tender strips. When you do this, you are breaking the long connective tissues making the beef easier to chew and more tender overall.
Deglazing is simply adding liquid to a hot pan to loosen up the caramelized bits of meat and seasoning that adhere to the pan bottom during browning.
If you have a bit of red wine on hand, I highly recommend it, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. You can substitute red wine for beef broth and a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
Expert Tips
Be patient when browning the sirloin pieces. Make sure your pan is hot. Add the flour coated beef strips, spread them out, and then leave them alone until they develop a nice golden brown. Then stir or turn them to get color on the other side.
When simmering the pepper steak and vegetables in pan gravy, be sure to keep the temperature low. Simmering will soften and tenderize the beef; boiling will toughen the meat.
Be sure to work up all of the delicious bits of meat with a wooden spoon when deglazing. Those little bits are flavor gold!
Make these other comfort food classics!
Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
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📖 Recipe
Easy Pepper Steak with Red Wine Pan Gravy
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Sirloin Steak Sliced ¼" Strips
- 1 Cup Red Wine
- 2 Bell Peppers Any Color, Sliced
- 1 Yellow Onion Sliced
- 3 Cloves of Garlic Minced
- 2 Tablespoon Parsley
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic
- 1 Teaspoon Granulated Onion
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- ½ Tablespoon Pepper
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or frying pan on medium/heat.
- Cutting against the grain, slice sirloin steak into ¼” thick pieces.
- Season the beef strips with dry spices and then coat with two tablespoons of all purpose flour.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan. Then, add the floured, seasoned beef strips to the pan.
- Spread the meat out over the surface of the pan and then leave it alone until it starts to turn a golden brown.
- After 3-4 minutes, turn the beef over and brown the other side. Then, remove the browned steak from the pan and set aside.
- Next, turn the heat down to medium, and add the sliced onions, bell peppers, and minced garlic into the pan. Cook until the onions are just soft.
- Deglaze with one cup of red wine. (Make sure to use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the burned steak pieces.)
- Add the browned beef back to the peppers, onions, and pan gravy.
- Bring the pan gravy to a low simmer.
- Cover the pepper steak and cook on low for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Be patient when browning the sirloin pieces. Make sure the pan is hot. Add the flour coated beef strips, spread them out, and then leave them alone until they develop a nice golden brown. Then stir them to get color on the other side.
- When simmering the pepper steak and vegetables in the pan gravy, be sure to keep the temperature low. Simmering will soften and tenderize the beef; boiling will toughen the meat.
- Be sure to work up all of the delicious bits of meat with a wooden spoon when deglazing. Those little bits are flavor gold!
Nutrition
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RENEE ROBIDOUX-KWIATKOWSKI says
It's 0200 and I'm worried about making dinner. Sounds crazy, right?! Your recipe and instructions are so easy and clear and understandable to non-cooks. Thank You!!!!