The Perfect Cast Iron Ribeye with Chimichurri Sauce

6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Perfect Cast Iron Ribeye: Vinegary, spicy, fresh, garlicky, and just a punch of flavor, this Chimichurri sauce will make any meal outstanding, but this Cast Iron Ribeye is its perfect mate.

Cast iron ribeye covered in Chimichurri sauce

Cast Iron Ribeye Nostalgia

Growing up in Los Angeles means that I had the privilege to discover many different cuisines and flavors from a very young age. When I was really young we would stick to our favorite neighborhood haunts like Tony Romas (which inspired this BBQ Chicken, Cole Slaw and Onion Ring Loaf) or Panda Inn (the original that spawned the fast-casual empire Panda Express). As I got a bit older I began attending a school in the Valley (yes I am a Valley girl) and discovered a restaurant that would be a part of me forever.

pan seared ribeye at the gaucho grill

My best friend in high school would come to this restaurant, The Gaucho Grill, every time we went out to dinner with his whole family. We would spend hours talking and enjoying each other’s company, being that loud table the staff apologizes for but doesn’t tell us to quiet down because we were such regulars. The cast iron ribeye was buttery, crusty and tender, the sauce was a perfect counterpoint to the rich flavors of the meat and, well, let’s be honest, who could turn down a plate that looks this good?
cast iron steak smothered in chimichurri ribeye sauce

CASt Iron: The purveyor of Pan Seared Ribeye

This pan seared ribeye is made in a cast iron skillet because that is how steak should be made, darn it. I’m just going to go ahead and make the declaration of that. You sear the heck out of it, put a pat of butter on top and finish in a hot oven. If you think I am crazy, I can assure you many high-end restaurants are cooking your steaks the same way.

If you haven’t invested in a piece of cast iron cookware yet I can only say to you that I own some of the most expensive cookware you can buy. I have no less than 20 skillets/frying pans from cooking for clients and large events. Still, given that my kitchen is kitted out with more fancy cookware than you will see in more stores, I choose to cook in a cast iron skillet every single chance I get. I mean, I genuinely go out of my way to use it.

my favorite Cast Iron Skillets

My recommendation, (no matter where you get them from) would be to buy a couple of pieces and see why so many chefs love cast iron so much. With that said, here are a few of my top recommendations for Lodge Skillets that I have (From Amazon):

Those two are the ones I would recommend you start with. I also have a few smaller ones for cuter presentation, single serve recipes:

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The Perfect Cast Iron Ribeye with Chimichurri Sauce

The perfect, easy, Brazilian Steakhouse steak is waiting for you and it is just a cast iron skillet away. Topped with this beautiful Chimichurri sauce, you'll feel like you've paid 10 times as much
Yield 6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Brazilian
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 2 12 ounce Ribeye or New York Strip Steaks (1" or thicker)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt , to taste
  • cracked black pepper , to taste
  • 1 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 cup firmly packed fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic , cut up
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 500 degrees.
  • Heat up a heavy bottomed skillet, a cast iron skillet would be ideal here.
  • You're looking for the cast iron to get very hot, smoking hot which could take 5 minutes to achieve.
  • Pat steaks dry with paper towels, the drier the better.
  • Add salt and pepper to your steaks.
  • Add steaks to the pan, let sit for one minute then flip.
  • When you flip the steak aim for areas of the pan that may still have salt on it.
  • Let steak cook for 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip it over, moving raw side of steak around in pan so both sides are salted.
  • Cook an additional two minutes.
  • Add a tablespoon of butter to each steak and using an oven mitt move the pan to the oven for 5 minutes.
  • Remove steak to a cutting board and tent lightly with foil. Let rest 5 minutes.
  • To make the Chimichurri, in a food processor or blender combine cilantro, parsley, vinegar, garlic, the ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin, and the crushed red pepper.
  • With processor or blender running, slowly add oil through opening in lid in a thin, steady stream until mixture is smooth.

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 430mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 3g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 4.4mg
Keyword: chimichurri, Chimichurri steak, Perfect Cast Iron Ribeye with Chimichurri Sauce

pan seared ribeye or cast iron ribeye covered in green ribeye sauce

 

Vinegary, spicy, fresh, garlicky, and just a punch of flavor, this Chimichurri sauce will make any meal outstanding and this Cast Iron Steak is its perfect mate.
Vinegary, spicy, fresh, garlicky, and just a punch of flavor, this Chimichurri sauce will make any meal outstanding and this Cast Iron Steak is its perfect mate.
The Perfect Cast Iron Ribeye with Chimichurri Sauce L

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Are you heating up the pan in the 500 degree oven which will take 5 minutes? Unclear as to how to heat up the pan for the initial sear. Do you put any fat into the pan before you put the steaks in or just put them in dry? I had a recipe that was similar to this for a Prime Rib. You cooked the meat in a 500 degree oven for so many minutes based on the weight, say 10 or 12 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave it in for 45 minutes or so and it was the best prime rib I ever cooked! Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes!

    1. Yes, you’ll want to heat up the skillet in the oven. It’s an easy way to do it. No need to add any fat to the skillet. Enjoy!

  2. I am thinking Sous Vide the Steak and finish with the recipe on cast iron and chimicurri.
    What do you think?

  3. Hi! I have to make this for someone and they want to reheat it. Can I sear it and have them finish in the oven later that night? I know reheating steak can be awful. I don’t want to ruin it.  Thank you!

    1. Unfortunately you’re not able to place this in the refrigerator after searing it to finish later that night. It becomes a food safety issue. Sorry

  4. I am DEFINITELY making this tonight! I may be interpreting this wrong, but do you cook the steak in the oven or on the stove top?!

    1. It’s both, actually! First, use the stove top to get a sear on the steak and then move it into the oven – since you’re using a cast iron skillet, it can be used as a cooking vessel in the oven too.

      1. Thanks! I only use cast iron skillets for my steaks and usually use both stove top & oven…was making sure I wasn’t missing out on a better way!! : )

  5. Whats the reasoning behind salting the pan and not the steaks? I’ve always heard salting the steaks is a good idea to help dry them!

    1. Nope no reason, I updated it. Sometimes I salt the pan if the steaks are going to take up the whole pan, but it is just a quirk of mine. Updated the recipe to say salt the steaks to avoid confusion. 🙂

  6. I love a good steak and a good chimichurri sauce. This looks scrumptious. And I think I need to try cooking steak in my cast iron!

  7. Wow! What fantastic photos. The green in your chiichurri sauce just pops and looks so appetizing. I’m going to try making your recipe this weekend.

  8. I have been wanting to get a cast iron pan to try. This looks like a delicious recipe to try. My family would love it.

  9. This looks so delicious and easy to make. I have never tried Chimichurri sauce before. I am excited to try this recipe.

  10. I have never cooked a steak on a skillet, but would love to be able to. This recipe is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing.

  11. I have to tell my boyfriend about this one! It sounds so good. He always likes to make steak dinners for everyone when I’m out of town!

  12. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Every household should have a cast iron pan/skillet. There is just something about how food tastes after being cooked in one.

  13. I cook just about everything in my cast iron skillets! I love the and they are pretty much non-stick since I season mine all the time! I am mostly paleo so I love a good steak!!! Thanks for a great recipe and i know that I will be using that chimichurri on quite a few other things!

    1. I love hearing that, most of my friends wonder why I always use it because it is so heavy and they hate cleaning it. I think it is worth its weight in gold (and given the weight that is saying something!).

  14. My mouth watered just reading the title – seeing the picture was the icing on the cake! This looks and sounds so delicious. I’d love to try that chimichurri sauce.

  15. Wow that looks just gorgeous. I’ve never had chimichurri sauce before, but this? I’m willing to try. ASAP It looks amazing. That ribeye is perfection.

  16. This looks outstanding! It is a little different and I like that! My palette loves to try new things, so I need to try this out!

  17. I love a good steak. I have a cast iron pan reserved just for cooking steak. I can’t wait to try this recipe with the chimichurri sauce.

    1. Thanks! The cast iron skillet works great no matter the temperature of meat you’re trying for – the important thing is to get the sear on the outside!

  18. GORGEOUS! I am obsessed with chimichurri sauce and this post makes me realize I need to make some soon. I am generally afraid of cooking red meat like this ribeye but maybe I need to give it a try. This looks so good.

  19. I cook in my cast iron skillet daily (currently am browning sausage in it!). I was skeptical cooking a steak in it instead of grilling but in the middle of a blizzard a cast iron steak isn’t too shabby. Love the chimichurri sauce delicious and beautiful!

    1. Having been in some restaurant kitchens and having been invited back into a few to have chef’s meals, I can tell you without fail most of them cook steaks this way! It has ruining grilling steaks for me altogether!