Chimichurri Steak and Rice Bowls

Looking for a new simple but flavorful dinner recipe? These chimichurri steak and rice bowls come together easily and are packed with fresh ingredients. Tender steak, a bright chimichurri sauce, and a mix of cherry tomatoes, carrots, and cauliflower make this bowl both filling and balanced. It’s a great option for busy weeknights or meal prep!

How to Make These Steak and Rice Bowls

Steak Marinade

In an airtight container, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and salt.

Slice the steak into thin strips, about ?-¼ inch thick (think fajita meat thickness). Add the steak to the the marinade, and mix until all of the steak is coated in marinade. Put the lid on and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Chimichurri Sauce

This chimichurri recipe is simple and straightforward:

Add the light olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh parsley (finely chopped), minced shallot, minced garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, then mix it all together. Cover and refrigerate the chimichurri until you are ready to serve the steak and rice bowls.

Make sure to make the chimichurri an hour or two before serving so that the oil can absorb the flavor from the spices.

Steak Bowls

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin slices (the thinner the better, so that they cook fast in the oven). Chop the cauliflower into small chunks, and place the carrots and cauliflower on a baking sheet.

Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are almost completely cooked through.

While the vegetables are in the oven, make the rice. Cook it according to the packaging instructions in either a rice maker or a sauce pan--I like to add a few tablespoons of butter and some salt as well, but that's optional.

Once the vegetables are done cooking, add the sliced cherry tomatoes, as well as the steak in a single layer on top of the vegetables. Put them back in the oven for 10-14 minutes, until the steak is cooked through. (Mine is usually done after 10-11 minutes--make sure to check it right at the 10 minute mark. Steak cooks fast!)

Assemble the bowls, adding first the rice, then the steak and vegetables, and drizzle the chimichurri on top.

Which cut of steak should I use?

Many people lean towards flank or skirt steak for this type of recipe. However, after experimenting with marinating and baking different cuts of steak, I've found that top sirloin will always be my preferred cut in the oven.

Though you have to cut the sirloin more than you would need to with flank or skirt steak to get it to the right size, I have found that it's both more flavorful and tender. It also has less chunks of fat, which I will always prefer.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Light vs Regular Olive Oil: I use light olive oil in this recipe because I find that regular olive oil is overpowering and heavy in the chimichurri. For continuity, I use the light olive oil throughout the rest of the recipe as well. However, if you prefer regular olive oil, feel free to use that instead.
• Vegetables: I like the flavor combination of the tomatoes, carrots, and cauliflower in this recipe, but feel free to switch them out for your favorite vegetable combo!
• Rice: Switch out the rice for some potatoes to make this a heartier meal. Or, if you would like a lower carb meal, you could try cauliflower rice instead or leave out the rice completely.
• Red Pepper Flakes: If you are particularly sensitive to spice, try using less red pepper flakes or leave them out completely. (Though I do recommend leaving it in if you can tolerate a little heat--the red pepper flakes add some delicious kick!)

Cooking Tips

• Cut the steak against the grain. Doing so will keep the meat tender and easy to chew.
• Don't undercook the vegetables. Because the meat cooks fast, cook the vegetables almost completely before adding the steak. You don't want to finish cooking the steak to perfection and realize that the vegetables need more time.
• Don't overcook the steak. Thinly cut steak is easy to overcook. Check the meat right at 10 minutes, and if it's done, go ahead and take it out. I highly doubt the meat will need more than 12 minutes to cook, but it might if you have thicker slices.
• Prep the chimichurri ahead of time. Letting the chimichurri sit in the refrigerator a few hours before serving allows the flavors to combine and for the oil to absorb the flavor.

Other Bowl Recipes

Here are a few other popular All You Can Eats bowl recipes:

Teriyaki Salmon Bowls

Chicken Shawarma Bowls

Korean Ground Beef Bulgogi Bibimbap

If you try out these chimichurri steak and rice bowls or any of my other recipes, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe. If you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.

Now get cooking, and enjoy!