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When steak night mingles with pizza night, you get my sensational steak pizzaiola—a restaurant-quality Italian classic that’s completely doable on a weeknight.
Tender strip steaks are perfectly seared, then bathed in a chunky tomato sauce layered with mushrooms, roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of sun-dried tomatoes. It’s rich, saucy, and full of bold Italian flavor—the kind of dinner that feels special without ever leaving home.
If your family loves hearty Italian comfort food, you’ll want to try my chicken scarpariello — a true reader favorite — or my cozy Italian baked meatballs, which rival anything from your favorite trattoria.
For something a little lighter, chicken francaise brings bright, restaurant-quality elegance, while my lasagna soup proves every recipe here is tested, family-approved, and downright crave-worthy.
Why This Recipe Works
- Restaurant-worthy flavor at home – Bold, complex sauce meets tender, juicy steak.
- Totally weeknight friendly – Ready in about an hour with familiar, easy steps.
- Versatile serving options – Perfect with pasta, polenta, gnocchi, or crusty bread.
- Leftovers reinvented – That sauce doubles as a topping for eggs, chicken, or sandwiches.
✨ Before You Start
✨ Pick the right cut: Strip steak is my choice—juicy, flavorful, and tender enough for a weeknight cook.
✨ Get your skillet hot: A cast-iron pan gives you that golden-brown sear and develops irresistible fond (browned bits = pure flavor).
✨ Sauce magic: This is no ordinary tomato sauce—balsamic, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes create depth and richness.
✨ Don’t forget the rest time: Letting steaks rest before slicing keeps every bite juicy.
✨ Finishing touches matter: A sprinkle of Parmesan and fresh basil takes it straight into trattoria territory.
Steak Pizzaiola Ingredients
(Notes for clarity only — full list is in the recipe card below)
- Strip steaks (about 1-inch thick): Ribeye works too, but strip steak keeps things lean and tender.
- Cremini mushrooms: Meaty and earthy; button mushrooms work in a pinch.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Add a tangy punch and deepen the sauce.
- Balsamic vinegar: Brightens and balances the richness.
- Roasted red peppers: Sweet, smoky, and colorful.
- Fresh basil + shaved Parmesan: Essential Italian finishers.
How to Make Steak Pizzaiola
⭐ Pro Tips
⭐ Serious about searing: Use vegetable or canola oil—both can handle high heat. Only add two steaks at a time to a 12-inch skillet so the pan stays hot enough to brown instead of steam.
⭐ Keep basil green: Slice basil into thin strips (chiffonade) just before serving. For longer hold, cover cut basil with a damp paper towel, or drizzle your knife with oil before chopping to slow browning.
⭐ Sauce beyond steak: Don’t toss leftovers—this sauce is incredible spooned over eggs, tossed with chicken, or even used in sandwiches. Try warming it with shredded pot roast and layering on hoagie rolls with sliced pepperoncinis for a next-level Italian sub.
⭐ Pair it well: Pasta is classic, but creamy polenta or gnocchi are excellent too. And don’t skip the crusty bread—it’s essential for sopping up the sauce.
Storing, Reheating, Freezing, and Make-Ahead Tips
Storing
- Cool completely and refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating
- Warm gently in a skillet over medium heat. For larger portions, cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F (177ºC) oven for 15–20 minutes. If stored in glass or ceramic, let it come to room temperature before placing in the oven.
Freezing
- Freeze the sauce separately (up to 2 months) for best results. Steaks are best enjoyed fresh.
Make-Ahead
- Make the sauce up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat and finish with freshly seared steak.
Food Safety
- If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.
What to Serve With Steak Pizzaiola
Balance the hearty flavors with a fresh starter like my Mediterranean salad or a crisp Italian pasta salad. Cozy breads like garlic bread or homemade crescent rolls are perfect for soaking up every drop of that sauce.
And for dessert, go full trattoria-style with tiramisu or my Italian Christmas cookies. They bake up in a big batch, freeze beautifully, and are just as delicious year-round as they are during the holidays.
More Italian Meaty Dinner Recipes
- Italian Sunday Gravy
- Italian Sausage and Peppers
- Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches
- Balsamic Chicken
- Chicken Vesuvio
- Chicken Scarpariello
- Chopped Italian Sandwich
Tried This Recipe?
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Steak Pizzaiola
Ingredients
- 4 strip steaks about 1-inch thick
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms trimmed and sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (12-ounce) jar sliced roasted red peppers drained and chopped
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup basil leaves julienned
Instructions
- Pat steaks (4) dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the steaks generously with salt and pepper.
- In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil, over medium-high heat, just until smoking. Add half the steaks and sear, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining steaks. Transfer steaks to the plate and set aside.
- Carefully wipe out most of the oil from the skillet (I used paper towels, gripped with long-handled tongs) leaving the brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil, onions (1 cup), mushrooms (8 ounces), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the skillet and saute until the onions are soft, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic (1 tablespoon), dried Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons), and the sun-dried tomatoes (1/4 cup), and continue to cook for 1 minute. Stir in balsamic vinegar (1/4 cup), scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet, and cook until most of the vinegar evaporates. Add crushed tomatoes (1 can), roasted red peppers (12-ounce), and water (3/4 cup). Bring to a rapid simmer, then nestle the steaks in the sauce and continue to simmer, turning the steaks once, 5-7 minutes. Remove the steaks to a cutting board and allow rest for 5 minutes. Continue to simmer the sauce until it thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
- Place the whole steak on plates or thinly slice the steaks against the grain, and divide among plates. Top with the sauce, a sprinkle of shaved Parmesan (1/2 cup) and julienned basil (1/4 cup), and serve.
Notes
- Serious about searing – Make sure you use an oil with a high smoke point in this recipe to ensure a quality sear.
- I recommend either vegetable oil or canola so your oiled pan gets really hot before actually smoking. Definitely don’t crowd the pan, either, since too much steak will drop the temperature of the skillet significantly and leave you with sad, grey meat.
- I only add 2 steaks at a time to my 12-inch skillet.
- Bruised basil – Basil oxidizes just like apples do, and bruising (which is essentially what you’re doing when you chop it) speeds up that process.
- For this reason, I usually chop mine right before I’m getting ready to serve this dish. There are a few tips, though, to keep it greener awhile longer.
- Make sure your knife is sharp, and try using a technique called “chiffonade.” Stack the leaves on top of each other, roll them tightly into a long tube, then cut thin strips across the short side.
- You can put these shreds into a bowl and cover them with a damp paper towel for a few hours.
- Another trick is to spray or brush your knife with a little oil before chopping. This essentially covers the cut edges of the basil with a little oil to slow down the oxidizing process.
- Serve with Pasta: I like to serve Steak Pizzaiola with pasta, of course, because it’s a great way to keep from wasting those saucy bits on your plate. Polenta or gnocchi are good options too, and you’ll want some crusty bread and a bottle of red handy since no Italian meal is complete without it.
- Leftover sauce: If you have any leftover sauce, don’t throw it away. It’s a great topping for poached or fried eggs if you’re having a brunch get-together or for repurposing leftover chicken or pork.
- Try warming the sauce with leftover pot roast shreds, then adding that to some hoagie rolls with sliced pepperoncinis for some serious Italian sandwiches.
This Easy Steak Pizzaiola recipe sounds fantastic! I love how simple yet delicious it looks. Can’t wait to try it at home for a cozy dinner. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! We’re glad you like this. Enjoy and let us know how it turns out 🙂
This Steak Pizzaiola recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love how simple the ingredients are, and the combination of flavors sounds spot on. Can’t wait to give it a try this weekend!
Thanks! Enjoy 🙂
This Easy Steak Pizzaiola recipe looks amazing! I love how simple yet flavorful it is. Can’t wait to try it out this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I’m glad you like this. Ejoy!
This steak pizzaiola recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love how simple yet flavorful it is. Can’t wait to try it for dinner this week! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I’m glad you like this steak!
This steak pizzaiola recipe looks amazing! I love how simple the ingredients are, yet it seems so flavorful. I can’t wait to try this for dinner this week. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome. I hope you try it soon!