Perfect Pairs: 10 BEST Side Dishes to Serve with Flank Steak

Flank steak is a cut of beef from the abdominal muscles that are usually grilled or broiled.

It has little fat, so it should be marinated before cooking to avoid drying out and toughening.

Flank steak can be cooked into a pot roast and is commonly served thinly sliced for fajitas or in Chinese stir fry dishes.

There are several ways to cook the flank steak, and the best way depends upon individual preferences and what is available.

Flank steak can be broiled in the oven without marinating, but it tastes much better after being marinated for several hours or overnight.

Some people like to use a teriyaki sauce as a marinade for flank steak, while others prefer to marinate it in Italian dressing.

Once the meat has been marinated, it should be cooked quickly over very high heat on the stovetop or under the broiler.

Flank steak should always be sliced thinly against the grain to make it more tender.

Many side dishes go well with flank steak, including rice and vegetables, but the starches are often better suited to more substantial cuts of beef.

Potatoes or mashed potatoes are a popular choice for flank steak fajitas, typically served in tortillas as tacos.

In this article, we will give you some ideas for side dishes that are perfect for filling with flank steak.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Flank Steak?

Although the flank steak is the primary focus of a meal, several side dishes also go very well.

If you don’t have time to make an elaborate large dinner or if you’re cooking for yourself, flank steak is nice to eat by itself with a vegetable such as broccoli and some rice.

However, if you love vegetables or want a complete meal, several side dishes go very well with it.

Another reason for serving side dishes with flank steak is that they tend to be less complicated and time-consuming than other types of beef.

Pot roast or roast beef, for example, take several hours in the oven because they are simmered using low heat.

Although these are delicious meals if you want something fast and easy to cook that tastes just as good or better, try a flank steak instead.

What to Serve with Flank Steak? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Flank steak is best served with any number of side dishes.

Some good options include rice, potatoes or mashed potatoes, and a vegetable such as broccoli.

When you go to a restaurant that serves flank steak, you will often find it paired with rice and a side of vegetables such as carrots.

Here are ten ideas for side dishes that go very well with flank steak:

1 – Potatoes or Mashed Potatoes

Cooked potatoes or mashed potatoes are a traditional accompaniment for flank steak served in tortillas.

These can be served in the same way as tacos with lettuce and tomato, or they can be rolled up inside the tortilla and eaten more like burritos.

Of course, if you want to serve them as side dishes instead of as part of a meal, they can be eaten on their own as well.

To make potatoes or mashed potatoes to serve with flank steak, parboil them and then mash them.

Then season with salt and pepper and add a pat of butter before serving.

You can also add a bit of cheese if you like and serve them with sour cream.

2 – Tahini Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli is a vegetable that goes very well with flank steak, especially when served with tahini roasted broccoli.

To make this side dish, cut the broccoli florets into small pieces and steam until bright green.

Then transfer them to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, turmeric powder, and tahini paste.

Bake for 20 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

This side dish is great by itself or as a topping for cooked rice.

It’s also a popular way to prepare broccoli at home because it tastes delicious and is easy to make.

3 – Roasted Carrots with Garlic

Roasted carrots are another delicious side dish that goes well with flank steak served in tortillas.

To make this, parboil the carrots and then roast them with butter, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

This is a very simple dish that you can serve on its own or with rice.

It’s also an excellent way to get kids to eat vegetables because they taste sweet and buttery.

4 – Curried Rice

Curried rice is another traditional side dish for flank steak served with tortillas.

This goes well with the fajitas in the same way that Mexican rice does, but it has more Indian or Asian flair.

To make this side dish, sauté chopped onions in butter in a pot until they are soft, and then add curry powder, cumin powder, and red chili pepper flakes.

Add cooked rice to the mixture and stir everything together before serving with lime wedges or lemon wedges if you prefer.

5 – Green Salad

You can also serve a simple green salad as a side dish for flank steak.

To make this, wash and tear some lettuce or spinach leaves and arrange them on a plate.

You can drizzle the greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to give them more flavor, but it’s not necessary.

If you want some additional flavor and nutrients, you can add tomatoes, cucumbers, or other vegetables of your choice.

Just make sure to slice or chop the vegetables up into small pieces before adding them to your salad.

You can also make a more formal salad by adding grilled vegetables to a bed of lettuce.

For example, grill some eggplant and zucchini slices until golden brown on both sides before serving them as cold side dishes for flank steak.

6 – Roasted Mushroom Salad

Mushrooms are another vegetable that goes well with flank steak.

They’re a very traditional side dish in many parts of the world.

To make this side dish, cut mushrooms into thin slices and sauté them in butter in a skillet until they’re soft.

Then add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

This side dish can be served on its own, but it’s also suitably topped for cooked grains like rice or couscous.

You can choose either button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms to make this dish.

Button mushrooms are more common and taste fine, but cremini mushrooms have a deeper and more complex flavor.

Try them out for this recipe if you can get your hands on some cremini mushrooms; otherwise, the button variety will do just as well.

7 – Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato fries are a great way to serve potatoes as a side dish with flank steak.

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into thin strips, toss them with oil and spices like chili powder, cumin powder, and garlic powder, put them on baking sheets, and bake them for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can also fry the sweet potato strips in oil before adding the spices and baking them.

8 – Corn on the Cob

You can also serve corn as a side dish for flank steak, either grilled or boiled.

To boil corn, bring water to a boil in a pot with salt added to it if desired.

Then add the ears of corn and cook them until they’re tender.

You can also wrap each ear of corn in aluminum foil before putting them on the grill or the campfire to make grilled corn on the cob.

Just remove the husk and silk from each ear first, wrap it tightly in a piece of tinfoil and place it over hot coals for about 10 minutes.

The result is a sweet, smokey corn side dish perfect for grilled flank steak.

9 – Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are another vegetable you can add to your flank steak plate.

You don’t even need to cook them, so they’re straightforward to make and serve as a side dish for flank steak.

Just cut them in half if they aren’t already, brush olive oil on them and sprinkle salt and pepper or other spices like garlic powder and cumin powder.

Then place them cut side down on a hot grill for about 10 minutes or until they start to char slightly.

Finally, turn them over and grill the other side for another five minutes.

The result is a crispy, tasty side dish of Brussels sprouts that goes perfectly with flank steak.

10 – Steamed Spinach with Lemon and Butter

Steamed spinach flavored with lemon and butter is another simple but tasty way to serve vegetables as a side dish for flank steak.

To make this dish, wash your spinach well and steam it until it’s tender.

Then top off the dish with a bit of fresh lemon juice and some butter before serving it up with your steak.

You can also add some garlic powder or sprinkle crushed red pepper into the spinach if you’d like to give the dish a little more flavor.

Conclusion

Flank steak is a delicious and tender cut of meat that can be made even better with some side dishes to go along with it.

These ten options are all solid choices for what you could serve as side dishes with your flank steak, but you should feel free to add in or substitute any other side dish you like, as long as it goes well with flank steak.

Also, there’s no need to limit yourself to these ten side dishes if you don’t want to.

All of them can be mixed and matched with other foods, too, so feel free to experiment with your creations.

As usual, thanks for reading, and I look forward to your feedback in the comments section below.

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