Steak Fajitas {Easy, One Pot Meal}
This Steak Fajita recipe is an easy one pot meal, that cooks in less than 30 minutes! It consist of zesty marinated steak slices sautéed with bell peppers and onions. Serve as is for a low-carb meal, or serve as tacos! (Instructions for Instant Pot and Crockpot are also included in notes.)
Servings: 6
Calories: 320kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef steak, cut into thin strips (I used petite sirloin steak, *see notes)
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon canola or avocado oil (or other oil with high smoke point)
Seasoning Blend:
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon chili powder (I used McCormick brand)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoon of the seasoning blend
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice, fresh squeezed
Garnish:
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- lime juice from half a lime
Instructions
- To a small bowl, add the ingredients for the seasoning blend, and mix well.
- In a large bowl, add the ingredients for the marinade, and mix well. Then add in the steak strips, tossing to evenly coat. Cover, and let marinate 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola or avocado oil.
- Once pan is really hot, add bell peppers, onions, and the remaining seasoning. Cook about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the veggie mixture from the pan, place in a bowl, cover and set aside.
- Wipe down any excess liquid left in the pan with a paper towel.
- Turn the heat back onto medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of canola or avocado oil. Once really hot, add half of the marinated steak strips. Cook about 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove the steak from the pan, and place in the bowl with veggies. Cook the remaining beef. Once done, add the reserved veggies and beef back in.
- Toss until well combined. Remove from the heat, garnish with cilantro, and squeeze in juice of half of a lime.
- Serve with warm tortillas, and optional toppings/sides such as: lime wedges, shredded cheese, guacamole, hot sauces, Mexican Crema, rice, beans.*See blog notes for more ways to serve!
Video
Notes
Cuts of Beef to use for Fajitas:
There are so many options on what cuts of beef you can use for fajitas, including (but not limited to): skirt steak, flank steak, sirloin steaks.
Honestly, with the price of beef right now, I just go with whatever is on sale! Lately petite sirloin steaks have been the cheapest, so that is what is pictured for this recipe.
But, we also tried it with Chuck steaks (very thinly sliced) because that is what we had on hand one day. The Chuck steak did take a bit longer to get tender while stir frying...but took the same amount of time in Instant pot and Crock Pot as the sirloin.
Alternative Cooking Methods:
This Steak Fajita recipe can be made in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot. However, both of these methods will result in extra liquid! But you can just use a slotted spoon to serve, and add more salt and pepper to taste.
I love that either of these methods are "skinnier" versions because you are not using additional oil to saute the beef or veggies. They are also both "dump and go" recipes...meaning less time spent in the kitchen!
*Note: If you prefer, you can sear the beef beforehand, but we found the taste was just as good without!
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Follow steps 1-2 of stove top instructions.
- Place the marinated beef strips into the Instant Pot insert, then top with the onions, the remaining seasoning, and ½ cup of beef or chicken broth.
- Close the lid and set the pressure valve to "sealing." Cook on "Manual" mode (or pressure cook on High) for 10 minutes.
- Once done, allow a 10 minute natural release, then set the valve to “venting”.
- Once the pin has dropped, open the lid, stir in the bell peppers, and close the lid for 5 minutes. (Note: This time allows the bell peppers to "steam" a bit and slightly soften. If you prefer your veggies even softer, you can set the Instant Pot to "0" on Manual Mode, followed by a quick release once it's done.)
- Taste for salt and pepper (I added ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
- Top with cilantro, and squeeze in juice of half a lime.
- There will be quite of bit of liquid left, so use a slotted spoon to strain some liquid out while serving.
Crock Pot Instructions:
- Follow steps 1-2 of stove top instructions.
- Place the marinated beef strips into the Crock Pot insert, then top with the onions and the remaining seasoning.
- Cover, and cook on "HIGH" for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours, until the beef is fork tender. (During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the bell peppers.)
- Taste for salt and pepper (I added ¼ teaspoon salt).
- Top with cilantro, and squeeze in juice of half a lime.
- There will be quite of bit of liquid left, so use a slotted spoon to strain some liquid out while serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.5g | Protein: 35.9g | Fat: 15.6g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 655mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 3.8g