Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce (Video)

Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce is delicious and easy to make, and this is a perfect option when you want steak for a special dinner! And you’ll love this tasty low-carb steak dinner cooked in a cast-iron grill pan. 

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Even in these days when beef is so much more expensive than it used to be, I bet lots of people would still love to make a juicy steak like this Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce for a special dinner. And there’s one of those special-dinner holidays coming up this month, so I’m featuring this tasty steak recipe as my as my Friday Favorites pick for this week!

And this would be a great dinner idea for Valentine’s Day, or any time you feel like celebrating with a steak dinner. When you cook your steak dinner indoors on a stovetop grill pan, you can enjoy it any time of year. And definitely you can make this pan-grilled steak recipe on an outdoor grill as well, but I love my cast-iron grill pan when it’s not grilling weather!

For this pan-grilled steak recipe I used two large New York steaks that I cut in half to make four 6-ounce servings of steak. That makes this more affordable, and you can still enjoy plenty of tasty bites of grilled steak. This really is such a delicious idea for a special meal; I hope the pictures will entice you to try it if you’re a steak lover!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• top loin, top sirloin or New York steak
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• Steak Rub, preferably Szeged Steak Rub (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• salt
• Dijon mustard (affiliate link)
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• good-quality pitted black olives
• pitted green olives
• pitted Kalamata olives

What kind of olives can you use for the olive sauce?

This recipe uses three kind of olives to make the tasty olive sauce. But if some of those olive varieties are not a winner at your house, just use the type of olives your family prefers.

What kind of grill pan did I use for the pan-grilled steak?

I cooked the steak you see in these photos on a Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link) made of cast iron. I do love cast iron for this type of pan, but there are also other good options.

How can you tell when steak is done to your liking?

Using an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) is the best way to tell when steak has reached a certain level of doneness. Here’s a chart that shows levels of doneness and corresponding temperatures.

Want more ideas for grilled steak?

Check out my collection of Amazing Keto Steak Recipes for more tasty options for cooking steak on a grill pan or an outdoor grill.

How to Make Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. This recipe uses canned black olives, green olives, and Kalamata olives for the olive sauce, but feel free to substitute any olives you prefer.
2. Put sauce ingredients and half of olive oil in food processor.
3. Pulse until olives are coarsely chopped, then blend at full speed for a few seconds 
4. Remove from processor and stir in olive oil.
5. Trim fat as much as you prefer. I cut two very large New York Steaks in half.
6. Rub steak on both sides with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Szeged Steak Rub (affiliate link), Kalyn’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, or steak rub of your choice.
7. Put cast iron grill pan on top of stove, turn burner to medium, and heat pan for a few minutes. (If the pan starts to slightly smoke, it’s hot enough!)
8. Lay steaks at a diagonal and cook until grill marks are showing, about 3 minutes.
9. Rotate and cook about 3 minutes more on first side, or until you see nice grill marks when you lift the corner.
10. Then turn and cook 3-5 minutes more on second side, depending on how done you like it.
11. I cooked my one-inch thick steaks exactly 10 minutes and they were perfectly medium-rare.
12. If you have an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link), this is a good time to use it.  
13. Of course, the steak could also be cooked on any type of outdoor grill.
14. Let steak rest about 5 minutes, then serve with olive sauce spooned over the top.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

For a low-carb meal, this pan-grilled steak would be great with something like Twice-Baked Cauliflower, Loaded Cauliflower Mock Potato Salad, or Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms with Everything Bagel Seasoning.

More Fun Recipes with Olives:

• Baked White Fish with Onions, Peppers, Olives, and Feta
• Skillet Chicken with Lemon, Green Olives, and Capers
• Tomato, Egg, and Olive Salad

Continue to Content

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Yield: 4 servings

Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This tasty recipe for Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce is a perfect way to cook steak when it's not grilling weather, or cook it on any type of outdoor grill!

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 4 lean, tender steaks, about 6 oz. each (see notes)
• 2 tsp. olive oil, to rub steak
• 1 tsp. Steak Rub (see notes)
• salt and fresh ground pepper to rub steak

Olive Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. garlic puree (ground garlic, or use finely-minced fresh garlic)
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
• one 6 oz. can good-quality pitted black olives (slightly over 1 cup of olives)
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives (without pimento preferred)
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 4 T olive oil

Instructions

1. Remove steaks from refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
2. This recipe uses canned black olives, green olives, and Kalamata olives for the olive sauce, but feel free to substitute any olives you prefer.
3. Put garlic, salt, dijon mustard, lemon juice,olives, and half of olive oil in food processor or mini-chopper.
4. Pulse until olives are coarsely chopped, then blend at full speed for a few seconds to combine all ingredients.
5. Remove from processor and put in large glass measuring cup or a bowl, stir in the rest of the olive oil.
6. Trim fat from the steak (as much as you prefer). I cut two very large New York Steaks in half to make four 6 oz. servings.
7. Rub steak on both sides with olive oil, salt, pepper, and steak rub.
8. Put cast iron grill pan on top of stove, turn on burner to medium, and heat pan for a few minutes before putting meat in pan. (If the pan starts to slightly smoke, it’s hot enough!)
9. Lay steaks at a diagonal and cook until grill marks are showing, about 3 minutes.
10. Rotate and cook about 3 minutes more on first side, or until you see nice grill marks when you lift up the corner.
11. Then turn and cook 3-5 minutes more on second side, depending on how done you like it.
12. I cooked my one-inch thick steaks exactly 10 minutes and they were perfectly medium-rare.
13. If you have an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link), this is a good time to use it. For medium-rare, the temperature should be 130F; here's a chart for other levels of doneness and corresponding temperatures.
14. Of course, the steak could also be cooked on any type of outdoor grill.
15. Remove steak from pan and let rest about 5 minutes, then serve with olive sauce spooned over the top.

Notes

I used two large thick New York steaks that I cut in half to make four 6 oz. servings. Use a tender cut like top loin, top sirloin or New York steak for this recipe. Use Szeged Steak Rub (affiliate link), Kalyn's Montreal Steak Seasoning, or steak rub of your choice to rub the steak.

This recipes makes a little over one cup of olive sauce, which will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. The sauce would be good on tomatoes, chicken breasts, or fish, or as a spread on sandwiches.

This Recipe from Food to Live By (affiliate link) with slight adaptations by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 386Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 7.5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 934mgCarbohydrates: 5.1gFiber: 2.7gSugar: .4gProtein: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce is a great dish for low-carb or Keto diet plans, and if you use approved lean steaks, this would also be a good main course for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling or Beef Recipes for more tasty ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This pan-grilled steak recipe was first posted in 2007 and finally (!) updated with better photos in September 2020. It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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