Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet

Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet makes a perfect special occasion dinner, whether it's Date Night or a holiday dinner for two.

---

This quick Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet is one of our favorite go-tos for Date Night.

Although there's some resting time involved, the hands-on cooking is only 20 minutes.

That makes this meal totally doable for a midweek dinner!

My Smoked Baked Beans would be a great side dish. There is so much flavor and don't worry, no fancy smokers required.

A diet for the New Year

After holiday gluttony, Phil and I usually try to reign in our diet for a month or two.

Our preferred strategy is to cut down on alcohol, sugar, and grains.

I guess that what we do is paleo...ISH. But we really try not to think too hard about it and simply combine better diet with exercise.

(I write more about that in Healthy Living: Running and Veggies)

This year, we're asking ourselves, "why not start on New Year's Eve?"

After all, wouldn't you be thrilled with a delicious, perfectly cooked steak if you had a special New Year's Eve dinner at your local steakhouse?

BONUS: a home-cooked "steakhouse dinner" is budget-friendly! Not to mention that there's no driving or crowds involved. WIN!

Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet: how does it fit with my diet?

Low carb/Atkins/Keto

I will carefully say that Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet is a lowER carb dinner.

If you are on a strictly low carb diet, be aware that while these ingredients fit within the dietary restrictions, they do contain some carbohydrates that you'll need to count toward your daily limit—particularly the onions.

Whole 30/Paleo/Gluten-free

Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet has only a few ingredients, none of which are grains or processed sugars.

The one ingredient that doesn't fit with these diets is the Maggi Seasoning Sauce (which Phil and I refer to as "Magic Sauce").

The sauce is highly processed, so it's not acceptable for either Whole 30 or Paleo.

Instead, you can substitute coconut aminos. They'll also give you a nice umami, slightly salty flavor.

Coconut aminos will also ensure that your Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet is gluten free.

Shopping for steaks, the budget-friendly way

Porterhouse and ribeye steaks are our favorites for Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet.

What we buy depends on what deals we find.

You can usually find incredible bargains on steak and roasts right after holidays!

One of our most frequent strategies is to buy a boneless rib roast (on sale, of course) and slice it into ribeye steaks ourselves.

We vacuum seal any steaks that we don't eat up right away and keep them in the freezer.

Our local grocery has occasional raging sales on steaks for no apparent reason, which is how we happened to score the porterhouse featured in the main picture for this post.

Making your Steak Mushroom Onion Skillet

The steps I explain here are summarized in the preparation collage below.

Resting the steak (pre-cook)

It's important to let your steak rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before you start cooking.

To prep the steak, dry it off really well with paper towels.

While your steak rests, you can prep the onions and mushrooms.

I start heating up my cast-iron skillet when the steak has been coming to room temperature for about 25 minutes.

(Note: if you're cooking more than one steak, you'll either need a really large skillet or heat 2 cast-iron skillets, doubling the butter and oil.)

Cooking the steak

Liberally salt and pepper the steak on one side.

Then, place the steak, seasoned side down, into the skillet and season the other side.

Give the steak about 5 minutes in the skillet without disturbing it.

Then, check the steak: when it's caramelized on the bottom, flip it and continue cooking until the second side is caramelized and the steak has reached your desired doneness. (More on the doneness below!)

Spoon the butter and olive oil mix over the steak several times as it cooks.

Resting the steak while you cook the veggies

Remove steak to a cutting board to rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the mushrooms and onions to the skillet (don't wipe it out!).

Saute until the mushrooms give up their juice and the onions have softened, scraping the skillet often with a wooden spatula.

Next, add in the Maggi seasoning (or coconut aminos) and continue sauteing for an additional 5 minutes.

Slice up the steak and serve with the vegetables.

The "face test" for steak doneness

I always wondered how to check the approximate doneness of my steak without repeatedly poking it with a thermometer as it cooks.

As it turns out, there IS a way.

It's not something I'd recommend doing in public, since it involves poking yourself in the face.

Yes, really.

If you poke the meat and:

• it has about the same "give" as when you poke yourself in the hollow (fleshy part) of your cheek, the steak is approximately medium rare. There should be very little resistance.
• it has about the same give/resistance as when you poke yourself in the fleshy part of your chin, the steak is approximately medium. (Slightly less give, slightly more resistance.)
• it has about the same resistance as when you poke yourself in the forehead, the steak is approximately well-done. (Very little give, much more resistance.)

Of course, the final test is to check the meat with an instant-read thermometer.

Check the recipe below for a breakdown of temperatures for the various degrees of doneness.

Note on serving porterhouse steaks: be sure that everyone gets a mix of the tenderloin and the strip (you can see the parts of a porterhouse steak here).

What side dishes go with steak?

Mashed potatoes are always a winner! To make this meal feel even more like you're eating out at a fancy steakhouse, try my Easy Skin-On Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish!

That's it! Even with the resting time, this meal is done in less than an hour. Plus, it involves a single pan, so cleanup is a breeze. I wish you all a wonderful New Year!

—xoxo Michelle