Here’s a bold, restaurant-style comfort meal: Garlic Butter Steak Bites & Smoky Chipotle Cream Cheese Pasta — rich, smoky, and ready in about 30 minutes. 🥩🔥🍝
🥩 Garlic Butter Steak Bites
🛒 Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 1½ lbs sirloin steak (or ribeye), cut into bite-size cubes
- Salt & black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or rosemary (optional)
- Fresh parsley (for garnish)
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Prep the Steak
- Pat dry (very important for a good sear).
- Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
2️⃣ Sear
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat.
- Add steak in a single layer (don’t overcrowd).
- Sear 1–2 minutes per side until browned.
- Remove from pan.
3️⃣ Garlic Butter Finish
- Lower heat to medium.
- Add butter and garlic to the pan.
- Once fragrant (about 30 seconds), return steak to pan.
- Toss in the garlic butter for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle with herbs and parsley.
🍝 Smoky Chipotle Cream Cheese Pasta
🛒 Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta (penne or fettuccine work well)
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup heavy cream or milk
- 1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the can)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- Salt to taste
- Optional: splash of pasta water
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Cook Pasta
- Boil according to package instructions.
- Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
2️⃣ Make Sauce
- In a skillet over medium heat, combine cream cheese and cream.
- Stir until smooth.
- Add minced chipotle and adobo sauce.
- Stir in Parmesan and smoked paprika.
- Thin with reserved pasta water as needed.
3️⃣ Combine
- Toss pasta in sauce until coated and creamy.
🍽 Serving
- Plate creamy pasta.
- Top with garlic butter steak bites.
- Garnish with parsley and extra Parmesan.
🔥 Tips
✔ Let steak rest at room temp 15–20 min before cooking.
✔ Use cast iron for best sear.
✔ Add spinach or mushrooms to pasta for extra flavor.
✔ Want extra heat? Add another chipotle pepper.
If you’d like, I can also give you:
- A one-pan version
- A low-carb version (steak + chipotle cauliflower mash)
- Or a lighter protein-packed version
Which one sounds good? 😋
