Steak Sandwich with Chimichurri Sauce

This chimichurri steak sandwich is easy and packed with flavor. Tender steak, melted provolone, fresh arugula, and zesty chimichurri come together on a crisp ciabatta roll.

The chimichurri brings plenty of flavor, so you don’t need much else. You can add sautéed mushrooms or caramelized onions, but they add extra cooking time, so I leave them out. I cook the steak in a skillet because it’s simple, reliable, and works year-round, but you can grill it or cook it however you prefer.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Steak:

• Steak: 1 to 1 1/2 pounds (454 to 680 grams). For best results, use a tender steak about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, such as ribeye, filet mignon, New York strip, picanha, Denver, or flat iron. Hanger, flank, skirt, and bavette also work well if you slice them thinly against the grain.
• Salt: Use about 1% of the steak’s weight in salt. For a 1 lb (454 g) steak, that’s about 0.16 oz (4.5 g) of salt, or roughly 1 1/2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of Morton kosher salt, or 3/4 teaspoon of table salt. I prefer kosher salt because it spreads more evenly and is easier to control than table salt.
• Oil: Use a neutral, high-smoke-point oil for searing. I use refined avocado oil most of the time because it has a neutral flavor and a smoke point of around 500°F (260°C). See the recipe notes for other options. Don’t use regular butter for searing because it burns too quickly at high heat.

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

• Olive oil: 1/2 cup (120 ml).
• Red wine vinegar: 2 tablespoons (30 ml).
• Parsley: 1 cup tightly packed fresh parsley leaves (stems removed).
• Garlic: 3-4 cloves, peeled.
• Red pepper flakes: 1 teaspoon.
• Oregano: 1/4 cup tightly packed fresh oregano leaves (stems removed).
• Salt: 1/2 teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
• Black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon.

For the Sandwiches:

• Ciabatta: 4 large rolls (about 3-4 oz / 85-115 g each) or 8 small rolls. I use ciabatta, but a baguette or any other crusty bread works just as well.
• Cheese: About 4 ounces (113 g) sliced provolone, or enough to cover the bread in a good layer. Provolone melts well and has a mild, clean flavor. American, Swiss, or blue cheese also work.
• Arugula: About 50 g fresh arugula.

Special Equipment You’ll Need

• Wire rack and rimmed baking sheet: For dry-brining the steak.
• Heavy 12-inch (30 cm) skillet: A cast-iron skillet works best, but carbon steel or heavy stainless steel also works. Don’t use a nonstick pan for searing.
• Long-handled tongs: For flipping and moving the steak without getting your hands too close to the hot pan and oil.
• Meat thermometer: Use an instant-read thermometer for a quick temperature check, or a leave-in probe thermometer to monitor the steak’s internal temperature as it cooks.
• Food processor (optional): Useful for quickly chopping and combining the chimichurri ingredients, though you can also make the sauce entirely by hand.

How to Make a Chimichurri Steak Sandwich

Prepare the Steak

Pat the steak dry with paper towels. Season it on both sides with salt equal to about 1% of the steak’s weight. For a 1-pound (454 g) steak, use about 0.16 ounce (4.5 g) of salt, which is roughly:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt,
• 1 teaspoon of Morton kosher salt,
• or 3/4 teaspoon of table salt.

Place the steak on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate it uncovered. Dry-brine it for 2 to 4 hours for the best results. The minimum dry-brining time is 1 hour.

Optional: If you don’t have at least 1 hour to dry-brine the steak, skip salting it in advance. Salt the steak immediately before searing, or season it with salt after cooking.

Make the Chimichurri Sauce

If you’re dry-brining the steak, make the chimichurri while it’s in the refrigerator. If you’re skipping the dry-brine, make the chimichurri first and let it sit for 30 minutes before serving so the flavors have time to develop.

You can make it two ways, depending on the equipment you have.

• By hand: Finely chop the parsley and oregano leaves. Finely chop, grate, or press the garlic, then add everything to a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and red wine vinegar, then add the red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Mix well, taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• In a food processor: Add the garlic, parsley, oregano leaves, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and red wine vinegar, then pulse just until combined. Don’t blend until smooth; keep some texture in the chimichurri.

Cover and refrigerate the chimichurri for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cook the Steak

Using leftover steak? Skip the cooking step, slice the steak thinly against the grain, and move on to assembling the sandwiches.

Take the steak and chimichurri out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking and let them sit at room temperature.

Searing over high heat gets smoky, so turn on your exhaust fan or open a window before you start. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat for 1 minute more. While the skillet heats up, pat the steak dry again. The drier the surface, the better the crust.

If the steak has a fat cap, such as a strip steak or picanha, hold it fat-side down with tongs and sear for 60 to 90 seconds, until the fat cap is well browned. Then lay the steak flat in the pan and cook, flipping every 30 seconds.

After about 2 minutes, start checking the steak’s internal temperature. Insert a meat thermometer horizontally into the thickest part of the steak, away from the bone and any large pockets of fat. Once it reaches the pull temperature for your preferred doneness in the chart below, transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Steak Temperature Chart

Desired doneness	Pull at internal temp	Final temp after resting
Rare	110°F (43°C)	125°F (52°C)
Medium-Rare	120°F (49°C)	135°F (57°C)
Medium	130°F (54°C)	145°F (63°C)
Medium-Well	140°F (60°C)	155°F (68°C)
Well-Done	150°F (66°C)	165°F (74°C)

Assemble the Steak Sandwiches

Once the steak has rested, slice it very thinly. If you’re using hanger, skirt, flank, or bavette, slice it against the grain. Not sure how? Check out my guide to slicing steak against the grain.

Split the ciabatta rolls lengthwise and place them cut-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread chimichurri over the bottom halves, then top with the sliced steak. Spoon a little more chimichurri over the steak and add the cheese.

Leave the sandwiches open and place the baking sheet under the broiler, close to the heating element. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bread lightly toasts. Remove from the oven, add the arugula, spread a little more chimichurri over the top halves of the rolls, then close the sandwiches. Serve immediately while still warm.

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Try Some of My Other Steak Recipes

• Chimichurri Steak Recipe
• Steak and Mashed Potatoes
• Pan-Seared 1/2-Inch-Thick Steak Recipe
• Blackened Steak Recipe
• Steak Frites Recipe