Stuffed Flank Steak

This post was sponsored by Milk Means More, all opinions are my own.

Stuffed Flank Steak Pinwheels are impressive looking yet relatively easy to make. Filled with delicious cheese, roasted bell peppers, and spinach, it’s a meal that will be devoured!

It’s a beautiful presentation, especially for entertaining. But you don’t need to wait for a dinner party to serve this, it works great for a regular family meal too.

There are several variations of this for different flavors, and I’ll share some with you in the post. It pairs nicely with Instant Pot Wild Rice, or Perfect Asparagus.

Are you a steak lover? Flank steak is a pretty affordable cut of red meat. So if you have a larger family, or you’re entertaining, this is a great way to enjoy some red meat.

It’s the same cut of meat I use in my Steak Fajitas, and they are oh so tender!

Flank steak is somewhat known for being a tougher piece of meat, but you’ll see with this recipe how tender it can be when treated properly.

Good to know before you start

For Steak Pinwheels, you’ll need about 1 ½ pounds of flank steak butterflied. Have your butcher butterfly it for you. They’re experts and it saves you a step! I’ve included instructions on how to do it just in case that’s not an option.
You’ll need frozen spinach thawed. Take it out of the freezer a day ahead so it’s ready for you. Just let it thaw in a bowl in the fridge
This recipe calls for roasted peppers– I love doing these myself because the flavor is amazing, but, they sell roasted peppers in a jar, so if that’s easier for you, go for it.
The steak is tied up with kitchen twine. Have this out and ready before you begin.

How to butterfly the steak

It sounds fancy, but this just means to slice it horizontally, in half, but not all the way through, you want it to open like a book. You’re making the steak thinner.

Lay the steak out on a cutting board with the shorter end closest to you. It should be somewhat rectangular shaped, and you want to cut on the long side.
Put your hand on top to hold the steak in place, using a long sharp knife, lay it halfway down the edge of the steak, keeping it level with the cutting board.
Begin slicing the steak horizontally. Once you get a little way in, it helps to grab the edge that you just cut and slowly peel that back as you cut. Stop cutting when you are about an inch from the end. DON’T CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. Open the steak up like a book. Now it’s ready to stuff.

collage of 3 photos showing how to butterfly flank steak (slice horizontally)

How To Roast Peppers

Char the peppers by placing them, whole, on a rimmed baking sheet. Put them in the oven, under the broiler on high. They should be 1-2 inches from the broiler. The skin will turn completely black. You’ll need to turn the peppers so all sides are charred.
Using tongs, remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, let it rest 15 minutes.
After the peppers have rested, and are cool enough to touch, peel off the char, remove the stem and seeds, and dice.

Like playing with fire? You can also roast the peppers over a flame on a gas stove. Use tongs and an oven mitt! Simply use the tongs to hold the pepper over the open flame. This is a more hands-on approach.

How to make Stuffed Flank Steak

Ingredients

red bell pepper
yellow bell pepper– both bell peppers are tender with a touch of sweetness and smokiness after roasting
egg yolk- acts like glue, it will hold all the stuffing together
frozen spinach- needs to be thawed, and moisture squeezed out, see post for tips
garlic– because, YUM! flavor!
blue cheese– strong and tangy. If you’re not a fan substitute with gorgonzola, goat cheese, or your favorite.
breadcrumbs- absorbs moisture and adds texture, and also acts as a binding agent.
lemon juice- flavor booster
balsamic vinegar– adds fullness and tang
flank steak, butterflied
salt & pepper– salt adds flavor as well as tenderizes the meat, be generous.

Instructions

STEP ONE: Prep ingredients

Roast the peppers (how to above)
Butterfly the steak if your butcher didn’t do it for you. (how to above)
While the peppers are resting, combine the rest of the stuffing ingredients in a bowl. Once you’ve finished with the peppers, add them in and stir.

STEP TWO: Stuff the steak

Spread the spinach mixture over the meat, leaving a one-inch border around the edges. If the filling is too close to the edges it will ooze out during cooking.
Starting with the long edge, roll the steak up and secure it with 3 pieces of kitchen twine.
Sprinkle the roll with salt and pepper.

STEP THREE: Cook

Place the stuffed steak on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 425° oven for 35 minutes.
Then move the pan to the broiler. My broiler is in the top of my oven, so I move the pan to the upper third rack and turn the broiler on. The meat can be 3-5 inches away from the broiler.

A broiler is a heating unit in the top of an oven, and when it’s on, that is the only heat source to cook your food. It’s great for toasting bread, browning things up (think bubbly cheese), or charring a bit (like in this fajita recipe)

Broil for 10 minutes, turning once. This will brown up the meat and give it a golden crust.

Notes:

To get a head start, you can prepare the peppers the day before, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
Thaw the spinach the day before or well before you start your recipe.
Use the cheese of your choice. We love blue cheese, but goat cheese, feta, or gorgonzola also tastes wonderful! You can even use shredded mozzarella or provolone.
For a low carb option, substitute almond flour or for the bread crumbs
Use 2 sets of tongs to turn the meat halfway through it’s broiling time. Take it out the oven, use a pair of tongs in each hand and grab the ends of the steak roll, turn it halfway, and put it back in the oven.
Any color bell peppers work, but I think that red, orange or yellow taste the best.

More Steak Recipes

Recipes for Entertaining

Chicken Tinga
Braised Beef with Cranberries
Fool-proof Roasted Turkey
White Chicken Chili
Pear & Blackberry Salad

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