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    Home » Recipes » Mains

    Steak Pizzaiola - (Carne alla Pizzaiola)

    Published: Feb 19, 2020, Last updated: Feb 9, 2021 by Emily This post may contain affiliate links.

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    The easiest Steak Pizzaiola recipe made with juicy, perfectly cooked steak and a rich flavour-packed tomato sauce made with cherry tomatoes, olives, and capers. This super easy, stovetop recipe is ready in under 30 minutes. 

    Overhead shot of a skillet with steak in a tomato sauce with olives and basil

    Steak Pizzaiola or Carne all Pizzaiola translates as "meat pizza style". Originating from Naples it traditionally consisted of cheaps cuts of meat served in a rich tomato sauce with lots of garlic and oregano.

    It's super quick, easy and a great way to use cheap beef steaks and a few simple pantry ingredients.

    If you're not familiar with Pizzaiola sauce it's like a flavour bomb in your mouth!

    I absolutely LOVE it, a rich tomato sauce with white wine, herbs, garlic and salty olives and capers.

    Add in some steak and you've got yourself one DELICIOUS yet effortless meal.

    Better yet, it's easy enough to serve up on busy weeknights and impressive enough to share at your next dinner party!

    Ingredients - What You Need

    • Steak - you can use any steak you like for this recipe be it, sirloin, flat iron, skirt steak or rib eye. The important thing to remember is to use a steak that cooks quickly and not a slow cook stewing steak. I love to use thinly cut sirloin steak for this recipe because they're cheap and cheerful.
    • Garlic - fresh and finely sliced (the more the better in my opinion)
    • Cherry tomatoes - fresh cherry tomatoes are super sweet and delicious, use your favourite!
    • Tomato paste - since this sauce is super quick tomato paste helps to add a rich flavour minus the effort.
    • Vegetable stock - use high-quality vegetable or chicken stock for a flavour packed sauce!
    • Olives & Capers - salty and delicious, black or green olives will do.
    • Dried oregano 
    • Fresh basil - for serving

    How to Make Steak Pizzaiola - Step by Step

    Heat the olive oil in a large skillet/frying pan. Once hot cook the steaks to your liking, see the notes below on steak cooking times. Once cooked, set the steaks aside on a plate (photo 1).

    Turn the heat down to medium-low and add an extra drizzle of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a few seconds until fragrant (photo 2).

    Next, add the wine to deglaze the pan and scape/loosen any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 1 minute (photo 3 - 4).

    Step by step photos for making steak pizzaiola

    Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer until the skins start to wrinkle (about 5 minutes) (photo 5).

    Add the olives, capers, tomato paste, oregano and stock, stir to combine everything and bring to a simmer. Simmer the tomato sauce gently for 10 minutes (photo 6-7).

    Add the steaks back to the skillet with the sauce and cook until warmed through, serve garnished with some fresh basil (photo 8-9).

    Serving Suggestions and Sides

    I love to serve this steak and rich tomato sauce with some Italian roast potatoes or grilled veggies and salad. Some crusty bread is always a good idea to mop up every last drop of sauce!

    A close up of steak pizzaiola in skillet

    Top Tips for Making Steak Pizzaiola

    • Don't worry about the steak getting cold as you're cooking the sauce, it gets warmed back up in the sauce at the end.
    • You can use any steak you like for this recipe just make sure they are quick-cook steaks and not stewing beef.
    • You can use green or black olives for this recipe.
    • If you want to omit the alcohol then replace it with extra chicken or veg stock.
    • You can swap the steak for chicken or pork just make sure to cook it all the way through at the first stage of cooking and warm up in the sauce at the end.
    • Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed container, you can reheat it in a skillet until piping hot all the way through.
    • You can also freeze this for up to 3 months, thaw completely then reheat.

    More Italian Recipes You Might Like;

    • Penne Pomodoro (Tomato Basil Pasta)
    • Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Cream Sauce
    • Baked Chicken Meatballs in a Rich Tomato Sauce
    • Shrimp Linguine with Burst Tomatoes & Parsley
    • Pasta With Puttanesca Sauce (Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca)

    If you tried this Steak Pizzaiola or any other recipes on my blog please be sure to leave me a comment below to let me know how you got on, I love hearing from you. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

    Step By Step Photos AboveMost of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
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    5 from 6 votes

    Steak Pizzaiola

    The easiest Steak Pizzaiola recipe made with juicy, perfectly cooked steak and a rich flavour-packed tomato sauce made with cherry tomatoes, olives, and capers. This super easy, stovetop recipe is ready in under 30 minutes
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 17 minutes
    Total Time 22 minutes
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 260kcal
    Author Emily Kemp

    Ingredients

    • 4 steaks (I used thin cut sirloin)
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
    • 2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced in half (375g)
    • ½ cup green olives (60g or a small handful)
    • 1 teaspoon capers
    • 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock (250ml)
    • ⅓ cup white wine (80ml)
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 4-5 basil leaves for serving

    Instructions

    • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet/frying pan. Once hot cook the steaks to your liking, see the notes below on steak cooking times. For ¼ inch thick steaks I cook them for 30 seconds to 1 minute each side. Once cooked, set the steaks aside on a plate.
    • Turn the heat down to medium-low and add an extra drizzle of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a few seconds until fragrant.
    • Next, add the wine to deglaze the pan and scape/loosen any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 1 minute.
    • Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer until the skin start to wrinkle (about 5 minutes).
    • Add the olives, capers, tomato paste, oregano and stock, stir to combine everything and bring to a simmer. Simmer the tomato sauce gently for 10 minutes.
    • Add the steaks back to the skillet with the sauce and cook until warmed through, serve garnished with some fresh basil.

    Notes

    • Don't worry about the steak getting cold as you're cooking the sauce, it gets warmed back up in the sauce at the end.
    • You can use any steak you like for this recipe just make sure they are quick-cook steaks and not stewing beef.
    • You can use green or black olives for this recipe.
    • If you want to omit the alcohol then replace it with extra chicken or veg stock.
    • You can swap the steak for chicken or pork just make sure to cook it all the way through at the first stage of cooking and warm up in the sauce at the end.
    • Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed container, you can reheat it in a skillet until piping hot all the way through.
    • You can also freeze this for up to 3 months, thaw completely then reheat.
     
     

    Steak Cooking Time ( for thin cut ¼ inch sirloin steaks)

    These steaks are so thin you don't have much control when cooking them as you would thick cut steaks. I cook these steaks for 30 seconds to 1 minute each side then sit aside to rest before heating back up in the sauce. They won't be rare but any longer cooking they'll turn tough.

    For Thick Cut Steaks (1 inch / 2 cm)

    • Rare: ~ 1 and a half minutes each side
    • Medium rare: ~ 2 minutes each side
    • Medium: ~ 2 and a half minutes each side
    • Well done: 4 minutes each side

    Nutrition

    Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 400mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 513IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3mg
    Helpful Info for All Recipes
    • I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
    • When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
    • All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
    • All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
    • Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
    • Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
    • You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
    Did you try this recipe?Mention @insidetherustickitchen or tag #insidetherustickitchen! We'd love you see what you're getting up to in the kitchen!

    More Mains

    • Chicken Puttanesca
    • Italian Stuffed Eggplant (Mozzarella and Tomato)
    • Breaded Veal Cutlets with Parmesan Cream
    • Chicken Sorrentina (Pollo alla Sorrentina)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nikki

      August 22, 2021 at 1:21 am

      Literally am forced by my husband to make this on an almost bi weekly basis since the first production. It’s delicious. He’s hooked … and I use the recipe as a reference each time. Running a site takes work, and on behalf of the grateful people on the net, thank you - for not only gorgeous photography that was eye catching while searching for “the right recipe”, but insight, and variation ideas. What a win! .xx.

      Reply
    2. alex

      May 19, 2021 at 4:42 pm

      made it with garlic stuffed olives and italian seasoning very nice ,served with new potatoes and young broccoli
      really tasty ,thank u for the re i pie

      alex5 stars

      Reply
      • Emily

        May 20, 2021 at 1:16 pm

        Love the sides, sounds delicious!

        Reply
    3. Maria

      March 29, 2021 at 10:38 pm

      I made this for dinner and it was a big hit.
      My husband loved the different flavours, capers/olives.
      I used pitted Greek kalamata olives, it was so tasty.
      I will definitely make this over and over again!
      Thank you for this lovely recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Emily

        March 30, 2021 at 12:06 pm

        Thanks so much Maria, so happy to hear you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. JACQUELINE TRECCIOLI

      October 20, 2020 at 12:42 am

      Thats more like a puttanesca sauce... I am Sicilian this recipe is way off! I have had steak pizzaiola made by my mom, a few top notch restaurants in NYC.... Never made with caper's and Olives... This recipe is far from authentic..... I give it 0 star....

      Reply
      • Inside the rustic kitchen

        October 21, 2020 at 5:17 pm

        Ciao Jacqueline, Puttanesca sauce is very different from this recipe. Yes, they both contain olives and capers but Puttanesca does not contain the same herbs, stock or white wine. If you're not familiar with the recipe you can find it here https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/spaghetti-alla-puttanesca-recipe/. I'm also not sure what you being Sicilian has to do with this recipe? La Pizzaiola originates in Napoli and in fact olives and capers are very common ingredients although, like many Italian recipes there are many regional variations of this dish. I'm pretty sure American variations will be very different too.

        Reply
    5. Sandhya Hariharan

      February 19, 2020 at 2:53 pm

      Sauce in this Pizzaiola sounds fabulous. We are going to try is pretty soon.5 stars

      Reply
      • Inside the rustic kitchen

        February 19, 2020 at 8:11 pm

        Hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    6. Bry

      February 19, 2020 at 2:28 pm

      This recipe looks so delicious! It's the perfect way to cook steak without opting for more boring varieties - thanks for sharing!5 stars

      Reply
    7. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      February 19, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      My husband is a massive steak fan and he will love this. Can't wait to make it.5 stars

      Reply
    8. Adrianne

      February 19, 2020 at 9:49 am

      That sauce is to die for!! I love how rich it looks and I wish I was having it for dinner tonight. Love the touch of capers, they have such a unique taste. I can't wait to try this recipe out! Cheers5 stars

      Reply
      • Inside the rustic kitchen

        February 19, 2020 at 9:56 am

        Thanks so much Adrianne, hope you get a chance to try it!

        Reply
    9. Dannii

      February 19, 2020 at 9:47 am

      We don't eat meat often, but when we do it would be something like this. it looks amazing.

      Reply
      • Inside the rustic kitchen

        February 19, 2020 at 9:57 am

        Thanks Dannii!

        Reply

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