Ribeye Steak Pasta Puttanesca

This Ribeye Steak Pasta Puttanesca is perfect for the meat eater in your life and simple enough for a fabulous weeknight meal. A classic and simple pasta dish with cherry tomatoes, olives and capers and a perfectly pan fried ribeye steak.

Sometimes after a long day, all I can think is ‘I deserve a steak’, am I alone in this? This ribeye cut is super flavorful, especially when cooked to my ideal medium rare. It’s served over a pasta chock full of salty capers, soft cooked tomatoes, fragrant garlic, and Kalamata olives.

Believe me when I say that this dish is perfect for any night of the week, it is just so deeply satisfying and tasty. I like to top it all off with some quality freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley. What more could you possibly want?

What Is Pasta Puttanesca?

This pasta dish was invented in Naples Italy long ago. It typically includes nice olive oil, anchovies, tomatoes, olives, garlic, and capers all cooked down with some spaghetti. I’ve decided to ax the anchovies today and instead used some beautifully seasoned and seared steak as the protein portion of this dish.

Ribeye

I usually love a good steak and often I’ll buy a nice ribeye to fry up for hubs and I. I like to cook with ribeye because it is so flavorful and tender. It usually has a good marbling of fat which makes it very good for fast and hot cooking.

Ingredients

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Steak

• Steak – Today I used ribeye for its flavor and ability to stand up to fast high cooking.
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
• Butter and olive oil – We want to use these together to sear our steak. The olive oil will prevent the butter from burning so you still get that brown butter flavor.

Pasta

• Pasta – I used rigatoni today.
• Butter – Unsalted today to control the sodium in our dish.
• Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
• Olives – Today I used Kalamata olives pitted.
• Tomatoes – I’m using cherry tomatoes which are packed full of concentrated flavor and cook down nicely.
• Capers – Be sure to include this salty little addition to your dish, it’ll add some acidity and salt.
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
• Pasta water – This is a secret key to achieving a pasta sauce that is glossy and well combined.
• Cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
• Parsley – Chopped up fresh.

How To Make Ribeye Steak Pasta Puttanesca

1. Prepare the pasta: Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse it under cold water to stop it from cooking any further. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. Cook the steak: Season the steak generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the skillet on high heat then add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted and the pan is really hot, you should see wisps of smoke, add the steak and cook the first side for 5 minutes, flip over and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Finish the ribeye: Transfer the steak to a cutting board or plate and cover with aluminum foil. Do not slice it right away as all the juices will come out and you’ll end up with a dry steak. Wait at least 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into it.
4. Cook the aromatics: Drain the skillet and add another tbsp of butter to it. Once the butter has melted add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds until the garlic becomes really fragrant.
5. Combine the dish: Add the tomatoes, olives and capers to the skillet then season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes soften and the skins begin to wrinkle a bit. Add the pasta, reserved pasta water, Parmesan cheese and parsley to the skillet then toss everything together.
6. Finish the Pasta Puttanesca: Remove the foil from the steak and slice it across the grain using a sharp knife that will cut cleanly through the meat. Slicing across the grain will yield the most tender slices. Place the steak slices over the pasta and serve warm.

Cooking Your Steak To The Right Temperature

Not super familiar cooking with steak? Well I have an easy test to determine which temperature your meat is at without having to cut it open no matter the cut. It’s called the hand test:

1. First make the “okay” sign with your pointer finger and thumb. Now poke the fleshy part right under your thumb with your other pointer finger, that is how rare steak feels.
2. Next press your thumb and middle finger in the okay sign and feel that same fleshy part, that is how medium rare steak feels.
3. Press your ring finger and thumb in the “okay” sign and feel that fleshy part, that is how medium steak feels.
4. Now press your pinky and thumb together and feel the fleshy part, that is how well done steak feels.

Just press the middle of your steak as it cooks and compare it to that fleshy part of your hand right beneath the thumb and you’ll have a gauge of how your meat is cooking!

As always refer to my notes section at the bottom of the recipe card for more information on cook times for your meat.

Leftovers

You can store this recipe easily in the fridge. In an airtight container it’ll keep for 3 – 5 days just be sure it’s properly cooled before storing. Unfortunately this dish doesn’t freeze well so I recommend either making it day of or a few days before and storing in the fridge.

Craving More Steak? Try These Delicious Recipes:

• Matambre: Argentinian Stuffed Flank Steak
• Easy Thai Steak Salad
• Creamy Polenta with Grilled Steak and Roasted Tomatoes
• Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
• Garlic Butter Steak Bites
• Chimichurri Steak Quesadillas
• Blue Cheese And Steak Crostini