Pepper Steak

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This Pepper Steak is incredibly flavorful, tender, and comforting! Made with tomatoes, fresh bell peppers, black pepper, and minute steak, this delicious shortcut recipe is an easy and quick way to have dinner on the table for a weeknight meal.
 
Steak, rice, and peppers on wooden surface
 
Do you ever think back to grandma’s pepper steak recipe that you enjoyed as a kid that was served on a bed of rice with a comforting gravy? What about the pepper steak from your favorite Chinese restaurant? All of these recipes have something in common: savory and yummy flavors. 
 
If you’re looking for a way to make your favorite recipe, but don’t want to go through all of the extra work, then you may just love this steak with pepper sauce. With just some easy steps, you’ll have a protein-filled dish ready for dinner in no time. 
 
Top view of pepper steak in pan with veggies
 

Busy Weeknight Pepper Steak Recipe

Pepper Steak is a family favorite at our house.  Oh, sure there are intricate recipes for it, but this one’s so darn good, and takes such little time to make! It makes a great weeknight dinner when life gets busy., and my life is always busy it seems, so we have this a lot!
This recipe makes a big batch, because, well, I have a big family. But it’s easily cut in half, and the leftovers are fantastic, too!
 

Pepper steak with rice and colorful peppers on plate

Why You’re Going to Love This Pepper Steak Stirfry

  • Simple: If you’re anything like me, then you love to have dinner on the table before it gets too late. This pepper steak and rice recipe comes together in a jiffy, and it’s just so easy to prepare. You will love these simple steps. 
  • Basic ingredients: With just some basic pantry ingredients a couple of items from the refrigerator, you’ll have a hearty and delicious meal ready to be enjoyed! 
  • Full of flavor: The cream of mushroom soup mixed with the tomatoes and soy sauce create a yummy sauce that coats the pepper steak. Perfectly tender and easy to bite into! 

Mushrooms and ingredients for pepper steak

Ingredients

Don’t miss the full measurements– scroll down to the recipe card!

Bell peppers in bowl

Steak: You will need a tenderized round cut of sirloin also known as minute steak. 
Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
Salt and pepper: Essential ingredients for this pepper steak beef! 
Oil: Any type of oil is fine such as avocado, grapeseed, or any other vegetable oil.
Cream of mushroom soup: If you don’t have canned cream of mushroom soup, then you can make your own. I like using canned mushroom soup because I like to take a shortcut! 
Mushrooms: Either canned or freshly sliced mushrooms will work.
Tomatoes: Diced. Freshly diced or canned tomatoes are okay.
Soy sauce: If you do not have soy sauce, then you can use coconut aminos.
Beef bouillion: Dissolve granules or cubes of beef bouillon in water for the gravy.
Bell peppers: Sliced into rings. I used a variety of colors for my pepper steak recipe.
Rice: Cooked.

Top view of pepper steak with peppers

Is minute steak the same as cube steak? 

Both minute and cube steak refer to tenderized round cuts of meat that are usually from the top sirloin. Tenderized with a meat tenderizer, minute steak is usually left with indentions from the tenderizer that gives the steak its name. Cube and minute steak tend to be tender and are used in all types of American comfort food dishes. 

How do you make pepper steak from scratch? 

This is one of the easiest pepper steak recipes out there! You will love this fool-proof way of making your favorite comfort meal. 

Step 1

Dip steak in flour: First, dip the slices of steak in a container of flour, salt, and pepper.

Steak being seasoned

Step 2

Cook the steak: Next, place the steak in heated oil in a pan over medium heat. Then, cook the steak until browned on both sides.

Meat in pan

Step 3

Combine ingredients: Next, add the cream of mushroom soup, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, soy sauce, and beef broth to the steak. Stir, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. 

Top view of pepper steak being cooked in pan

Step 4

Top with bell peppers: In the last five minutes of simmering, place the sliced peppers on top and cover with a lid. The peppers should be firm.

Pepper steak recipe

 

 

Two images of pepper steak in a cast iron skillet

LOVE IT? PIN IT!

Make sure to save this recipe on your Pinterest board before you go! Keep it for your next dinner idea! 

 

Close image of pepper steak in pan

Why is my pepper steak tough?

If you chose a different cut of meat other than minute or cube steak or overcook the steak, then the pepper steak may get tough.

How do you make steak tender? 

Tenderize the meat! Cook the meat long and slow so that it doesn’t overcook. Don’t forget the salt! 

Tips

  • Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. 
  • Let the meat come to room temperature prior to cooking. 
  • Serve the pepper steak and bell peppers over rice when serving. 

More Recipes You Will Love

 
Graphic for pepper steak in cast iron skillet pan
You’ll love this quick weeknight meal! Here is the recipe for the simple Pepper Steak!   M.
 

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Close image of pepper steak in pan
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe

Pepper Steak

Pepper Steak makes a great weeknight dinner when life gets busy.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Beef
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef, Chinese, cube steak, easy, fast, gravy, Pepper Steak, rice, simple, stir fry
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 410kcal
Author: Michaela Kenkel

Ingredients

  • 8 4-6 ounce cube steaks (minute steaks)
  • flour salt and pepper for dredging
  • 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup
  • 2 4 ounce cans of mushrooms, drained (or fresh if you have them on hand)
  • 2 cans of diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons of beef bouillon granuals or 2 cubes dissolved in 2 cups of water
  • 3 bell pappers sliced into rings (I used one of each, red, green and yellow for this meal)
  • 4 cups uncooked Minute Rice prepared according to the package

Instructions

  • Dredge minute steaks in flour, salt and pepper. Place in heated oil in your frying pan, brown them until they are golden brown on both sides. 
  • To the meat add the soup, mushrooms, tomatoes, soy sauce and beef broth. Combine, cover and simmer on low, for about 30 minutes, stirring and flipping the meat occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • For the last 5-7 minutes of simmering, place the peppers on top and cover again. This way they will be firm when you serve it.
  • Serve over rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 1023mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g

 

This recipe was originally posted on March 14, 2013 and has been updated to improve user experience and re-shared on June 9, 2021.

pepper steak on red plate

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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12 Comments

  1. We just bought a ton of meat from our local butcher so I have been searching for some good recipes. I’m so glad I found this one, it’s perfect for my family and has all of the things we love. We will be making this again and again for sure! Thanks for sharing.

  2. This is such a great idea for a busy weekday night. Grabbing the ingredients this weekend to make the recipe next week on one of our sports nights!

  3. Love the idea of using cream of mushroom soup – I happen to have 2 cans in my pantry already so will try out this recipe!

  4. A classic I never tire over, and this looks great love how colorful it is and the steak looks melt in your mouth tender but hey youre in the best of the best states for beef! lucky girl great recipes!

  5. This pepper steak looks easy, tasty and just flavorful! I love that most of the ingredients can be found in the pantry! YUM

5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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