Steak fajitas are a delicious, filling, and reliable meal that always hits the spot. Back in the day it was super popular to order them at a Mexican restaurant, where they’d be delivered sizzling, right to your table. But you can totally make them at home AND you can totally meal prep them! This steak fajitas recipe takes less than 30-minutes, making it perfect for a quick dinner or easy meal prep for the week.
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What kind of steak should be used in fajitas?
If you’ve been using WWL recipes for a while, you know we don’t use steak often. It’s not an inexpensive ingredient by any stretch of the imagination but sometimes it’s what a recipe needs. And sometimes it’s what you’re craving. And that’s when we’re happy to provide you with a steak fajitas recipe! Here, it made total sense. But if you’re not comfortable working with beef you have options.
For this recipe, I used a 10-ounce New York strip steak. Flank steak would work as well, and so would skirt steak. Sometimes grocery stores have pre-sliced steak pieces (usually labeled as stir fry steak or something like that) and that type would work well too.
The key is to be really careful when cooking the steak. It’s one protein that will need more attention on the stove to avoid overcooking. That way it keeps well in the fridge and reheats well, too.
Pro tip: You might want to consider cooking it a little more pink than you might ordinarily if you are planning to meal prep and reheat this steak, if overcooked/grey/tough steak is unappetizing to you.
My trick here was slicing the steak before cooking it so I could cook the strips individually. This way, I could very easily taste-check them while they cooked, instead of cooking a large cut of meat and slicing it later (which is how traditional fajitas are cooked, usually on a grill). You can see exactly what’s going on with the meat this way and, incidentally, they cook MUCH faster this way.
Speaking of using a grill, this is a recipe to use your cast iron skillet with, if you have one. Here’s the one I have — I love it!
What to substitute for steak in these steak fajitas
Shredded chicken breast, grilled chicken breast, or shrimp would make great alternatives in this steak fajita recipe. We also love salmon.
If you choose to use chicken breast, I recommend that you marinate it in the same lime/taco seasoning combo in the recipe below, bake it at 375 F (190 C) for 20 minutes, let it cool a bit and then shred it. The same process is recommended for salmon, too.
You could also cut the chicken breast into strips or chunks, marinate it and cook it as the recipe below is written, but for a few minutes longer on each side.
For shrimp, use the same process as the steak written in the recipe, but cook for just 2-3 minutes on each side. Shrimp cooks lickety split! You really have to keep a close eye on it.
You can also use tempeh, some meaty mushrooms such as portobello caps, cut into strips, or tofu.
Related: Meal Planning for Beginners (Meal Plan Template Inside!)
What’s in the steak fajitas seasoning
A packet of taco seasoning is a great shortcut for this recipe, but if you want to make your own you can follow the recipe below! This makes about 2 tablespoons (28 g) or about the amount in one packet:
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp onion or garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- Dash cayenne pepper, optional
Feel free to triple or quadruple this recipe and put all the ingredients in a glass jar. Date and label it with the contents. Now you have your very own seasoning for fajitas on hand, whenever you need it!
Related: 12 One-Pan Dinner Ideas You Can Also Meal Prep For The Week
What veggies work well in steak fajitas?
Saucy, slightly spicy bell peppers are the star of this easy dish! You can use any colors you want (in this recipe we’re using all the colors, haha). You can also use LOTS of different kinds of spicy peppers if you are into that; just go more sparingly with your choices.
But if you’re not into bell peppers, you have options!
Try any of the following:
- zucchini, sliced
- carrots, sliced
- red onion, sliced
- mushrooms, sliced
- onions, sliced
Choose among 2 to3 veggies from the list above and you’ll be good to go! You’ll want to pick something that you can cut into long strips (a la the length of your steak pieces) and will hold up well during the cooking process, but will fit into your tortillas with ease.
Of course, if you’re not into yellow onions (also included in the recipe below), you can leave that out altogether and still have delicious fajitas.
What kind of tortillas to use for steak fajitas?
I used flour tortillas in my fajita meal prep. I love flour tortillas! They’re so satisfying, but don’t make me feel like I ate a rock.
But if you want to try something else, here’s what I recommend:
- Corn tortillas
- Gluten-free tortillas (if needed, see our comparisons below!)
- Pita bread (for a heartier fajita meal)
- Regular wraps of any variety
- You might also find a hybrid that’s a combination of corn and flour; Whole Foods often has this
Note that if you use any of the above, you should store them separately from the steak and veggie mixture to avoid sogginess.
Other ways to eat and serve these fajitas
You can even replace fajitas with rice if you want to turn this into a fajita bowl, which makes it a gluten free experience. To be honest, a rice fajita bowl would be a little easier to eat than using tortillas. It would also taste great with quinoa.
It’s also really fun to set out these fajitas with bowls of shredded cheddar or jack cheese, sour cream, or diced avocados as toppings. But that’s completely optional!
Phew! Who knew there were so many ways to customize fajitas? I love when you make my recipes your own, so don’t be afraid to deviate a little!
How to add more volume or double this recipe
To add more volume to this recipe, I’d start by adding another bell pepper first. That makes it simple. I ate this with two tortillas per meal, but you can increase that to three if you need more volume.
To double this meal, simply double the ingredients! You may need to cook the steak in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
How to store and reheat steak fajitas
This meal is good in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s not freezer-friendly. You can reheat fajitas (the steak and peppers) in the microwave or on the stove. I recommend storing tortillas and reheating them separately.
Happy prepping!
Don’t miss out on our other delicious meal prep recipes!
- 30-Minute Beef Stir Fry With Soba Noodles
- The Best Slow-Cooked Beef Chili Recipe
- Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
- Chicken Satay Recipe With Stir-Fried Veggies
- Thai Coconut Curry Soup With Chicken
- Orange Chicken Recipe (Trader Joe’s Copycat)
30-Minute Steak Fajitas For Meal Prep
Ingredients
- 10 oz strip steak sliced into thin strips
- 1 packet taco seasoning divided, see notes for homemade
- 2 lime one for juices and one chopped into wedges
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided,
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 green bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 yellow onion sliced thin and separated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 small tortillas
Instructions
- Add the sliced steak to a zip top bag. In a bowl, mix 1/2 the packet of taco seasoning with juice from 1 lime and 1 TBSP olive oil. Pour into the bag with the steak and shake gently to coat it. Place it in the fridge to marinade for 10 minutes or up to 3 hours.
- Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. You want the pan very hot! Add 1 more tablespoon of oil, followed by the sliced bell peppers, onion, salt and pepper to taste and the remaining taco seasoning. Cook the peppers and onions, stirring often to coat them in the seasoning, for 7-10 minutes, until they're tender and slightly charred. Remove the peppers and onion from the pan and set aside in a small dish.
- In the same skillet, heat the third tablespoon oil. Remove the steak from the marinade using a slotted spoon, tongs ,or a fork. Discard the marinade. Add the steak to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, flipping the pieces occasionally, until cooked to your preference.
- Assemble: Distribute the bell pepper mix and cooked steak to meal prep containers with a lime wedge in each. Keep the tortillas separate until you're ready to eat!
Notes
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp onion or garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
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