This simple steak marinade makes practically any cut of steak tender and delicious. Our family begs for this dish every single birthday for as long as I can remember.
Every blogger has secret hidden things buried in their archive. I've been at this for over 10 years now, and every once in a while I stumble across something I wrote eons ago but that is still in our family repertoire.
This weekend, Tim requested one of our all-time favorite recipes for his Father's Day dinner: "Steak and Tubes," as we all affectionately call it.
I remembered that this was on my list of things to reshoot with a more appealing photo so I snapped a couple shots before we dug into our celebratory dinner.
This steak marinade recipe has been in my family since I was a little girl. It has been a requested birthday dinner for so many years, I can't even begin to count the number of times I've made it. The ridiculous name for the pasta comes from the nickname my mom gave to the penne pasta shape when my sister was just an itty-bitty thing. It stuck, and the recipe requires both the steak and the pasta together to be authentic.
As Tim said as I sauteed the steak:
"The best part of this dinner is dipping the noodles in the steak sauce, be sure to use all the marinade!"
Tuesday was Handyman Tim's birthday. In our family, we celebrate with a special meal at home vs. going out to a restaurant. The guest of honor gets to dictate the entire dinner meal right down to whatever picky details he may prefer. On Tim's special day every year he requests the same thing that he's requested since he married me: my family's "secret" recipe for "Steak and Tubes."
Now before you gag at the very thought of that ridiculous name, let me say that this is the meal I'm known for amongst my friends--my 1 claim to culinary fame. I would whip it out in those late-college/early-apartment living days to show off my cooking "skills." It is the most ridiculously easy meal to prepare but it is so utterly delicious that people are amazed when they dig in.
I decided to share the recipe because it makes a most excellent Valentine's Day meal as well. Maybe you'll find it useful. The only real secret to the dish is making sure you use the absolute highest quality beef you can afford. I traditionally buy filet mignon and cut it into 1-inch pieces. I'm sure the butchers who sell me the beef would die if they knew what I was doing to such a fine cut of steak. Oh well, it's been a family favorite since I was little and has appeared at many a birthday meal over the years.
On my birthday, I add my mom's ginger carrots as the veggie side dish. But, the birthday boy doesn't want his meat and carbs plate sullied by anything remotely resembling a vegetable--even a butter and brown sugar coated one.
To each their own.
Serving Suggestions
A vintage family recipe handed down to me from my mom.
Yes, this is "just" buttered noodles and marinated beef. But, it is the combo of the two items together that make the meal into something special. I guess you could serve this steak with rice or a different side dish but it would just never be the same.
I dip my beef into the noodles' butter and I run my noodles into the beef's sauce. We all practically lick our plates with this meal in order to not miss one delicious drop. I highly recommend following the recipe right down to the last note at least the first time you try it. Then tweak at your own risk. Don't say I didn't warn you.
More Family Favorites
This was one of the first recipes I ever shared on the site. Don't miss some of our other ancient family favorites:
Steak and Tubes
Ingredients
For the steak marinade:
- 1 cup of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing Be SPECIFIC about the brand and the "Zesty" part. No substitutes!
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce
- 2 lbs high-quality beef cut into 1-inch pieces I use filet mignon but have also been known to use pre-cut beef stew in a pinch and on a budget.
- 2-3 tablespoon Butter optional
For the penne pasta "tubes:"
- 1 pound penne pasta if it isn't penne, it isn't tubes! Don't mess with perfection.
- 6 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
For the steak:
- At least 24 hours before you plan to serve the meal you need to prepare the steak marinade.
- Trim any large portions of fat from the beef and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
- Prepare the steak marinade: You need a 1 to 1 ratio of Italian dressing and teriyaki sauce. 2 cups of marinade will generously cover your steak and provide a finished sauce at the end. Combine them in a measuring cup and pour over the meat in a glass dish. Use a fork or spoon to gently toss the steak in the marinade. Make sure each piece has been coated in the marinade. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better if you can plan ahead.
- To cook the dish, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. If using the optional butter, melt it in the pan at this point. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to the saute pan. We think the best part of this dish is the sauce that coats the steak. Pour as much of the marinade from your dish as you like into the saute pan with the beef but, if you prefer your steak without sauce, simply discard the remaining marinade.
- Saute the beef until cooked through to 160 degrees for medium-well steak.
For the penne pasta "tubes:"
- Boil the pasta for the shortest amount of time directed on the packaging. Drain.
- Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Toss in the pasta and sprinkle with the garlic salt. Continue to stir occasionally so that some of the pasta just barely starts to crisp up in the butter. Our family fights over the crunchy ones.
Recipe Notes
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Tom
Tiffany, how many "real" servings does this make. Have a family of 5 and wondering if I should double?
Tiffany Dahle
Hi Tom, We have a family of four and usually have just a few bites left of the steak. You could easily increase the steak without having to increase the marinade too much but if you go more than 3 pounds of steak, then I'd double the marinade. Enjoy!
Eve
Can you recommend a substitute for the Kraft Zesty Italian dressing? I would love to try the marinade out, but I live in Australia and can't seem to find that exact product locally ;(
Heather Straw
Tiff! I made this for Jeff this weekend for Valentine's Day and I can say for certain that this meal has leap frogged into Jeff's top 5 favorite meals. He's never commented so much on a meal, maybe ever. What was funny was that it was almost exactly what you had talked about in your instructions above! Here are a few quotes (unpromted): "Have you had any of the crunchy noodles? They are awesome!!" "What did you put in these noodles, they are sooooo good!" "What did you marinate the meat in, holy cow! It is so flavorful!!" It was as good as I remember as well and so easy. Thanks for reminding me of this yummy meal! Oh, Jeff says thank you too!! 🙂
Heather
Thinking about making this "Tiffany Classic" for Valentine's Day this weekend! I can remember the first time I tried it at our apartment off of Junction Road! Soooooo Yummy!!
Tiffany
Chelsea, buttered noodles are my "stranded on an island" must-have food. They are the first stop comfort food in my book for sure!
Chelsea
As soon as o read this I got up and started boiling water for pasta! I love garlic butter pasta it's like ultimate comfort food!
Molly
Sounds yummy to me! I think I may have to try this out for Valentine's Day! 🙂