Steak Pizzaiola, Carne alla Pizzaiola

This Easy Steak Pizzaiola (carne alla pizzaiola) is a classic Italian dish from Naples. The steaks are cooked in a good tomato sauce with garlic, oregano, capers and olives. Ready in over 20 minutes, it's the solid quick and easy Italian dinner.

Recipe overview

• Flavour and texture: juicy tender steak in a rich, savoury tomato sauce with garlic, oregano, capers, and olives.
• Total time: 22 minutes.
• Servings: 4
• Suited to: a quick and easy Italian weeknight dinner.

The name Carne alla Pizzaiola translates as “meat pizza style”. Originating from Naples, it was traditionally a simple, inexpensive dish made with cheaper cuts of meat (usually beef or veal) cooked in a rich tomato sauce flavoured with oregano which gives it that classic pizza flavour.

There are lots of variations of this dish; some slowly cook tougher cuts of beef in the sauce for hours and others use thin cuts of steak that cook in a couple of minutes.

Our version is quick using thin cut steaks with a few simple pantry ingredients to create a good weeknight dinner.

Ingredients notes

• Steak – we use thin cut sirloin for this quick cook version because they are tender and only need a quick sear. Thin cut flank or strip steak will also work well.
• Garlic – We highly recommend using fresh garlic. It's quick with minimal ingredients so fresh garlic will give you the best flavour.
• Cherry tomatoes – fresh cherry tomatoes are sweet and good but you could use a can of plum tomatoes instead (we love Mutti pelati or Polpa).
• Tomato paste (concentrate) – since this sauce is quick tomato paste helps to add a rich flavour minus the effort.
• White wine: this is used to add flavour and deglaze the pan. We use an Italian white that we would drink such as Greco di Tufo or Flanaghina (both from Campagnia), Pinot Grigio or Vermentino.
• Vegetable stock – use high-quality vegetable or chicken stock for a flavour packed sauce!
• Olives & Capers – salty and good, black or green olives will do. We use capers in brine.
• Dried oregano – this gives the sauce that classic pizzaiola flavour.
• Fresh basil – for serving (optional).

How to make Steak Pizzaiola (visual walk-through)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet/frying pan. Once hot, sear the steak on both sides. 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).

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

Since this steak has a good, rich tomato sauce, we love to serve it with some Italian roast potatoes or grilled veggies and salad like our simple Arugula Salad with lemon and Parmesan.

Some crusty bread is always a good idea to mop up every last drop of sauce. Or go a step further and serve it with some homemade focaccia.

How long to cook the steak

For thin cut sirloin steaks (around 1/4 inch/6mm thick), cook them for 30 seconds to 1 minute each side then set them aside to rest while you make the sauce.

Thin cuts of steak like this only need a quick sear and since we are warming them back up in the sauce you don't want to over cook them.

If you would rather use a thicker cut steak, we recommend cooking that to the times below first and letting it rest while you cook the sauce then simple slice it and serve it on top of the sauce.

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

Top tips for making Steak Pizzaiola

• You're steak won't get cold: 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.
• Cooking with wine: you can omit the wine if you want. Add an extra splash of stock to deglaze the pan instead.
• Don't want to use red meat? It's also good with chicken, check out our chicken pizzaiola recipe instead.

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)

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 4 thin cut sirloin steaks ((about 1/4-inch/6mm thick))
• 1 tbsp 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 tsp capers
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock ((250ml))
• ⅓ cup white wine ((80ml))
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 4-5 basil leaves (for serving)

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet/frying pan. Once hot, add the steaks and sear on both sides for 30 seconds to 1 minute (for 1/4 inch/6mm thick steaks). Once cooked, set the steaks aside on a plate.

2. 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.

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

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

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.

6. Add the steaks back to the skillet with the sauce and cook until warmed through, serve garnished with some fresh basil.

Kitchen notes

• Leftovers: 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.
• Freezing: You can also freeze this for up to 3 months, thaw completely then reheat.