Steak pasta in a creamy Diane sauce featuring fresh cream, brandy, dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce, a delicious quick & easy dinner.
The retro flavours in this dish are superb and the whole dish takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and cook.
Quick Retro Creamy Beef Pasta
When it comes to food I am very much a pluralist. I’m just as excited about chasing new flavours, ingredients and techniques as I am plumbing retro flavours and recipes.
This steak pasta in a Diane sauce definitely falls into the latter of the two categories.
It joins other retro flavour ideas like duck a l’orange, corned beef pie and spam fritters!
Now traditionally steak Diane is definitely not served rolled through pasta. But I loved the idea, so gave it a whirl months ago and quickly developed a proper food crush on it.
Brandy and Worcestershire sauce are the flavours that take the lead in this quick pasta dinner with the dijon mustard playing a supporting role.
The steak is soft and beefy and I added mushrooms because I lurve me some shrooms.
At 20 minutes with time to spear this dish is also really quick to cook.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sort of beef should I use?
I usually use sirloin steak for this recipe but rump or even skirt would work just as well.
Do I have to bash the steak thinly?
No, but I find that this recipe works much better if you do.
Do I have to use brandy?
No, but brandy is a key flavour in a classic Diane sauce and this recipe derives a huge amount of flavour from it.
You could use a reduction of Worcestershire sauce to deglaze the pan. It will not taste the same but it will still be delicious.
Why can’t I use a non-stick pan?
A huge amount of flavour in this simple dish is derived from the crust that forms on the pan from cooking the steak. This does not happen in a non-stick pan.
What sort of pasta can I use?
This is superb with pappardelle pasta but it would be equally good with tagliatelle or fettuccini. You could even get away with farfalle or orecchiette.
Serving Suggestions
As with most of my pasta recipes this steak pasta recipe is spot-on as a one-bowl dinner! Just add a glass of wine and I am typically done!
However, there is always a layer of that creamy Diane sauce in the bottom of the bowl that is a shame to waste.
I usually mop it up with a bit of warmed bread, both focaccia and ciabatta are particularly good at this.
Garlic bread is also another superb side to stick alongside this simple pasta dinner.
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
- 30cm or 12″ frying pan.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Rolling pin.
- Serve or colander.
- weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
Steak Pasta Recipe
Quick and easy steak pasta, a thin steak is flash-fried before an easy brandy-based Diane sauce is made and combined with the thinly sliced beef and tossed through pappardelle.
Ingredients
- 250g Beef Steak (I like to use sirloin)
- ½-1 Tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
- 1 (35g) Shallot
- 75g (5 Small-medium) Button Mushrooms
- 20g (⅓-½ Cup) Chives
- 50g (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Butter
- 75ml (⅓ Cup) Brandy
- 200ml (⅔ Cup + 2 Tbsp) Double Cream
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 175g (6oz) Dried Pasta
- Salt for cooking pasta (1 Tbsp for every 4 litres of water)
Instructions
- Bash the steak with a mallet or rolling pin until it is around 5mm thick.
- Peel and dice the shallot as finely as you can.
- Cut the mushrooms into slices 2mm thick.
- Finely chop the chives.
- Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to a boil (I use a 20cm or 8" saucepan and 1.5 teaspoons of salt).
- Heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan (not non-stick) over a high-medium heat.
- Add the butter to the frying pan and when it begins to foam add the steak and cook for 60-90 seconds on each side.
- When you flip the beef add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the instructions say (9-10 minutes typically).
- Remove the steak and allow it to rest.
- Reduce the heat under the frying pan to medium-high and add the shallots and sliced mushrooms to the frying pan and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly.
- Pour in the brandy and deglaze the pan, then reduce for 30 seconds stirring continuously. Make sure that you are scraping any steak residue from the base of the pan.
- Turn the heat down to low and pour in the cream and add the dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce, then simmer until the pasta is cooked.
- Thinly slice the steak then add it and any resting juices to the sauce.
- Drain the pasta reserving around a third of a cup of the cooking water and add stir the pasta into the sauce stirring in as much of the cooking liquid as needed to form a nice coating.
- Add most of the chives and stir them through, reserving a few for garnish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 827Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 221mgSodium: 961mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 42g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.