Name: Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Lemon Zucchini Noodles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound steak, cut into chunks, we used beef tenderloin ((you can use your favorite cut) ); 1 tablespoons olive oil; 1.25 teaspoons kosher salt ((or to taste)); 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided; 6 cloves garlic, sliced thin; 1 large shallot, diced; 1/4 cup beef broth (or broth of choice); 2 tablespoons basil ribbons (about 0.4 ounces); 1 whole lemon, juice and zest; 3 medium zucchinis, for zoodles; Garnish with: basil, lemon slices, fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt, parmesan slices

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Delicious and nutritious Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Lemon Zucchini Noodles take only minutes to cook. Juicy pieces of seared steak with an easy lemon garlic butter sauce, on a bed of zucchini noodles with so much flavor. Another easy, one skillet dinner ready in 30 minutes coming right up!

flatlay of garlic butter steak bites with lemon zucchini noodles in a cast iron skillet with parmesan cheese shreds

We have numerous steak recipes on our site, and we are always claiming new favorites. This Garlic Butter Steak Bites recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. It's now another one of our favorites, as of lately! It's light and fresh, totally gluten free and keto friendly, and just full of flavor.

Also yes, you can totally cook alkaline foods like zucchini in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Want to learn more about caring for your cast iron? Check out this complete guide to caring for your cast iron (with a video) here!

Feel free to skip to the recipe card if you're ready to dive in, where you will find detailed nutrition information as well. If you have questions, be sure to read through the post in it's entirety as we try to cover common questions.

Ingredients:

We often stock up on our favorite cuts of steak, as well as many of the other ingredients and pantry staples at Costco to get great prices, making this meal very cost effective! Check out our low carb and keto Costco grocery list, with over 97 items!

closeup shot of seasoned steak with zucchini noodles and parmesan cheese shreds

Steak - You can truly use your favorite steak cut here. We opted for beef tenderloin this time, but in general you can always find ribeye or top sirloin steak in our fridge and freezer!
Olive oil - We start out with a little olive oil first to sear up our steak bites at a higher heat. Olive oil has a smoke point of 410°F, which makes it good for cooking over medium high heat when we sear our steak bites. We'll add butter later on when we lower the heat. Check out this great article that explains all you need to know in more depth!
Butter - There's no shortage of butter in this dish, seriously, but I mean, it's in the name right? We like to use unsalted butter so that we can control the salt level easier.
Shallots - We dice up some shallots for this dish and we just love the flavor! You can substitute for any onion or onion variety that you prefer.
Fresh garlic - Lots of garlic going into this dish, and we actually like to thinly slice it for this application. You could certainly mince it too, but we love getting nice big chunks of flavorful garlic in our bites.
Dry seasonings - You can use whatever you want here. We love using a lot of fresh cracked black pepper, along with red pepper flakes to taste!
Kosher salt - Not all salts are created equal, and different types of salt are way saltier than others. We love the diamond crystal shape of Diamond kosher. The texture is amazing it dissolves really well, and it's perfect for seasoning food gradually, which we do recommend doing, by the way.
Black pepper- Not much to say about this but fresh cracked black pepper just makes everything more delicious, doesn't it? Add to taste, and add gradually as needed.
Beef broth - You can use beef bone broth for even more protein, but regular beef broth or stock works perfect. You can also substitute for any broth you prefer here!
Lemon juice & zest - Don't think we could have the word "lemon" in the title of this Garlic Butter Steak Bites recipe without including fresh lemon juice and zest. Fresh is best here, seriously!
Zucchini - You can make your own zucchini noodles (we often do) or buy them pre-made. The key is to just add the zucchini noodles for a few minutes near the end of cooking to warm them. Don't cook them too long or else they will release a lot of water.
Fresh basil - Technically optional, but always delicious. We sprinkle basil ribbons in with the zucchini noodles just to wilt them gently.
Parmesan cheese, lemon slices - For garnish, and more basil, black pepper, and our favorite flakey sea salt for finishing, of course!

How to Make Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Lemon Zucchini Noodles:

Heat a large (at least 10") skillet over high heat. Season your steak bites generously with salt and pepper, along with optional red pepper flakes if using. Reduce to medium heat, then add your olive oil to the skillet.

Cook steak in batches, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side until the bites have a nice sear on the both sides. After all steak bites are cooked, return them to the skillet with some of the butter and turn off the heat, moving the steak around constantly to coat the pieces in butter. Set steak aside.

seared steak bites in a cast iron skillet

In the same skillet over medium heat, add the remaining butter with the shallots and garlic, cooking for 3-5 minutes stirring often to prevent the garlic from burning. After shallots are cooked and translucent, stir in the beef broth, lemon zest and juice.

garlic and shallots cooked with beef broth and lemon juice in a cast iron skillet

Add the zucchini noodles and basil ribbons to the skillet and stir constantly to warm through for about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the steak bites to warm through, for about 1-2 minutes.

zucchini noodles with basil ribbons and a spatula in a cast iron skillet

cast iron skillet with lemon zucchini noodles and steak bites

Garnish these Garlic Butter Steak Bites with lemon slices, fresh cracked pepper, flakey sea salt, parmesan cheese, and more basil.

flat lay of a cast iron skillet with lemon slices and steak bites on top of zucchini noodles with parmesan cheese

Tips For The Best Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Lemon Zucchini Noodles:

Bring steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before cooking to bring steaks to room temperature.
You can help your zucchini noodles from getting soggy by salting them and placing them in a colander, then rinsing and drying them with a paper towel before cooking them. This will help drain excess water.
Only add in the zucchini noodles at the very end of cooking to avoid soggy noodles. We really only add the zoodles to the skillet to warm them. As they cook, they will release water, so the longer they cook, the soggier they will become.
If meal prepping, skip adding the zoodles to the skillet, and then just heat them up at the time of eating.
Reheat your steak with some olive oil or butter in a hot skillet.

Is Zucchini Keto?

Zucchini is one of our favorite low carb vegetables, and it's super keto friendly! Zucchini is packed with nutrients like Vitamin A and C, and there's only 3 net carbs per 1 medium zucchini.

We zucchini for many low carb uses. For example, you can use it as a noodle replacement, like with this keto lasagna soup, in soups like this keto chunky vegan vegetable soup. Try it in even in desserts like these delicious keto apple bars or keto chocolate zucchini muffins!

garlic butter steak bites with lemon zucchini noodles with a big metal serving spoon and lemons in a cast iron skillet

More Recipes To Try:

Looking for even more super simple, low carb and keto friendly recipes? We have over 85+ Keto simple recipes on this list here!

close up shot of garlic steak bites with lemon slices and zoodles

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forkful being up held up by a hand of zucchini noodles with a bite of juicy steak on the end

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Until Next Time,
Briana & Chamere

Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Lemon Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients:

How to Make Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Lemon Zucchini Noodles: