Location Label: Home Kitchen Recipe Guide, Food Menu Journal
Sirloin Steak Pesto Bell Peppers Flatbread: Recipe, Times and Nutrition
Author and Visit Details
This is a researched recipe guide from Food Menu Journal. We did not visit a restaurant for this guide, and we did not cook or taste this steak ourselves. We researched sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread from the published RecipeTin Eats recipe by Nagi, checked fresh on 10 November 2026, and cross-checked the cooking times and the pesto and pepper pairings against the competing recipes listed at the end. Where sources disagree on searing time, we say so plainly and give the table by doneness instead of one time.
Introduction
Sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread is a simple dinner built on one idea: when you buy a good cut of beef, keep the cooking simple and let the sides do the work. The recipe comes from RecipeTin Eats, where Nagi calls it one of those dinners pulled together when her refrigerator was, in her words, dismally empty. She had leftover pesto, one red bell pepper and two sirloin steaks, and she made flatbreads because the dough takes 5 minutes and needs no yeast.
This guide gives you the full sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread recipe for two: two 10 ounce sirloin steaks, 1 inch thick, seared 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, rested 5 to 10 minutes, then served topped with charred bell pepper strips, with basil pesto and soft flatbread on the side. It also gives the doneness time table, the homemade pesto recipe, and the nutrition figures per serving.
Featured Image
Sirloin Steak Pesto Bell Peppers Flatbread at a Glance
Here is the short version of sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread. Two steaks, one pan, one pepper, pesto and flatbread on the side.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Recipe | Sirloin Steak Pesto Bell Peppers Flatbread, by Nagi at RecipeTin Eats |
| Serves | 2 |
| Steaks | 2 x 10oz / 300g sirloin beef steak, 2.5cm / 1 inch thick |
| Sear time | 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, in a smoking hot pan |
| Rest time | 5 to 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil |
| Bell pepper | 1 red bell pepper (capsicum), charred in the same pan while the steak rests |
| Pesto | Homemade basil pesto, or a good bought pesto |
| Flatbread | Easy Soft Flatbread, no yeast, dough takes 5 minutes |
| Calories | 764 cal per serving, excluding flatbread, per 392g serving |
| Published | 2014-11-13, updated 2018-04-12 |
Why We Picked This Recipe
We picked sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread because it answers a question every home cook asks after buying a good steak: what do I serve with it that does not hide it? Nagi’s answer is to respect the cut and keep it simple. She writes that beef is like wine, you get what you pay for, so concentrate on the sides. The sides here are pesto, charred pepper and flatbread, and none needs a long recipe of its own.
There is a second reason. Steak recipe times disagree, and this recipe is honest about why. Its time table is tied to one specific steak, 10 ounces and 1 inch thick at room temperature, and it changes the time for every doneness level. This guide covers the full table, the room temperature rule, and the competing times, so you can cook by doneness and thickness.
Ingredients and Prices
The table below is the ingredient list for sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread exactly as RecipeTin Eats publishes it, for 2 servings. No prices are listed, because the source gives no prices and steak prices change by cut, store and country. Pesto and flatbread are listed as “to serve”, because both have their own recipes.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sirloin beef steak | 2 x 10oz / 300g | 2.5cm / 1 inch thick, the best you can afford |
| Vegetable oil (or canola) | 2 tbsp, separated | 1 tbsp to sear the steak, 1 tbsp to char the pepper |
| Red bell pepper (capsicum) | 1 | Deseeded, halved and sliced into strips |
| Salt and pepper | To taste | Season generously, just before cooking |
| Pesto | To serve | Preferably homemade, recipe below |
| Flatbreads | To serve | Easy Soft Flatbread, no yeast |
Homemade basil pesto, from the recipe notes on the same page, makes enough for this dinner with some left over. Put the following into a small food processor and whizz until combined, or use a mortar and pestle: 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup pine nuts, preferably toasted, 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, and 1/2 to 1 tbsp lemon juice. Swap pine nuts for cashews, Brazil nuts, walnuts or almonds, and parmesan for Pecorino. The nutrition figures assume 1 tbsp of pesto per serving.
Our Food Review
We did not cook this dish ourselves, so this review reports what the published recipe and its author show, not a tasting of our own. The idea behind sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread is balance. The steak is seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper, so the beef flavor carries the plate. The pesto adds a fresh, garlicky, salty note, the charred pepper adds sweetness and a little smoke, and the flatbread gives you something soft to wrap the pieces in or to mop up the juices and the pesto.
Nagi notes she is more of a white meat cook than a steak cook, so on the rare occasions she cooks steak she justifies investing in a good cut. Sirloin is a good middle ground: more flavor than a lean fillet, less cost than a ribeye, and at 1 inch thick it sears fast enough that the inside stays pink while the outside crusts. The pepper is the smartest part of the plate. Charred in the same pan while the steak rests, it picks up the browned beef flavor, and it costs nothing in extra time.
The Steps: How to Make Sirloin Steak Pesto Bell Peppers Flatbread
Bring the Steak to Room Temperature
Take the steaks out of the fridge before cooking, and let them come to room temperature: 30 minutes if the air is warm or hot, and 1 hour if it is cool. This step matters for sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread, because a cold steak cooks unevenly in a fast sear: the outside overcooks while the center stays cold. If you skip it, add 15 seconds to the cooking time for each side, but the result is still less even than a steak that started at room temperature.
Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper, and do this just before you cook them, not an hour ahead. Salt draws moisture out of the surface over time, and a wet surface steams instead of searing. Seasoning at the last minute keeps the outside dry enough to form a crust in the smoking hot pan.
Sear the Steak
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy based fry pan over high heat until it starts to smoke. A heavy pan matters, because it holds its heat when the meat goes in, and the smoke tells you the pan is hot enough to sear rather than stew. Place the steaks in the fry pan and cook each side for 2 minutes for medium-rare. That is the time for sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread at the stated size, 10 ounces and 1 inch thick, at room temperature. Do not move the steaks around while they sear. Let each side sit and form a crust, then flip once.
| Doneness | Time per side | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | About 1 min 15 sec | Seared outside, cool and red inside |
| Rare | About 1 min 30 sec | Warm red center |
| Medium-rare | About 2 minutes | Warm pink center, the recipe’s target |
| Medium | About 2 min 15 sec | Pink center, firmer than medium-rare |
State the disagreement plainly. The delicious. magazine recipe for charred spicy pepper pesto with steak gives 2.5 minutes per side for medium-rare, half a minute longer per side than RecipeTin Eats. The Heart and Stroke puttanesca topped steak gives 8 minutes total on a grill, a different method and heat source, so it is not directly comparable to a pan sear. Doneness time depends on thickness, starting temperature and heat source, so use the table above for 1 inch steaks in a pan, and check the steak rather than copying a time from a different cut or method.
Rest the Steak
Remove the steaks from the fry pan onto a plate and cover loosely, not tightly, with foil. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes, up to 10 minutes. Resting matters because the juices need time to settle back into the meat: cut a steak the second it leaves the pan and the juices run out onto the plate, rest it and they stay in the steak. Covering loosely keeps the crust from going soggy while the meat stays warm. Use the resting time well: this is when the bell peppers get cooked, so the steak and the peppers finish together.
Char the Bell Peppers
While the steak is resting, return the fry pan to the stove over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Add the bell pepper strips and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely charred, then remove from the heat. The pan still holds the browned flavor from the steak, so the peppers pick up a savory edge as they char. The strips should soften and blacken at the edges without turning to mush. They sit on top of the steak at serving, so they are the first thing you taste with each bite.
Make the Pesto
Pesto is served on the side, not cooked with the steak, and the recipe prefers homemade. Put 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, and 1/2 to 1 tbsp lemon juice into a small food processor and whizz until combined. A mortar and pestle works too. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper or lemon juice.
Toast the pine nuts first if you have time, because toasting deepens their flavor. If pine nuts are hard to find or too dear, cashews, Brazil nuts, walnuts or almonds all work in the same amount. A good bought pesto is acceptable too, but the nutrition figures assume the homemade version, at 1 tbsp per serving. Make the pesto for sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread while the steak comes to room temperature, so it is ready before the pan gets hot.
Make the Flatbread
The flatbread is a separate RecipeTin Eats recipe, Easy Soft Flatbread with no yeast, served on the side. The dough takes 5 minutes to make, then you rest it, roll it out and pan fry it. It needs hardly any kneading, and the finished flatbread is soft and pliable, so you can use it as a wrap. That matters for sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread: tear off a piece, add a slice of steak and a strip of pepper, and spoon pesto over the top.
Serve the Steak
Serve the steaks topped with the charred bell pepper, with pesto and flatbread on the side. Slice the steak against the grain for the tenderest bite, or serve each steak whole and let each person cut their own. Put the pesto in a small bowl on the table, so each person controls how much they take. Two steaks serve two people as a main course, one steak each, and there is no side salad or potato in the recipe, because the flatbread and the pepper fill the plate.
Picky Eats: For Fussy Eaters
Sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread suits confident eaters and is a harder sell for picky ones, because every element is visible on the plate. The steak is plain, salt and pepper only, which helps, but the green pesto and the charred pepper are the parts a fussy eater is most likely to push aside. Serve both on the side, not on top of the steak, so each person builds their own plate.
- Keep the pesto in a small bowl on the table, so nobody has to eat it to eat the steak.
- Serve the charred pepper strips beside the steak, not on top, so they can be left off.
- Cut the steak into thin slices for a child, and let them wrap a slice in flatbread.
- Cook a picky eater’s steak to medium, 2 minutes 15 seconds per side, if pink meat puts them off.
- Offer plain flatbread with a little butter as a safe option alongside the main plate.
Parents’ Review and Family Tips
From a family kitchen view, sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread is a fast dinner for two adults, not a big family meal. A family of four needs to double it and cook the steaks in two batches. The cooking is quick: 2 minutes per side, plus resting time, plus the peppers in the same pan. The slow part is bringing the steak to room temperature, 30 minutes to 1 hour, so plan that into the evening.
- Start the steak coming to room temperature first, then make the pesto and the flatbread dough while you wait.
- Keep children away from the smoking hot pan, and let an adult do all the searing.
- Let older children tear the flatbread and set the table while the steak rests.
- Allergens to check: pine nuts and other tree nuts in the pesto, milk in the parmesan, wheat in the flatbread.
- Swap the pine nuts for a seed or a nut your household can eat, and check the labels on bought pesto and flatbread.
Nutrition and Carbohydrate Information
The nutrition figures below are the RecipeTin Eats nutrition analysis for sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread, checked fresh on 10 November 2026. They exclude the flatbread, and they assume a high quality well marbled sirloin cut, not wagyu, and 1 tbsp of pesto per serving. They are the source site’s estimates, not a laboratory analysis. State the serving size beside the figures: one serving is a full 10 ounce steak, so 764 calories and 93.1g of protein belong to a 392g serving, not to a small portion.
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Serving size | 392g |
| Calories | 764 cal |
| Carbohydrates | 4.6g |
| Protein | 93.1g |
| Fat | 39g |
| Saturated fat | 10.1g |
| Cholesterol | 272mg |
| Sodium | 1,458mg |
| Potassium | 1,334mg |
| Fiber | 1.5g |
| Sugar | 3.5g |
| Vitamin A | 1,950 IU |
| Vitamin C | 104.8mg |
| Calcium | 60mg |
| Iron | 56.9mg |
Two things are worth noting. First, the carbohydrate figure is low, 4.6g, because the steak, the pesto and the pepper carry almost no carbohydrate and the flatbread is excluded, so do not quote 4.6g for the whole plate. Second, the sodium is high, 1,458mg, from the seasoning, the parmesan and the pesto together, so readers who track sodium should season lightly. The protein figure, 93.1g, is high because one serving is a whole 10 ounce steak.
What to Know Before Cooking
Before you cook sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread, keep these points in mind.
- Buy the best sirloin you can afford, 10 ounces and 1 inch thick, with no bone, because the time table for sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread is written for that size.
- Bring the steak to room temperature first: 30 minutes if the air is warm, 1 hour if it is cool.
- Season just before cooking, so the surface stays dry enough to sear.
- Use a heavy based pan and wait until the oil smokes before the steak goes in.
- Rest the steak 5 to 10 minutes under loose foil, and cook the peppers in that window.
- Make the pesto and the flatbread dough ahead, so nothing waits on the hot steak.
- Do not use the doneness times for a different thickness or a bone in cut without adjusting.
Is It Worth Cooking?
Yes, if you want a fast, impressive dinner for two and you are willing to buy a good steak. Sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread takes only minutes of active cooking once the steak is at room temperature: 2 minutes per side in the pan, then the peppers while the steak rests. It uses one pan plus a food processor, and puts a restaurant style plate on the table with no sauce to reduce and no oven to preheat. The pesto and flatbread are the only real work, and both can be made while the steak warms up.
The trade off is cost and timing. A good sirloin costs more than a weeknight chicken dinner, and the recipe only serves two, so it is a dinner for a couple or a small household, not a cheap family feed. It also rewards attention: the sear is 2 minutes per side, and a minute too long moves you a full doneness level. If you want a quick steak dinner that tastes like you planned it, sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread is worth cooking, and the doneness table in this guide is the part to keep.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I cook sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread for medium-rare?
Cook each side for 2 minutes in a smoking hot pan, for a 10 ounce sirloin steak that is 1 inch thick and at room temperature. That is the RecipeTin Eats time for medium-rare in sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread. Add 15 seconds per side if the steak is not at room temperature.
How many people does this sirloin steak recipe serve?
Sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread serves 2, with one 10 ounce steak each, one red bell pepper, pesto and flatbread on the side. To serve 4, double the steaks, the pepper and the pesto, and cook the steaks in batches so the pan stays hot.
Can I use bought pesto instead of homemade pesto?
Yes. The recipe prefers homemade pesto, and gives the full recipe for it, but a good bought pesto works in sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread. The nutrition figures in this guide assume 1 tbsp of homemade pesto per serving, so bought pesto will change the figures a little.
What is the no yeast flatbread served with the steak?
It is the Easy Soft Flatbread recipe from RecipeTin Eats, made with no yeast and hardly any kneading. The dough takes 5 minutes to make, then you rest it, roll it out and pan fry it. It is soft and pliable, so you can use it as a wrap for the steak, pepper and pesto.
Why do the cooking times disagree between steak recipes?
Because doneness time depends on thickness, starting temperature and heat source. RecipeTin Eats gives 2 minutes per side for medium-rare in a pan, delicious. magazine gives 2.5 minutes per side, and Heart and Stroke gives 8 minutes total on a grill. Use the table in this guide for 1 inch steaks in a pan.
How many calories are in sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread?
764 calories per serving, for a 392g serving excluding the flatbread, with 93.1g of protein, 4.6g of carbohydrates, 39g of fat and 1,458mg of sodium. The figures assume 1 tbsp of pesto per serving and a well marbled sirloin cut. Add the flatbread separately.
Related Food Guides
If you enjoyed this guide to sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread, these Food Menu Journal guides cover more beef, pasta and drink menus to try next.
- One-Pan Dirty Spaghetti Recipe: Easy 40-Minute Dinner, our guide to a one pan beef and andouille spaghetti dinner, with bell peppers in the pan and a 40 minute total time.
- Beef Cheek Ragu Pasta: Easy Leftover Recipe and Tips, our guide to a RecipeTin Eats beef cheek ragu pasta, another beef dinner from the same recipe site, made from leftovers in 15 minutes.
- Dutch Bros Menu: Prices, Calories and Full Guide (2026), our guide to the Dutch Bros menu, for a drink to go with a steak dinner, including the Golden Eagle and the Blue Rebel energy drinks.
Sources and Review Notes
This guide is a researched guide, not a visit report. We did not visit a restaurant, and we did not cook or taste this steak ourselves. The facts about sirloin steak pesto bell peppers flatbread come from the sources below, checked on 10 November 2026. No total time, make-ahead, leftover or storage guidance, or prices were given in the plan source, so none are invented here.
- RecipeTin Eats, “Sirloin Steak with Pesto, Bell Peppers (Capsicum) and Flatbread”, by Nagi, published 2014-11-13, updated 2018-04-12, https://www.recipetineats.com/sirloin-steak-pesto-bell-peppers-flatbread/
- RecipeTin Eats, “Easy Soft Flatbread (No Yeast)”, the flatbread recipe linked from the steak recipe, https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-soft-flatbread-yeast/
- Heart and Stroke, “Puttanesca topped steak”, 2 sirloin steaks with pesto, red peppers and tomatoes, 8 minutes on a grill, for the doneness time comparison.
- Tara Teaspoon, “Pesto and Bell Pepper Beef Shish Kabobs”, sirloin cubes with red bell peppers and 1/3 cup pesto, no marinade, for the pesto and pepper pairing.
- Blue Apron, “Seared Steaks and Red Pepper Pesto”, for the seared steak and red pepper pesto pairing.
- delicious. magazine, “Charred Spicy Pepper Pesto with Steak and Green Salad”, 2.5 minutes per side for medium-rare, for the doneness time comparison.
