Mon · May 11 · 2026 ← All plans

NY strip, mujadara, no marinade.

Cast iron screaming, salt heavy, butter baste — restaurant-quality steak in 15 minutes flat. Beside it, a pot of Lebanese mujadara: green lentils and basmati cooked together under a heap of deep-caramelized onions. The lentil bowl is the vegetarian anchor; the steak is the omnivore extra.

Serves 5 Active ~35 min Total ~55 min Plate by 5:30 PM Done by 6:30 PM
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The plates

one lentil pot · one cast iron · three plates
Plate 1 · the vegan plate

Mujadara Bowl

vegan · DF · GF · the anchor

Build: green lentils & basmati cooked together with cumin and bay · piled high with deep-caramelized onions (the load-bearing flavor) · cucumber-tomato-parsley salad with lemon · drizzle of olive oil · pita on the side (skip for Elle).

Mujadara is the dish that proves lentils and rice belong together. The caramelized onions do all the heavy lifting — go darker than feels right, that's where the flavor is. Naturally vegan, DF, GF, kid-friendly. This is Elle's whole plate.

Plate 2 · the omnivore plate

NY Strip & mujadara

cast-iron · butter-basted · weeknight

Build: 1-inch NY strip, screaming-hot cast iron, butter-garlic-thyme baste · sliced against the grain · over a smaller bed of mujadara · cucumber-tomato salad on the side · flaky salt finish.

The mujadara reframes the steak as the special-occasion topping rather than the meal. Smaller cuts go further this way. Jack, Liv, Rachel get the steak slices; rice + lentils underneath give them an easy carb base he'll actually eat.

Plate 3 · the parent variant

Steak slice, big mujadara, no pita

low-glycemic shape · ApoB-friendly

Build: 3–4 oz steak slices, generous mujadara, double cucumber-tomato salad, lemon-heavy, olive oil drizzle, no pita. Lentils + basmati = slow carbs; the salad volume keeps the plate satisfying.

Adam's plate. Modest red meat portion, fiber from lentils + salad, no fast carbs. The lemon and parsley brighten everything so it doesn't read as "diet steak."

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The stations

one heavy pot · one cast iron · one cutting board
Heavy pot · 35 min total

Mujadara: lentils + rice

  • 1 cup green lentils (or French lentilles du Puy) — rinse, sort
  • 1 cup basmati rice — rinse until water clears
  • 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt
  • 3¾ cups water (or veg broth) — lentils first, then add rice
  • Cover, simmer ~25 min total. Rest 10 min off heat.
Wide skillet · 25 min · the flavor base

Caramelized onions

  • 3 large yellow onions, halved and sliced thin (¼-inch)
  • ¼ cup olive oil, medium heat, big pinch salt
  • Stir occasionally. After 15 min, drop to medium-low.
  • Go dark — deep mahogany, almost-burnt-edges. ~25 min total.
  • Reserve ⅓ for the topping; fold the rest into the rice.
Counter · 30 min before cooking

Steak: temper & salt

  • 2 NY strips (~1 inch thick, 12 oz each — feeds 4 adults sliced)
  • Out of the fridge at least 30 min, ideally 45
  • Pat bone dry with paper towels — non-negotiable for crust
  • Salt heavily both sides + edges. Coarse pepper.
  • Leave uncovered on the counter while everything else cooks
Cast iron · medium-high to high · ventilation on

Sear & baste

  • Cast iron screaming hot, smoking — 4–5 min preheat
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil (avocado), swirl
  • Lay steaks away from you. Press. Don't touch 3 min.
  • Flip. 2 min side two.
  • Add 3 tbsp butter, 3 smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs. Tilt & baste 90 sec.
  • Pull at 125°F internal (med-rare). Rest 8 min before slicing.
Mixing bowl · cold prep

Cucumber-tomato salad

  • 2 Persian cucumbers, diced ½-inch
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • ¼ red onion, diced fine (optional — Jack will pick around it)
  • Dress: 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp lemon + salt
Cutting board · rest 8 min before slicing

Slice & plate

  • Rest steaks on the board, loosely tented with foil — 8 min
  • Slice against the grain into ½-inch strips
  • Plate mujadara base, fan steak slices on top (omnivores) or skip (Elle)
  • Top with reserved caramelized onions, finish with flaky salt
§3

The timeline

working back from 5:30 PM plate
T-55 · 4:35
Steaks on the counter. Pat dry, salt heavily, pepper. Leave uncovered to temper.
T-50 · 4:40
Onions start. Slice 3 onions thin. Into wide skillet with olive oil + salt. Medium heat.
T-45 · 4:45
Rinse lentils + basmati. Lentils into the heavy pot with water, cumin, bay, salt. Bring to a boil.
T-40 · 4:50
Lentils have been simmering ~5 min. Add rice, stir once, cover, drop to low.
T-35 · 4:55
Stir the onions. They should be golden now — drop to medium-low for the final mahogany push.
T-25 · 5:05
Build the cucumber-tomato salad. Dress with olive oil + lemon + salt. Let it sit.
T-18 · 5:12
Onions done. Reserve ⅓ for topping. Rice pot is also done — pull off heat, lid on, let it rest.
T-15 · 5:15
Cast iron on high. 4–5 min preheat. Open the window. Turn on vent fan high.
T-10 · 5:20
Add oil to the screaming pan. Steaks in away from you. Press. Do not touch for 3 min.
T-7 · 5:23
Flip. 2 min. Butter + garlic + thyme in. Tilt pan, spoon foaming butter over steaks 90 sec. Pull at 125°F.
T-3 · 5:27
Steaks resting. Fluff mujadara, fold in ⅔ of the onions. Plate the bowls.
T-0 · 5:30
Slice and plate. Steak against the grain, fanned over mujadara, reserved onions on top, flaky salt. On the table.
§4

The two recipes

steak · mujadara · the keepers
Cast-Iron NY Strip · 15 min · serves 4 (sliced)

The no-marinade NY Strip

The whole move is heavy salt + smoking pan + butter baste. Marinades are for tougher cuts; a strip wants a dry crust and a juicy middle. That's it.

Ingredients

  • 2 NY strip steaks (~1 inch thick, 12 oz each)
  • Kosher salt — generous (more than feels right)
  • Coarse black pepper
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil (avocado / grapeseed)
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed (skin on is fine)
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme (rosemary works too)
  • Flaky salt for finishing (Maldon)

Method

  1. Temper. Steaks out of the fridge at least 30 min before cooking. Even 10 min helps. Cold steak = uneven cook.
  2. Pat bone dry. Both sides, paper towels. Wet steak = steamed steak. This is non-negotiable for a real crust.
  3. Salt heavily. Both sides plus the edges. Be more generous than feels right — most of it doesn't end up on the meat. Coarse pepper.
  4. Preheat the cast iron on high until smoking. Like fire-alarm smoking. 4–5 minutes. Open a window, vent fan on.
  5. Add the oil, swirl. Lay steaks away from you to avoid splatter. Press them down with tongs.
  6. Don't touch for 3 minutes. Resist. This is where the crust forms.
  7. Flip. 2 minutes on side two.
  8. Drop in butter, garlic, thyme. Tilt the pan toward you. Spoon the foaming butter over the steaks continuously for ~90 seconds. This is the magic.
  9. Check temp with an instant-read in the side of the steak. Pull at 125°F for medium-rare — it'll climb 5°F while resting.
  10. Rest 5–8 minutes on a cutting board, loosely tented. Cutting early = juice on the board.
  11. Slice against the grain into ½-inch strips. Finish with flaky salt and a spoonful of the basting butter from the pan.
Rare
120°F
Med-rare · pull here
125°F
Medium
130°F
Med-well
140°F
Lebanese Mujadara · 45 min · serves 5–6

Green lentils & basmati under dark onions

Three ingredients carry this whole dish — lentils, rice, and onions cooked much darker than feels right. The onions are not a garnish. They are the flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup green or brown lentils (du Puy ideal)
  • 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed until clear
  • 3¾ cups water (or vegetable broth)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt for the pot
  • 3 large yellow onions, halved & sliced thin
  • ¼ cup olive oil (for onions)
  • ½ tsp salt (for onions)
  • To serve: chopped parsley, lemon wedges, plain yogurt (omit for Elle / vegan)

Method

  1. Onions go first — they take the longest. Wide skillet, ¼ cup olive oil, medium heat. Add all the onion slices and ½ tsp salt. They will look like way too much. They cook down massively.
  2. Stir every few minutes. After 10 min they're translucent. After 15 min they're golden. Drop heat to medium-low.
  3. Keep going to deep mahogany — almost-burnt edges, sweet-bitter, jammy. ~25 min total. If they're sticking, splash in a tablespoon of water. This step is the dish — don't pull early.
  4. Meanwhile, rinse the lentils. Pick out any stones. Into a heavy pot with the water, cumin, bay, and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Add the rinsed basmati. Stir once. Cover, drop to low. Simmer 20 min until the water is absorbed and both rice and lentils are tender.
  6. Off heat, lid on, rest 10 min. This is what makes the grains separate cleanly. Don't skip.
  7. Combine. Reserve ⅓ of the onions for topping. Fork-fluff the rice-lentil mixture, then fold in the remaining ⅔ of onions plus a generous glug of the onion oil from the skillet.
  8. Plate. Pile into bowls, top with the reserved dark onions, a shower of parsley, and a lemon wedge. Yogurt on the side for those who eat dairy.
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From the vault

tonight pulls from these
Reference

Dry surface + screaming pan

The two-line steak law. Wet steak steams instead of searing. A "hot" pan is not enough — it has to be smoking. Every steak rule downstream of this is a footnote.

Technique

Butter baste, 90 seconds

After the sear is locked in, tilt the pan and spoon foaming butter over the steaks. Picks up the garlic + thyme flavor, glosses the crust. Restaurant-quality move with zero added time.

Pantry staple

Green lentils (du Puy)

The lentil that holds its shape when cooked with rice. Red lentils dissolve into dal (good for dal nights — see May 4) but mujadara needs structure. Brown lentils work as a fallback.

Reference

Caramelized = mahogany

Most recipes underplay how far to take the onions. They're done when they look almost-burnt at the edges, with the rest deeply jammy and dark. 25 min minimum at medium-low. Patience is the only ingredient.

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Chef's notes

pin to the cabinet

Why no marinade

Marinades are for tough cuts that need acid to break down connective tissue. NY strip is already tender — a marinade just adds surface moisture that fights the crust. Heavy salt + 30 min on the counter does more than any soak.

The rest is non-negotiable

Cutting a hot steak releases all the juice onto the board. 8 minutes of resting lets the fibers relax and reabsorb that liquid. Tent loosely with foil — wrapping tight steams the crust soft.

Mujadara as the anchor

Treating the lentil bowl as the main and the steak as the topping means smaller cuts go further. Two 12-oz strips, sliced thin, feed four adults this way. The lentils carry the calories; the steak carries the occasion.

One-pot lentil-rice ratio

Equal parts lentils to rice by volume. Lentils need a 5-min head start so they finish at the same time as the rice. 3¾ cups liquid for 1 cup each. Memorize this ratio — it's the whole formula.

For Jack

The steak slices alone might be enough on a tired night. Mujadara reads as "rice with brown things in it" — fine. Cucumber-tomato salad on the side (he eats both cucumber and tomato raw). Skip the pita unless he asks.

A-grade kitchen

One heavy pot, one wide skillet, one cast iron, one cutting board, one mixing bowl. Cast iron is the only annoying clean — wipe hot, salt scrub, dry on the burner. Soak the onion skillet immediately.