Weeknight · One skillet · About 25 minutes

Steak Fajitas

Name: Steak Fajitas
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp chili powder; 1 ½ tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp onion powder; 1 tsp salt; ¼ tsp cayenne; 30 ml high-heat oil; 3 bell peppers; 1 large onion; 450 g fully-cooked sliced beef sirloin; 1 lime; 8 flour or corn tortillas

The quick fajita-style plate — peppers and onions charred hard in a screaming skillet, with Costco's pre-cooked sirloin folded in at the end and a squeeze of lime. Pile into warm tortillas, or build a bowl.

~25 min total 4 servings 1 skillet

Spoon cost

Time ●○○○○ Anytime

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

Char the vegetables hard, warm the beef gently. The smoky sear that makes fajitas goes on the peppers and onions — get the skillet ripping hot and leave them alone to blister and brown. The pre-cooked sirloin only needs 30–60 seconds tossed in at the end with a squeeze of lime; any longer and it toughens.

Easier, if you like

A packet of fajita seasoning stands in for the spice blend.
Pre-sliced peppers and onions (produce case, or the freezer's fajita-blend bag) plus Costco's pre-cooked sirloin make this nearly hands-off.
No-chop toppings: grab Wholly Guacamole and a tub of fresh pico from the refrigerated/produce case, or a jar of Herdez salsa — all in most groceries. (Or make our quick Pico de Gallo and Guacamole.)

Method

Cook's notes

The char is the flavor. A screaming-hot cast-iron skillet (or grill pan) and a single layer are what blister the vegetables; crowd the pan and they steam instead.

Want a little char on the beef, too? You can get a quick sear without overcooking the pre-cooked sirloin: film the bottom of a cast-iron skillet with oil and heat it until screaming hot, add 1 tbsp butter and let it melt (it happens fast), then swirl to coat. Lay the slices in a single layer, sear 10–15 seconds, flip them, and give the other side another 10–15 seconds, then pull them straight out — they won't overcook. It's not the deep char of a real skirt steak, but it's a genuinely tasty stand-in. Cooking for a group? Sear in batches — a single layer each time keeps the pan screaming hot so the beef chars instead of steaming.

Make it a bowl: skip the tortillas and pile everything over cilantro-lime rice with black beans, avocado, and salsa.

Toppings make it — sour cream or crema, guacamole, shredded cheese, pico de gallo or fresh salsa, and plenty of fresh cilantro.

The pre-cooked sirloin is the shortcut: it folds in at the end, so dinner is really just charring vegetables and warming tortillas. It's budget-friendly, too — one package stretches to feed a decent-sized group.

Same Costco sirloin, other nights: French Dip Sandwiches and Beef Stroganoff.

Make it gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan

Gluten-free: use corn tortillas (or serve as a bowl over rice) — the beef, peppers, spices, and lime are naturally gluten-free; check a seasoning packet if you use one.

Vegetarian / vegan: skip the beef and bulk it up with black beans, sliced portobello, or extra peppers — the charred vegetables and seasoning carry it.