Food and Recipes Meat Beef Sauces for Steak That Will Take Your Meal Over the Top By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is an Associate Digital Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 15, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham We know, we know. Meat enthusiasts will say, "A truly good steak shouldn't need sauce." And don't worry—we agree. A well-seasoned steak, when cooked properly, is perfection on its own. But there are times and places for steak sauces, and we have 20 delicious ways to back that up. Dress up your holiday beef tenderloin with a luxurious Burgundy-Mushroom or Mustard-Cream Sauce. Make the neighbors think they're at a five-star restaurant when you offer them a dollop of homemade garlic-herb compound butter with their steak dinner. Add some spice to grilled steak tacos with Roasted Garlic Salsa Verde or finish off a smoky flat iron steak with photo-worthy Charred Tomato Relish. Our Spiced Plum Chutney is the perfect savory-sweet way to top off an at-home date night, and tangy Vidalia Onion-and-Vinegar Sauce will impress any guest. These steak sauce recipes just might convince you that sauce does deserve a spot on the menu—every now and then at least. 01 of 15 Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith Recipe: Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce We paired this luxurious sauce with an elegant stuffed beef tenderloin made for a dressy holiday meal, but you can prepare the sauce for any special supper. The recipe is a buttery blend of burgundy, beef broth, Dijon mustard, and cremini mushrooms. This would be just as divine on your favorite cut of steak. 02 of 15 Compound Butter Victor Protasio; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sheet Pan Hanger Steak and Vegetables There's nothing better than a wickedly easy sheet pan supper, but a side of homemade, herby compound butter makes this simple meal feel special. Blend softened butter with thyme, lemon zest, mustard, and black pepper. Spoon onto your steak and watch it melt into deliciousness. 03 of 15 Italian-Style Salsa Verde Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Italian-Style Salsa Verde This all-purpose condiment is vibrant and packed with herbs like flat-leaf parsley, chives, and oregano. Spicy peppers and garlic give it some heat. Make some extra salsa verde—you'll want to pour it over everything. 04 of 15 Vidalia Onion-and-Vinegar Sauce Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling; Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Vidalia Onion-and-Vinegar Sauce This recipe comes from the classic cookbook Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubert. Sweet Georgia onions, dry white wine, and tangy red wine vinegar offset rich steak in a lovely way. Pair this homemade sauce with our Roasted Beef Tenderloin recipe or any cut you have at home. 05 of 15 Garlic-Herb Butter Photography and Styling: Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Air Fryer Steak Blend softened butter with parsley, garlic, rosemary, zest, and black pepper. Serve it alongside Air Fryer Steak, a super easy recipe that results in tender steak that melts in your mouth. Serve leftovers along with your fried eggs in the morning. 06 of 15 Red Wine Sauce Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Herb-Crusted Prime Rib If you really want to wow your holiday crowd, this is the year to try prime rib. A combination of butter, shallots, red wine, beef broth, and Dijon mustard make a lavish sauce to pair with fresh herbs on top. Serve the sauce in your best gravy boat. 07 of 15 Milk Gravy Southern Living Recipe: Country-Fried Steak Southerners know the only way to enjoy country-fried steak is with a hearty serving of gravy on top. This creamy white sauce uses a little bit of your steak-infused cooking oil, a few simple seasonings, and milk – all ingredients you've already got in the pantry or fridge. Don't forget a slice of cornbread to sop up the any extra. 08 of 15 Summer Sauce Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Summer Sauce For years, this fresh sauce has been our go-to condiment from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It tastes delicious on salads, sandwiches, tacos, or steak. This loose basil-and-mint pesto can be served straight, diluted with oil for a viniagrette on your steak salad, or whisked with mayo for an aioli steak sandwich. 09 of 15 Pepper Steak Southern Living Recipe: Pepper Steak This dish is an easy recipe to serve throughout the week and warm your insides when the weather is cold. Olive oil, soy sauce, dry sherry, and ground ginger make a flavorful marinade in this Pepper Steak recipe. The beef is sauteed with vegetables and served over rice, polenta, or gnocchi. 10 of 15 Romesco Sauce Jennifer Davick; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Romesco Sauce Toasted pecans add a Southern twist to our version of romesco sauce. This rustic puree is delicious over grilled meats. Be sure to serve dinner with warm baguette for sopping up leftover sauce. 11 of 15 Whipped Horseradish Cream Jim Franco Recipe: Whipped Horseradish Cream Up the presentation of your holiday main dish by wrapping it in pancetta and serving with Whipped Horseradish Cream. This sauce adds zing to every bite in our Pancetta-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Whipped Horseradish Cream recipe, but is just as good with steak sandwiches or prime rib. 12 of 15 Brisket with Carrots and Horseradish-Parsley Gremolata Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Brisket with Carrots and Horseradish-Parsley Gremolata Our gremolata is another version of horseradish sauce, brightened with fresh parsley and lemon juice. You can buy prepared horseradish or grate your own for the freshest flavor. We served this light, bright condiment over brisket, but it would be delicious with any cut of steak. 13 of 15 Balsamic Marinade Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Seared Steak-and-Field-Pea Salad Flank steak can be a slightly tougher cut of meat, so this marinade—composed of brown sugar, white balsamic, and olive oil—helps to tenderize the meat. Make sure to let your steak come to room temperature after marinating so that it cooks evenly. This recipe uses a cast-iron skillet, which does double-duty to sear the steak and char the vegetables. 14 of 15 Texas BBQ Sauce Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Texas BBQ Sauce While this recipe was developed to serve alongside our Brisket Sandwiches with Texas BBQ Sauce, you can slather it right onto a T-bone or other cuts of beef. The sweet-and-sour mix of ketchup, vinegar, and brown sugar complements the smoky flavor of grilled meat. Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and cayenne pepper kick up the flavor. 15 of 15 Mustard-Cream Sauce Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Mustard-Cream Sauce Creole mustard adds just the right amount of zing to a classic cream sauce. We like to serve it over our Spice-Rubbed Tenderloin with Mustard-Cream Sauce. This recipe is a reader favorite for the holidays. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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