Tender beef fajita skewers with chimichurri sauce are so easy on the grill or in the oven ~ serve them with rice or tortillas.
Fajitas are a Tex-Mex classic, but these steak fajita skewers take them in a fresh, colorful direction. Tender bites of seasoned steak, peppers, and onions get a quick blast of heat, then a drizzle of bright cilantro pesto. Serve them on the skewer for fun, or slide everything over rice, couscous, or warm tortillas ~ fajitas, but a little more playful.
The beef for fajita skewers
- I used beef tenderloin for fajita skewers.
- You want a tender cut because it cooks quickly. You can also use sirloin steak.
- I cut it into 1 – 1 1/2″ cubes.
- I make a quick 3-spice dry rub for the cubes of meat. Leave it for 30 minutes up to overnight.
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- chili powder
The veggies + chimichurri
The vibrance of the veggies plus the super acidity of the chimichurri balances out the rich beef tenderloin. This is good!
I use red onion and colorful bell peppers (one each red, yellow, orange and green.) If you want to upgrade your fajita skewers you could use poblano or jalapeño in addition to the bell peppers.
Chimichurri is a fresh, herb-based Argentine sauce made with garlic, olive oil, and vinegar—bright, garlicky, and slightly tangy, perfect for grilled meats.
Cooking fajita skewers ~ 2 ways
The oven sear (year round, no grill!)
- Place oven rack in the 2nd from highest to the broiler.
- Arrange skewers on a sheet pan (not crowded) and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Broil about 5 minutes, then flip and broil another 5 or until the veggies are lightly charred and the meat is medium rare.
Grilling method
- Preheat grill to medium-high (425–450°F)
- Oil the grates lightly.
- Grill skewers 8–10 minutes total, turning once.
- Cook until beef is just done and veggies are glossy with charred edges.
Serving ideas
These fajita skewers become a complete bowl dinner when served over rice, rice and beans, or couscous. Serve with fresh lime and cilantro leaves, and drizzle with the chimichurri sauce. It’s fun to present them on the skewer, give each person one beef and one veggie.
Can you serve them with tortillas?
Sure, but if you want to serve them that way, be sure to cut your meat into small bite sized pieces.
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Steak Fajita Skewers with Cilantro Sauce
Equipment
- 8 long metal skewers
Instructions
- Cut the steak into bite sized cubes, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Toss with the dry rub spice mix. If you want to do this up to a day ahead, load the meat into a heavy duty zip lock bag and refrigerate. When ready to cook, thread the beef onto 4 skewers.
- Cut the peppers and onion into bite sized pieces as well and thread onto 4 skewers.
- Lay out the skewers on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil Sprinkle with salt. Place the pan on the 2nd to highest position under the broiler and broil on high for about 5 minutes each side. The veggies should be golssy and slightly charred. The meat should be medium rare. Note: I cook the veggies first, then the meat.
chimichurri
- With your food processor running, drop in the garlic and shallot and process until they are finely minced.
- Fill the bowl of the processor with the rest of the ingredients and pulse/process until it becomes a brilliant green sauce, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to get everything incorporated. Take a taste to adjust any of the flavors. If it tastes a bit bitter, add a tiny amount of sugar. Keep refrigerated.
- Serve your fajitas on or off the skewer, with rice, couscous, or tortillas. Drizzle with lots of chimichurri
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Made these last night for dinner. OMG! FANTASTIC! Thanks for this recipe….it’s a keeper!
I’m excited to try this tonight with my homegrown peppers! We’re grilling chicken, so we’ll try it with just the vegetables this first time—I think it’ll make a great side dish for my lime-and-garlic-marinated chicken thighs. I’m going to try using lime juice in the cilantro pesto because I don’t have any lemons on hand, and honestly, who wants to run to the store just for a lemon. 🙂 Looking forward to a delicious supper!
Lime will be wonderful in the sauce 🙂
Super easy and the sauce is delicious!
Just letting you know that I featured this recipe in my weekly Low-Carb Recipe Love on Fridays; hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try the recipe!
Thanks so much Kalyn <3
Made these tonight, the cilantro pesto was amazing! I couldn’t stop drizzling it on top. Between my 12 yr old son, husband, and I we rated this a 10!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I really appreciate it when readers like you take the time to let me know how recipes turned out, Lisa! I am a big fan of the cilantro pesto, too, I recently used it on salmon and it was great.
I made these two nights ago since I got cilantro with my farm share! They were delish. And I don’t have an outdoor grill. Made them right on the grill pan……thanks Sue as always.
Glad to hear it, Julie!