Entrecote Steak with Asparagus
⏲ ~16 min total · prep 4 · cook 2 · 4 servings
Lunch⏱ 45 min total🔥 12.9g net carbs⚡ ≈642 kcal/serving~11% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 2 entrecote (ribeye) steaks, 10-12 oz each, about 1 1/4 inches thick
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 tbsp cold butter, cubed
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed, and 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 lb asparagus, woody ends snapped off
- 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt, for the asparagus
- 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Salt the steaks all over and let them sit uncovered at room temperature for 10 minutes to take the chill off and dry the surface.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and position a rack in the center; toss the asparagus with the olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until it just smokes, add the avocado oil, then lay in the steaks.
- Sear 2 minutes per side, then reduce the heat to medium, add the butter, garlic, and thyme, and baste continuously for 1-2 minutes until the steaks read 128-130°F internally for medium-rare.
- Move the steaks to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil to rest; slide the asparagus into the oven and roast 10-12 minutes, until the tips crisp and stalks blister in spots.
- Squeeze the lemon over the hot asparagus and divide it between plates.
- Slice the rested steaks against the grain, spoon the pan butter and juices over the top, and serve.
Why this recipe works
- Open-air salting Salt on the steaks at room temperature pulls moisture to the surface and lets it dry. A dry surface sears darker in the same 2 minutes per side.
- Butter baste, late and short Butter, smashed garlic, and thyme go in only after the heat drops to medium. Basting for the last 1 to 2 minutes flavors the crust without burning the dairy.
- The oven takes the vegetables Asparagus roasts at 400°F during the steak's rest, so nothing waits cold and nothing jockeys for burner space. The timing is the recipe's quiet trick.
Tips for making this recipe well
Wait for the smoke
The cast-iron pan should barely smoke before the oil and the steaks go in. A shy pan gives you gray steaks with suggestions of brown.
Two minutes, then flip
Leave each side alone for 2 minutes at high heat. Moving them early tears the crust that is building.
Pull at 128-130°F
That is medium-rare as the recipe is written, checked with a thermometer at the thickest point. If you want the steak cooked through, take it toward 145°F instead.
Snap the ends by hand
Bend each asparagus spear and it breaks where the woody base starts. Knife-guessing wastes the tender part half the time.
Rest while the asparagus roasts
Tented foil for the 10 to 12 minutes in the oven lets the juices settle back into the meat. Cutting early spills them onto the board.
Serving suggestions
Slice the rested steaks against the grain and fan them out, then spoon the pan butter with its softened garlic and thyme over the top. Lemon goes over the asparagus while it is hot enough to take the juice in. A plate of ribeye and roasted asparagus runs 12.9 net carbs, nearly all of it from the vegetable, and the pan butter is not optional around here.
Storage and meal prep
Refrigerate leftover steak within a couple of hours, covered, for 3 to 4 days. It eats beautifully cold, sliced thin, and reheating a whole steak tends to push it past medium-rare; if you must, warm the slices briefly in a skillet over low with a little butter. The asparagus keeps 3 to 4 days too and softens by day two. Cold spears are fine in a lunch box.
Variations worth trying
- Rosemary for thyme A rosemary sprig bastes as well as the thyme. Rosemary is stronger, so one sprig per pan is plenty.
- One steak for two If the steaks run thick, cook a single 12-ounce ribeye and split it across the table. The timing barely changes.
- Skillet asparagus Toss the spears in the same olive oil and salt and cook them in a hot skillet while the steaks rest instead of the oven. Charred spots suit the lemon.
- Extra pan butter Double the butter in the pan if you are the kind of cook who sauce-mops. The steak will not object.
Frequently asked questions
What internal temperature for entrecote?
The recipe aims for 128-130°F for medium-rare, measured at the thickest point during the baste. For a well-done whole cut, 145°F is the number to hit.
Why salt uncovered at room temperature?
Ten minutes takes off the fridge chill and dries the salted surface. Both translate directly into a darker sear.
No cast-iron skillet?
Use the heaviest pan you own and heat it the same way. Cast iron holds heat best, which matters when cold steaks hit the metal.
How done should the asparagus be?
Ten to 12 minutes at 400°F, until the tips crisp and the stalks blister in spots. Past that they go soft and dull.
Can I skip the rest?
The 10 minutes under loose foil is when the juices pull back into the meat. Cut straight away and the board collects what the steak should have kept.
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