Marinated Flank Steak with Seared Spinach

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This is the dinner you need for those nights when you’re already dreading packing lunches the next day.

The concept is simple. You make a bigger-than-you-need (but still fast and easy) dinner, then you stash the leftovers.

In the morning, those leftovers get transformed into a delicious lunch, no heavy lifting needed. In this case, that dinner is a flank steak marinated in garlic and red wine vinegar.

On Day 1, you serve the steak with skillet-seared spinach. If you’re feeling ambitious, some mashed potatoes would be nice, too. On Day 2, you take thin slices of the leftover steak and slap them onto crusty bread with mustard or into a whole-wheat wrap with a bit of fresh greens and maybe some mayonnaise or barbecue sauce.

MARINATED FLANK STEAK WITH SEARED SPINACH

To get dinner on the table fast, toss the steak in with the marinade in the morning so it will be ready to cook when you get home from work.

Start to finish: 30 minutes, plus marinating
Servings: 8

4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds flank steak
1 tablespoon butter
11 ounces baby spinach
Grated Romano cheese, to serve

In a zip-close plastic bag, combine half of the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Add the steak, then close the bag, squeezing to remove as much air as possible. Make sure the marinade covers the meat on all sides. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8.

When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high.

Remove the steak from the marinade, patting it dry with paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the steak and cook for 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until desired temperature. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside to rest.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to the heat and melt the butter with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the remaining garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. When the steak has rested, slice it thinly across the grain. Serve with the spinach, topped with grated Romano.