Fiery Steak and Creamy Garlic Rotini

Fiery Steak and Creamy Garlic Rotini is the perfect combination of bold, spicy steak bites and silky, dreamy pasta that comes together in under 40 minutes! This recipe features tender sirloin cubes coated in smoky spices, tossed with spiraled rotini in the most luscious Parmesan garlic cream sauce.

Love More Dinner Ideas? Try My Cajun Chicken Pasta or this Sweet Chilli Chicken next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The steak gets this gorgeous caramelized crust from the spice blend, while the rotini swims in a sauce so rich and garlicky, you’ll want to lick the bowl (no judgment here!). It’s fancy enough to impress dinner guests but simple enough for a Tuesday night when you’re craving something special. The cayenne gives just enough heat to wake up your taste buds without overwhelming them, and that creamy sauce? It cools everything down perfectly.

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Ingredient List

For the Fiery Steak:

• 1 lb sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or less, to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Creamy Garlic Rotini:

• 1 lb rotini pasta
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff from the deli counter!)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

Friendly Notes:

• Last time the store was out of sirloin so I grabbed ribeye and it was even better, just a bit pricier
• My mom can’t do spicy so when she visits I just skip the cayenne and everyone’s happy
• Parsley’s mostly for looks honestly—I forget it half the time and nobody complains

Why These Ingredients Work

Sirloin’s my usual pick because it doesn’t cost a fortune but still stays tender when you cube it. The small pieces cook fast and get brown all over, which is really where all that flavor’s hiding. Paprika does more than just make it pretty—there’s this smokiness that people always ask about. And cayenne? That’s your heat right there, but it’s not crazy or anything.

The sauce part is where I get excited though. Real butter makes such a difference with garlic, like night and day from using oil. Those fresh garlic cloves (I tried the jarred minced stuff once and immediately regretted it) smell so good when they hit the pan. Heavy cream’s the only way to get that thick, coat-everything texture. Half-and-half just doesn’t cut it, trust me I’ve tried when I ran out. Parmesan brings this salty, nutty thing that ties it all together. Oh and rotini? Those spirals are perfect little sauce holders. Every twist catches cream and bits of garlic.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Large skillet (my cast iron’s perfect but any big pan works)
• Large pot for boiling pasta
• Colander
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• Tongs for flipping steak

How To Make Fiery Steak and Creamy Garlic Rotini

Step 1: Season Your Steak

Dump your steak cubes in a bowl with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. I just use my hands—it’s messy but works way better. Make sure everything’s coated. Then just let it sit while you do other stuff so the flavors soak in.

Step 2: Sear the Steak to Perfection

Get your pan really hot before anything goes in. You want to hear that sizzle when the steak hits—that’s how you know it’s right. Don’t crowd the pan or the pieces will steam instead of getting crusty. Nobody wants steamed steak. Cook for maybe 5-7 minutes, turning them every so often until they’re browned. I pull mine when there’s still pink in the middle but do whatever you like. Set them on a plate and cover with foil.

Step 3: Cook the Rotini

While that’s happening, get your pasta water boiling. Salt it good—grandma always said if you’re not salting your pasta water you’re doing it wrong. Cook the rotini like the box says, but listen—before you dump it in the sink, scoop out about half a cup of that water. Seriously don’t skip this part. I forgot once and the sauce was all wrong. That starchy water fixes everything later.

Step 4: Build That Creamy Garlic Sauce

Wipe your pan out real quick. Melt the butter on medium heat and throw in your garlic. Stir it for like a minute—you want it to smell amazing but watch it close because garlic burns fast and then you gotta start over. Pour in the cream and dump in the Parmesan, then just let it bubble gently for a few minutes. Stir it here and there. It thickens up as the cheese melts in.

Step 5: Bring It All Together

Put your pasta and steak back in the sauce and mix everything around. If it looks too thick, that’s where your saved pasta water comes in. Add a little splash and stir. Taste it—you might need more salt. Top with parsley if you remembered to buy it.

You Must Know

Temperature matters: Let your steak sit on the counter for like 15-20 minutes before you cook it. I used to skip this and wondered why my steak was tough sometimes. Cold meat doesn’t sear right.

Save that pasta water: Can’t stress this enough. That water’s what makes restaurant sauce stick to pasta instead of pooling at the bottom. It’s basically magic.

Personal Secret: Sometimes I save a few steak pieces and crank the heat way up at the end to get them extra crispy. Those burnt edges on top make such a difference!

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Pat your steak dry before you season it. Learned this from a chef friend—moisture stops the crust from forming
• Get a real block of Parmesan and grate it yourself. Pre-shredded has stuff in it that makes it weird and clumpy in sauce
• Always melt butter first, then add garlic. Oil burns garlic too fast
• Don’t pile all your steak in at once! I made this mistake early on and everything just steamed. Give them space or cook in batches
• Keep frozen shrimp handy—thaw and throw them in instead of steak when you’re really short on time

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

More heat: Throw red pepper flakes in with the garlic. My husband does this to his plate every time

Herb garden: Whatever herbs you’ve got hanging around work. Basil, thyme, oregano. Sometimes I just grab whatever’s still alive in my windowsill

Surf and turf: Use half the steak amount and add shrimp at the very end. Cook them maybe 2 minutes till they’re pink

Veggie boost: Spinach wilts right in. Or chop up sun-dried tomatoes if you’re feeling fancy

Different cheese: Mixed in mozzarella last week and it got all stretchy and good. Asiago’s sharper if you want more bite

Pasta swap: Use whatever pasta’s in your pantry. Penne, rigatoni, fettuccine—they all work fine

Make-Ahead Options

Prep ahead: Cut and season your steak the night before and stick it in the fridge. Just remember to take it out to warm up before you cook it

Sauce base: Make the cream sauce a couple days early if you want. Reheat it with a splash of milk to thin it back out

Full meal: Best eaten fresh honestly, but leftovers last a few days. If you can, keep the steak and sauce separate from pasta—reheats better

Freezing: Cooked steak freezes great for months. Don’t freeze the cream sauce though, it gets gross and separates

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Start light on the cayenne if you’re unsure. You can always add hot sauce later but you can’t take spice back.

If your sauce looks broken or grainy, heat was too high. Lower it and whisk in a spoon of cold cream—usually fixes it.

Steak keeps cooking after you pull it, so take it off a little before you think it’s done.

Rotini’s my favorite for the sauce-catching spirals but any short pasta with ridges works.

Serving Suggestions

I usually make a quick Caesar salad and grab bread from the bakery section. That bread’s crucial for cleaning your bowl. Red wine’s good with this—Cabernet or Malbec if you’re into wine. I usually just have water though.

Roasted asparagus or green beans with lemon are good lighter sides. Cuts through all that cream. My kids prefer broccoli with butter which works too I guess.

Makes a good date night meal if you plate it nice in shallow bowls. Add extra Parmesan on top and light a candle, suddenly Tuesday feels special.

How to Store Your Fiery Steak and Creamy Garlic Rotini

Refrigerator: Airtight container, lasts 3 days. Sauce gets thick in the fridge but that’s normal

Reheating: Add milk or cream and reheat slow on the stove, keep stirring. Microwave works too—30 seconds at a time, stir between. Don’t blast it or the steak overcooks more

Freezing: Only freeze the steak by itself, good for 3 months. Cream sauce gets weird when frozen

Room Temperature: Two hours max sitting out. Dairy spoils

Allergy Information

Contains: Dairy (butter, cream, Parmesan), Wheat (pasta)

Common Allergens: Gluten and dairy

Substitutions:

• Dairy-Free: Vegan butter, coconut cream, nutritional yeast work. Different taste but still decent
• Gluten-Free: Any gluten-free pasta’s fine. Check cooking times though
• Lactose: Lactose-free cream exists. Aged Parmesan barely has lactose anyway

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use a different cut of steak?

Yeah! Ribeye’s richer if you want to splurge. Strip steak’s great too. Skip really lean cuts like eye of round though—they get tough and chewy. Flank steak works if you slice it thin against the grain instead of cubing.

My sauce is too thick—help!

Add that pasta water you saved, little bit at a time. The starch makes it creamy without getting watery. Works like a charm every time.

What if I don’t have heavy cream?

Half-and-half works okay but isn’t as thick. Mix flour into the butter first before adding liquid to help thicken. Or do a cornstarch slurry at the end.

How do I know when my steak is done?

Use a thermometer—pull it at 135-140°F for medium. Don’t have one? Cut a piece open, should be pink inside not red. Remember it cooks more while resting!

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Love hearing how it went for you! Did you change anything? Make it spicier? Your comments help other people figure out if they should try it