Cast Iron Skillet Dinner for Family | Healthy Meal Ideas

This cast iron skillet dinner will quickly become a family favorite as it’s added to your weekly dinner meal plans. It is simple, healthy, filling and delicious.

Cast iron skillet recipes are one of my favorite meals to make because I only need one dish.  Any meal that requires fewer dishes is a favorite for me! Plus, you can load it up with vegetables and make several variations.

At the end of the day, I like to think back on how many different vegetables we ate. The longer the list, the better, anyone else do this?  Or is it just me? Easy recipes like this really help me add a lot to that list.

I started making this simple cast-iron skillet dinner melt a while ago, and because it is topped with cheese, I call it a “melt.”  However, most of the time I make it, I eliminate the cheese because we don’t do much dairy over here, but we still call it a melt.  You can use any type of meat you prefer, and it always turns out delicious.

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SIMPLE CAST IRON SKILLET DINNER

STEAK AND POTATO SKILLET MELT

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HEALTHY MEAL IDEAS

This is the really cool part about this meal; you can switch it up and make it several different ways. Use different meats, vegetables, or spices to change the taste of the meal to be the way you want it.

WHAT KIND OF MEAT TO USE IN CAST-IRON SKILLET

We have made this with ground beef, turkey, chicken, steak, and tuna. Get creative, folks! Our family’s favorite is steak. 

GROUND BEEF, TURKEY, OR VENISON

We buy our beef from a local cattle farmer that raises grass-fed cows. If you don’t have access to local meat, you can find grass-fed meat at the store. Be sure to read your labels!  It is important for the label to say 100% grass-fed and not just grass-fed.  A lot of times, cows will eat some grass and be finished on grain to fatten them up; it is hard to find meat that is truly grass-fed.  The problem with this is that they are fed GMO corn and usually given added antibiotics and hormones.

My husband is a deer hunter, and usually, we have a freezer full of venison.  I love this, and it is a great way to get healthy meat cheaper.  We have made this dish with deer meat, and it is delicious. You can also use ground turkey.

SHREDDED CHICKEN 

Cast-iron skillet chicken is a quick and easy meal for a busy weeknight by using leftover chicken.  It is a great way to use up that leftover chicken and stretch it into another meal. You can also bake chicken breast or chicken legs to use for this recipe.

I always prefer to use chicken with the bone so I can make bone broth.  And I think it is tastier!

STEAK 

Adding streak strips to this dish is another variation you can do. Sear steaks right in your cast-iron skillet and then cut it into strips.  My family absolutely loves it when I make a steak melt!

TUNA 

This one was my husband’s idea, and I have to be honest, I turned my nose up when he suggested making a tuna melt in the cast-iron the first time.  But it was actually really good, and we make this one often! We add two cans of tuna once the vegetables are soft and cook until hot.

VEGETABLES 

I don’t know if I have ever made this dish the same way twice.  The vegetables I add-in depends on the season or what I have laying around.  During the summer, it feels as if I have unlimited amounts of zucchini, tomatoes, and yellow squash coming from my garden.  This time of year, squash is expensive, so I stick to potatoes and onions.  Add in handfuls of spinach, frozen peas, sautéed mushrooms, or diced tomatoes.  Any vegetables work, and the more, the better!

CHEESE 

The cheese adds a lot to this dish, but it can be eliminated if you are dairy-free, eating paleo, or on the whole 30.  We have made this a lot without cheese, and it is still delicious.

When we do eat cheese, I stick to a few “rules” to make sure it is healthy.  First thing, I never buy shredded cheese because it has a lot of additives in it to cause it not to clump.  Usually, it is seasoned and can contain gluten, MSG, or cellulose.  Shredding your own adds an extra step, but eliminates these ingredients.  As always, check your labels!

I also like to buy organic, raw, and grass-fed cheese. This makes the cheese a bit more pricey, but it is so delicious!

I am a sharp to extra sharp kind of girl, but you can use any kind.

SPICES 

Again, this is time to get creative!  During the summer, I throw in fresh herbs, and during the winter, I add in essential oils.  You can go the Mexican route and add in cilantro and lime.  Or you can go Italian and add in basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary.  Or keep it simple with salt and pepper. I don’t think there is a wrong way to do it.

Try out some of my homemade season salts with this recipe.

Try this dish out and let me know what you tried and liked. I always love having new and fresh suggestions!

HOW TO MAKE A CAST-IRON SKILLET DINNER

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds steak (I used deer because that is what I had, but you can also use beef.)
• 6-8 small red potatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 block of cheese (My favorite is organic sharp cheddar!)
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil for cooking
• Pink Himalayan All Purpose Seasoning (This is my favorite seasoning, you can find it here.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
2. Sprinkle the steaks with the seasoning and place them in a heated cast iron skillet, let cook for 5 minutes, and then flip them.  Sprinkle the other side with the seasoning and let cook for 5 more minutes, while the meat is browning dice the red potatoes, onion, carrots, and celery.
3. Once the meat is done, remove from the skillet.
4. Add in the rest of the coconut oil, diced red potatoes, and carrots. Let them cook for about 10 minutes or until starting to feel soft.  Add in the onions and celery.  Cover with a lid and let them cook until soft.  Turning only once!
5. Once the vegetables are soft, add the steaks back into the skillet.  Stir in and let cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Cover with cheese and place in a 400-degree oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

If you don’t already have a cast-iron skillet, check out this one here. 

PIN IT FOR LATER

I hope you enjoyed this easy recipe for a healthy weeknight dinner. Check out below for more easy recipes using a cast-iron skillet. 

• Broccoli and Beef Stir Fry.
• Easy Paleo one-pot Mexican meal.
• Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Red Potatoes.
• Sausage Skillet

Cast Iron Skillet Steak Melt

Laura Ascher

This cast-iron skillet dinner will quickly become a family favorite and become part of your weekly dinner meal plan. It is simple, delicious, and healthy. 

4.87 from 22 votes

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Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 47 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Calories 398 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  12" cast iron skillet

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 lbs steak
• ▢ 6-8 small red potatoes
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ 2 celery stalks
• ▢ 1 block sharp cheddar cheese
• ▢ 3 tbsp coconut oil for cooking
• ▢ Seasoning Salt

Instructions

 

• Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
• Sprinkle the steaks with the seasoning and place them in a heated cast iron skillet, let cook for 5 minutes, and then flip them. Sprinkle the other side with the seasoning and cook an additional 5 min. While the meat is browning, dice red potatoes, onion, carrots, and celery.
• Once the meat is done remove from the pan.
• Add in the rest of the coconut oil, diced red potatoes, and carrots. Let them cook for about 10 minutes or until feeling soft.  Add in the onions and celery.  Cover with a lid and let them cook until soft.  Turning only once!
• Once the vegetables are soft add the steaks back into the skillet.  Stir in and let cook for about 5 minutes.
• Cover with cheese and place in a 400-degree oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 26gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 1054mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 34IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 3mg

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I am not a nutritionalist. Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.