Made with chopped herbs, garlic, a great olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, chimichurri sauce is one of my favorite ways to liven up simply grilled meats or roasted veggies. It also makes one of the best *steak salad dressings* of all time.

Aside from being delicious, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything more nutritious than a chimichurri sauce! The main ingredients — herbs, olive oil, and garlic — are all super foods in their own right, with numerous health benefits. Parsley and cilantro are full of antioxidants, nutrients and vitamins–a particularly great source of of vitamin K. Since combining vitamin K with a fat increases absorption and bioavailability, you get some extra benefits from this preparation thanks to the heavy pour of heart-healthy olive oil in the sauce.

Of course, you can find all of these ingredients year-round, but I find myself making chimichurri a lot over the spring and summer months. Herbs are in season and I can’t resist the ease of simply grilled meats and veggies when the weather is nice.

This recipe makes 1 cup of chimichurri sauce and keeps in the fridge for about 5 days. The oil will solidify when chilled, so give it a few minutes to come to room temperature and a good stir before serving leftover chimichurri.

Chimichurri Sauce Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Juice from 1/2 lemon, about 1 tablespoon
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: sprinkle of chili flakes to taste, other chopped herbs like oregano, mint or basil

How to Make Chimichurri Sauce

1. Destem and finely chop parsley and cilantro leaves.
2. Mince garlic.
3. Combine all ingredients, starting with about 1/4 cup of the extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and add additional olive to get the desired consistency. I like mine to be rather liquidy (think: pourable), but it can be thick if you prefer to spoon it on.
4. Taste sauce and adjust flavors (salt, pepper, chili flakes, acid, garlic ) as needed.

How to Serve Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri is an all-purpose sauce in my book. It’s a staple in Argentina and Uruguay, traditionally served with grilled steak and sometimes sausages. That is indeed a wonderful combination, but it can go with so much more! It’s a great topping–or can even be a marinade–for chicken, pork tenderloin, shrimp, grilled vegetables, and grilled fish. I love the flavor and brightness it adds to both meat and vegetable dishes.

In the summer, I often make a big batch to go with something specific, like grilled flank steak, and then find myself using it throughout the rest of the week on all kinds of things. Usually my dinner turns into a lunch bowl on top of a big bed of greens, which is how I discovered chimichurri as a steak salad dressing. So good!

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