Try Making Fajitas in the Oven; You May Never Go Back to the Stovetop

Get that perfectly seared color on your steak without the use of a stove.

A mixture of chili powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper adds nice flavor and color. America's Test Kitchen/TCA

Fajitas are a sizzling spectacle, but we wanted a recipe that was more about flavor than theater and used only one baking sheet.

We chose flank steak, preferred by tasters for its beefy flavor, tenderness, and availability. Since we couldn’t sear it on a baking sheet in the oven (even at a hot 475 degrees F), we relied on a potent, dark-colored spice rub to make up for the missing flavor and color. A mixture of chili powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper did the trick.

After tossing strips of bell peppers, rings of red onion, and slices of garlic in vegetable oil, salt, and pepper, we spread them out on the baking sheet and slid it into the oven on the lower-middle rack to ensure that the vegetables browned and didn’t steam. We then pushed the vegetables to one side of the baking sheet and added the rubbed steak, cut into three equal pieces, to the other side of the sheet. In just 8 minutes, the meat was at the target temperature of 135 degrees F.

Cooked to medium instead of medium-rare, the steak was less chewy when sliced and dropped into a tortilla. Once the steak was rested and sliced, we tossed it with the browned, tender vegetables plus chopped cilantro and a spritz of lime juice to brighten the flavors.

One-Pan Steak Fajitas

Serves 4 to 6

• 3 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steaks, trimmed
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortilla
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees F. Toss bell peppers, onion, garlic, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper together on a rimmed baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Roast until vegetables are lightly browned around edges, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine chili powder, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Cut steak lengthwise with grain into three equal pieces. Pat steaks dry with paper towels, then sprinkle all over with spice mixture. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil; set aside.

3. Remove sheet from oven. Using a rubber spatula, push vegetables to 1 half of the sheet. Place steaks on the other half of the sheet, leaving space between steaks. Roast until vegetables are spotty brown and meat registers 135 degrees (for medium), about 8 minutes.

4. Remove sheet from oven, transfer steaks to cutting board, and let rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Place tortillas in oven until warm, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a serving platter and toss with lime juice.

5. Slice steaks thin against grain and transfer to platter with vegetables. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve steak and vegetables with warm tortillas.

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