Seared Beef & Caramelised Onion Ciabatta
with Sweet Potato Fries & Creamy Pesto
- Gluten
- Soy
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs
- Walnut
- May contain traces of allergens
- Eggs
- Milk
- Sesame
- Lupin
- Almond
- Hazelnut
- Macadamia
- Cashew
Thanks to quick-cooking beef strips and our ready-to-go creamy pesto, these loaded ciabattas will be on the table before you know it. The kids will be keen to help whip these up, before gobbling them up!
Ingredients
2
sweet potato
1
red onion
1
tomato
1 packet
beef strips
2
Bake-At-Home Ciabatta
(Contains: Gluten, Soy, Wheat May be present: Eggs, Milk, Sesame, Lupin, Almond, Hazelnut)
1 packet
creamy pesto dressing
(Contains: Milk, Eggs, Walnut May be present: Almond, Macadamia, Cashew)
1 bag
baby spinach leaves
1 sachet
Italian herbs
Not included in your delivery
olive oil
1 tbs
balsamic vinegar
½ tbs
water
1 tsp
brown sugar
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Preheat oven to 240°C/220°C fan-forced. • Cut sweet potato into fries. • Place fries on a lined oven tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and toss to coat. • Bake until tender, 20-25 minutes.
TIP: If your oven tray is crowded, divide the fries between two trays.
• Meanwhile, thinly slice red onion. • Thinly slice tomato.
Little cooks: Don your goggles and have a go at peeling off the onion's outer layer!
• In large frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. • Cook onion, stirring regularly, until softened, 5-6 minutes. • Reduce heat to medium. Add the balsamic vinegar, the brown sugar and the water, then mix well. Cook until dark and sticky, 3-5 minutes. • Transfer to a small bowl.
• When the sweet potato fries have 5 minute remaining, combine Italian herbs, a good pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil in medium bowl. Add beef strips, tossing to coat. • Wipe out frying pan, then return to high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When oil is hot, cook beef strips in batches (to keep them tender!) tossing, until browned and cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Little cooks: Help toss the beef in the seasoning. Make sure to wash your hands well afterwards!
• Meanwhile, place bake-at-home ciabatta directly on a wire rack in the oven. • Bake until heated through, 5 minutes.
• Slice each ciabatta in half, then spread with creamy pesto dressing. • Top with beef, caramelised onion, tomato slices and baby spinach leaves. • Serve with sweet potato fries. Enjoy!
Little cooks: Take the lead and help build the ciabattas!
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on July 2026- Flavour: The combination of caramelised onion, creamy pesto, and herbed beef was widely praised, with many calling it a standout meal. Some found the overall flavour mild or dry without enough sauce, while others felt the Italian seasoning was too overpowering.
- Ease of prep: Most found the recipe straightforward and quick to pull together, though several noted the multiple steps made it more time-consuming than expected. Assembling the ciabatta was fiddly for some, and a few found the open-faced format messy to eat.
- Suggestions: Many customers recommend toasting the ciabatta in a sandwich press or air fryer for easier handling, and cooking the sweet potato chips in an air fryer for a better result. Several suggest using a whole piece of steak, seared and sliced after cooking, for more tender and even results than the beef strips. A few found that mixing the beef and caramelised onion together before topping the ciabatta improved the overall flavour, and one reviewer noted that cooking the onion on low heat rather than medium-high prevented burning. Adding cheese, extra pesto, or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar were popular ways to boost the dish.
- Leftovers: Several customers enjoyed leftovers for lunch the next day, including in wraps, and found the meal held up well. It's worth using the ciabatta promptly, as a few noted it went stale or mouldy within a couple of days.
- Portions: Opinions were divided — many found the meal very generous and filling, while quite a few felt there was not enough beef, pesto, or toppings to adequately cover all four ciabatta halves. A number of reviewers suggested the bread-to-filling ratio was off, with too much bread relative to the meat and sauce provided.
