The College Cookbook | French onion baked steak

Do you pick out the onions, cheese, and toast of the local diner's French onion soup only to leave half a crock of beef broth? Do you have jars upon jars of chip dip sitting around from that last Scrabble party? Do you have a hot date in an hour and want a meal to impress without draining your wallet?

All of these problems and more can be solved with a quick and simple steak recipe that takes the essentials of the French onion soup with an unconventional twist to make French onion baked steak.

What You Need:

1 lb Top sirloin steak

¾ cup French onion chip dip

1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/3 cup Grated Parmesan cheese

½ packet French onion soup mix

½ tsp Pepper

¼ tsp Salt

What to Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Take steak out of the fridge and let come to room temperature.

3. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, pepper and salt in wide, shallow bowl. Use a fork to break up clumps of cheese or crumbs.

4. Put the onion dip in another wide, shallow bowl.

5. Prepare baking sheet by covering it with aluminum foil and then greasing the foil with nonstick spray. Set next to bowls for easy transfer.

6. Cut steak into thirds and let rest on cutting board.

7. Dredge steaks in onion dip making sure to completely coat the steak on all sides.

8. Next, coat the steak with breadcrumbs, pressing the mixture into the onion dip layer.

9. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

10. Repeat steps 7-9 for the remaining two steaks.

11. Place baking sheet on a rack in the middle of the oven.

12. Bake for 25 minutes or until desired doneness.

13. Plate and serve.

Add an extra dollop of French onion dip to the steak just before serving for some final finesse and add some French fried onions too if you want to be extra fancy (they're not just for those green bean casseroles). I recommend going all-out, old-fashioned meat n' potatoes style by accompanying the steaks with potatoes-mashed if you dare-and instant are just fine.

Also, let's make mom proud by rounding this meal out with some green vegetables-canned green beans are my choice-or a nice salad.