Salisbury Steak
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Everyone needs a good Salisbury Steak recipe for their weekly dinner rotation! While it tastes like an absolute treat, this meal is made with a simple ground beef patty and a rich mushroom gravy. In this recipe you’ll find instructions on how to turn this into a freezer meal for your busiest nights.
Easy Salisbury Steak Recipe
If it’s doused in sauce, especially a sauce loaded with golden brown onions and mushrooms, I’ll be all over over it. This is the type of meal I just can’t get enough of! As an additional bonus, it’s a classic meat-and-potatoes style meal that my husband goes crazy for. Win win!
There are many ways you can zhuzh up your Salisbury steak. Adding mustard, hot sauce, fresh, herbs, etc. Today I have a classic and basic recipe that will be show stopping all on its own, but will give you tons of leeway to make changes here and there to make it perfect for your family.
Why You’ll Love This Salisbury Steak Recipe
- One Pot 30 Minute Meal! The meatballs and the mushroom gravy are all done in one skillet and ready in just 30 minutes, start to finish!
- A Classic Everyone Loves! Talk about a crowd pleaser! Everyone will love these Salisbury Steak meatballs and they’re perfect for a quick and busy weeknight dinner.
- Pantry Staple Ingredients! Nothing fancy required here. That’s why Salisbury steak is such a favorite among many. It’s affordable and a classic comfort food.
For The Salisbury Steak
- Ground beef – I used extra lean ground beef. For a healthier Salisbury steak, sub the beef with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Breadcrumbs – Any type will work.
- Egg – Use a large egg.
- Worcestershire – Use more or less as you prefer. This sauce will add a nice umami flavor to our meat patties. Feel free to sub with soy sauce.
- Seasoning salt and pepper – Season to taste.
- Olive oil – Sunflower, canola, safflower, or avocado oils will work instead.
- Butter – I used unsalted.
For The Gravy
- Onion – White or yellow will work best.
- Mushrooms – I used cremini, aka baby bellas. White button mushrooms can be used instead.
- Beef broth – Low sodium. If you only have chicken or veggie broth, that will work instead.
- Tomato paste – You can add more or less if you’d like. You can also sub this with ketchup.
- Soy sauce – Regular or low sodium.
- Worcestershire – Like for the meat patties, use more or less as you prefer.
- Cornstarch – This is what will thicken your gravy.
- Salt and pepper – Season to taste.
Make Salisbury Steak Patties
To make the meat patties, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. You can use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix everything together, but I find that using my hands actually does the best of of incorporating all the ingredients together. Next you’ll want to divide the meat mixture in 6 equal pieces and shape each piece into an oval patty.
Cook The Meat Patties
Now that your hamburger patties are nicely formed we need to cook them. To do so, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties to the skillet, and you’ll want to cook them for about 5 minutes per side until nice and browned. Transfer them to a plate.
To be fully cooked, the meat patties must have reached an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) when checked with a digital cooking thermometer.
Caramelize The Onion
First, you’ll need to reduce the heat to medium then add the sliced onions to the skillet. You’ll want to cook these until they soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure the heat is not too high because they will burn quickly and we just want them to soften and turn brown but not burnt.
Incorporate Mushrooms
Now that the onions are nice and soft, you can add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet. You’ll want to cook them for around 3 minutes until they start to brown.
Finish Making The Gravy And Add Salisbury Steak
All we have left to do is to finish making the mushroom gravy. To do so, add the beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and stir well. Make a cornstarch slurry by whisking the cornstarch with a teaspoon of water then add it to the skillet. Stir the gravy well and cook until thickened, should take about 2 minutes.
Now you can add the meat patties back to the skillet and spoon gravy liberally over them. Keep the heat on for another 2 minutes, just to heat up the patties then garnish everything with some fresh parsley and serve.
What is Salisbury steak?
This classic dish, dating back to the late 1800s, adopted its name from James Salisbury. This American physician spent his career promoting a meat-centered diet and thus, the Salisbury steak was born.
At a time when ground meats were gaining popularity with their affordable prices, American families quickly found love for this recipe with its simple and delicious gravy.
Expert Tips
- To keep your Salisbury steaks from falling apart, make sure you have enough eggs and breadcrumbs to bind all the meat patties ingredients together. So if adding extra meat, make sure to adjust the eggs and breadcrumbs accordingly, otherwise your meat patties will fall apart.
- Do not over-mix the meat mixture, this could result in tough patties.
Serve With This
Mashed Potatoes
Easy Tossed Salad
Brandy Glazed Carrots
Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
Leftovers
Transfer leftover Salisbury steak to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Since the beef is fully cooked through and you don’t have to worry about over-cooking, you can reheat in the microwave at 20 second intervals until hot.
You can also reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium heat if you prefer. I suggest adding a splash of beef broth in the skillet so that the sauce doesn’t reduce too much as the steaks reheat.
Can I Freeze Salisbury Steak?
If you have leftovers and you’re hoping to extend their shelf life, transfer them to an airtight container. Make sure the steaks are fully cooled before freezing. Your Salisbury steak will last 2-3 months frozen. You can thaw your leftovers directly in the microwave, or let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating on the stovetop.
Make Ahead Tip
If you want to freeze your Salisbury steak as prep for future dinners, I suggest freezing the uncooked patties on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 2 hours. Transfer them to a large freezer bag or airtight container. Then, transfer the prepared gravy to a separate container.
To cook, let the patties and gravy thaw overnight in the fridge. Cook the patties as instructed in the recipes, add the gravy, and enjoy!
Other Delicious Saucy Recipes
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Chicken and Mushrooms in Creamy Dill Sauce
- Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Stout Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
- French Onion Chicken Meatballs
- Sloppy Joes
- Crockpot Steak And Gravy
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Salisbury Steak
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Ingredients
Salisbury Steak
- 2 pound ground beef (extra lean)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Onion Mushroom Gravy
- 1 large onion (halved and sliced thinly)
- 8 ounce cremini mushrooms (optional)
- 2 cups beef broth (low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, using your clean hands. Divide into 6 equal pieces and form each one into oval patties.
- In a large skillet add the olive oil and butter and heat until melted over medium-high heat. Add the meat patties and fry on both sides until no longer pink in the middle, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the patties to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced onions and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, if using, and cook for a few more minutes until the onions are golden brown, another 3 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and stir. In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch with a bit of water or beef broth and add to the skillet. Whisk until the sauce thickens, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the meat back to the pan and spoon gravy over the top. Cook for another minute until the meat patties warm through.
- Garnish with parsley and serve over mashed potatoes.
Equipment
Notes
- To keep your Salisbury steaks from falling apart, make sure you have enough eggs and breadcrumbs to bind all the meat patties ingredients together. So if adding extra meat, make sure to adjust the eggs and breadcrumbs accordingly, otherwise your meat patties will fall apart.
- Do not over-mix the meat mixture, this could result in tough patties.
- Transfer your leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Since the beef is full cooked through and you don’t have to worry about over-cooking, you can reheat in the microwave at 20 second intervals until hot.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
This is for dinner tonight! I have made this recipe countless times and it is always heartily received! Like all of Jo’s recipes it has you salivating from start to finish! Delicious,! I can barely wait untill the dinner bell rings!
So thrilled to hear that this recipe is a repeated hit at your dinner table! I hope it continues to bring joy and deliciousness to your meals. Enjoy your dinner!
I would give this way more stars if I could! A family favorite at our home!
Delicious just the way it is! Making again tonight. Love it!
Oh, that’s music to my ears! So glad to hear that you’re loving the Salisbury steak enough to make it again. You’ve just made my day! Keep enjoying and thanks so much for the positive vibes! 🥩🌟
This is a go to recipe for supper. My husband loves it and so do I. The pieces are a bit large for us so I make 8 instead and freeze some for another night. Introduced the recipe to my sister and she has added it to her rotation too!
Made this tonight and my family loved it. Served over baked red potatoes with carrots. Definitely a keeper!
Thoroughly enjoyed this recipe, always enjoy them all! My go to’s.
Salisbury Steak was delicious! Melted in mouth, was very tender. Great flavor! Followed recipe with addition of minced garlic. Definitely making again! Thank you for sharing
My pleasure, so glad you enjoyed it!
Looks and sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Great for using leftover mashed potatoes. I do love this recipe.
It’s sort of a homemade burger but with the mushroom sauce. It’s standout. Ive accompanied mine with crushed potatoes or garlic/chick pea mash.
I didn’t know what Salisbury steak was and I am a foodie who cooks all the time! Thanks for this recipe. I will definitely make it again. I read your recipes daily. I so appreciate you…
Thank you, Allyn! Let me know how you like this! 🙂
So good and fast! This turned out really well. I’m tickled to have a mushroom and gravy recipe to go with some liver soon too. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure, so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Can’t wait to try this. Ironically about two nights ago I was thinking I really wanted to find a good recipe of Salisbury Steak. Guess I know what is on the cooks menu this weekend.
A classic. Works well over egg noodles too.
We really enjoyed this Salisbury Steak recipe. I only had a little over a pound of ground beef so I halved the ingredients for salisbury steak part of the recipe. I still made the full recipe for the gravy. My husband raved about the great flavor of the gravy and I agree. I was licking the spoon as I packed up the left overs. I will make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!
So simple but so good! I fried the paste with the onions. Other than that stuck to recipe. So delicious.