Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
My easy Salisbury steak is my family’s favorite. The tender juicy beef patties are simmered in a rich and flavorful homemade brown onion gravy. Make this recipe your no fuss anytime meal! Perfect a side of mashed potatoes!
WHAT IS SALISBURY STEAK?
Salisbury steak isn’t a steak, it’s basically fancy version of a bun-less hamburger that is simmered in gravy and traditionally served with mashed potatoes. I hated it as a kid, but now I can’t get enough of it.
Brown foods scared me back then. The tv dinner version scared me even more. However, I loved the teeny brownie that came with it. That sure was a good brownie. I make salisbury steak at least a couple times a month. It’s one of our favorite classic meals. It’s the best comfort food ever!Â
WHAT ARE SALISBURY STEAKS MADE OF?
This recipe uses everyday staple ingredients which include, ground beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic powder, onions, Worcestershire sauce a pinch of celery salt and chopped parsley.Â
You can’t have salisbury steak without a rich and flavorful gravy. You need a gravy that comes together quickly with big flavor. The rich gravy ingredients includes my trusty, Better than Bouillon beef base, flour, heavy whipping cream and butter, salt and pepper is all you need to make it. Oh and A pinch or two of seasonings. Â
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HOW TO MAKE SALISBURY STEAK
You won’t believe how simple it is. It may seem like a lot of, so I broke down the steps so you can make salisbury steak easily.Â
1. Dice the onions and saute over medium high heat.  (pic 1-2)  *See notes Â
2. Add white bread to the food processor and process into bread crumbs.
(pic 3)Â Â Â Â Â Â
3. To a large bowl add the ground beef, onions, eggs, seasonings, onions, breadcrumbs and combine gently.  Do not overwork the beef, it will become tough. Shape the beef mixture into a round or oval shaped patty. (pic 4)   FYI, If you noticed the pics show the circular patties and the oval shaped ones. I make this so much, I figured I’d snapped two different photos.
4. Sear each side of the beef patty until it’s browned with a nice crust. Remove beef patties from the skillet and drain the fat. *See notes in the recipe. (pic 5)Â
5. To make the slurry which thickens the gravy, Whisk the beef broth and flour in a small bowl until lump free. Over medium- high heat add the slurry to the skillet. Add the heavy whipping cream and the rest of the butter. Mix well. Add the beef patties and the remaining diced/sliced onions into the skillet with the gravy. Â
Let it come to a boil and cook for 5-15 minutes or until cooked through. Add two small pinches of onion powder and garlic powder to the gravy. Then add very small pinch or two of crushed red peppers, salt and pepper to the gravy for taste. Mix well. I use a spoon to stir the gravy in between the patties. Serve with smashed potatoes.
(pic 6-7)
TIPS TO MAKE HOMEMADE SALISBURY STEAK
- This recipe makes a good amount of gravy. You can half the recipe or make it as is then store leftovers.Â
- Ground beef.….to make flavorful patties use 80% ground beef which equates to ground beef with 20% fat.Â
- Better than Bouillon base is my favorite ingredient in my Salisbury steak recipe. I absolutely love it. It’s full of flavor and it tastes homemade because it’s made from real meat. It’s a great addition to this and many recipes.
- Don’t over-mix the beef mixture or it will become tough.
- Sear: To achieve a great flavorful brown crust, you need to let the steaks cook (sear) until the meat is no longer grey. This means no touching or moving the steaks around.Â
- I updated the post and the recipe just a tad to make it more efficient.Â
Easy Salisbury Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- Beef patties
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 red onions 1 onion diced the other two sliced into rings
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 tsp onion powder
- salt for taste I used 1 1/4 tsp
- pepper for taste I used 1 tsp
- 1 Pinch of celery salt
Beef Gravy
- 4 cups beef broth I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base
- 6 tbsp flour
- 2 tsp heavy whipping cream optional
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt for taste
- Pepper for taste
- pinch onion powder 1-2 small pinches
- pinch garlic powder 1-2 small pinches
- pinch crushed red pepper 1 small pinch of crushed red peppers
Instructions
- Dice the onions. FYI, you should have one diced onion and the other two onions should be sliced into rings. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp of butter or vegetable oil, once sizzling add the onions. Add more butter if needed. Add the diced onions to one side of the pan and the onions cut into rings on the other side. Saute until softened about 3 minutes. If your pan is not big enough then saute the onions separately. Remove half of the diced onion and put to the side to cool off. Do the same with the onions cut into rings. Make sure to keep the diced and the rings separate. You should have two separated onions, the diced ones and the rings. FYI, in a moment you will be adding the diced onions to the beef mixture and use the rings for the onion gravy.
- Next, add two slices of white bread to a food processor and process until you get bread crumbs.
- To a large bowl add the ground beef, onions, eggs, seasonings, onions, breadcrumbs and combine gently. Do not overwork the beef, it will become tough. Shape the beef mixture into a round or oval shaped patty.
- Add another tbsp of butter or vegetable oil (add more if needed). Once the skillet is nice and hot add the beef patties. Sear each side until browned about a minute or two. Remove and drain the fat. *See notes in the recipe.
- To make the slurry which thickens the gravy, Whisk the beef broth and flour in a bowl until lump free. Over medium- high heat add the slurry to the skillet. Add the heavy whipping cream, Worcestershire sauce, and the rest of the butter. Mix well. Lastly, add the beef patties and the remaining diced/sliced onions into the skillet with the gravy. Let it come to a boil and cook for 5-15 minutes or until cooked through. Add two small pinches of onion powder, garlic powder and crushed red peppers to the gravy. Mix well. Add salt and pepper for taste and use a small spoon to stir between the gravy and patties. Serve with smashed potatoes.
Notes
- Ground beef.....to make flavorful salisbury steak use 80% ground beef which equates to ground beef with 20% fat. Â
- Better than Bouillon base is my favorite ingredient in this Salisbury steak recipe. It's full of flavor and it tastes homemade It's a great broth substitute.
- Don't over-mix the beef mixture or it will become tough
- Sear: To achieve a great flavorful brown crust, you need to let the steaks cook (sear) until the meat is no longer grey. This means no touching or moving the steaks around. Â
- This recipe makes a good amount of gravy. You can half the recipe or make it as is then store leftovers. The Kitchn has a great detailed post on the best way to store it. Â
- People love this recipe but a couple readers said they had to cook the patties for a while, so I updated the recipe to make it quicker and more efficient. Â
You may also like:
- Meatloaf
- Southern Sweet CornbreadÂ
- Lemon Parmesan and Herb Crispy Tuna PattiesÂ
- Juicy Dry rub roast chicken
- Southern Pan Fried whiting
- Sour cream mashed potatoes
- Stove-top mac and cheeseÂ
- Southern Candied yams
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My mouth is watering just looking at those pictures!
This looks SO delicious, I’ve saving this to try very soon!
Whoa, these look scrumptious! We ate Salisbury steak when I was a kid, but it was the nasty frozen kind! Want these!!! Great recipe 🙂
Salisbury Steak is one of my favs but I rarely think to make it! This version sounds delicious! I love onion gravy too!
Thank you Sarah!
I will make it for my hubby who likes steak. This will be perfect week night night dinner dish, Love that creamy onion gravy to go with it.
Thank you Swathi! I think he’ll like it a lot. I love it especially with mashed potatoes.
Another fantastic, mouthwatering post, April! I just had Salisbury steak not too long ago and now I’m craving it again. This looks so delicious.
Thank you so much Catherine!
This is pure and simple comfort food. A great weeknight meal and the gravy looks so rich and full of flavor. We didn’t have salisbury steak at home but at school we did. Let me say it didn’t have the flavor that yours does. I wouldn’t even need a brownie to convince me to eat.
Haha. Oh I remember eating them at school too. So not good! Thank you!
I followed the instructions to the T. They didn’t look as good as yours. I’m just learning how to cook for me and my boyfriend. Turned out so delicious! My boyfriend loved them! Love your blog!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m also happy y’all both love it! 🙂
I have never tried Salisbury steak!! But i’m a huge fan of beef gravy and I can have beef gravy with crusty bread for dinner. anytime. This sounds incredibly delicious. Got to try it soon.
YUM…this is a weeknight winner for sure. i don’t even remember the last time I had this. What a great family meal….and YES I want leftovers of this delicious recipe for another meal for sure.
I’m not a huge steak person so if I’ve ever seen Salisbury steak on the menu, I definitely skipped over it. I had no idea what it actually was until I read this post, so thank you!
Your photos make the recipe look much more appetizing than those TV dinners from your childhood, and from the recipe itself, I can tell this is much more delicious too!
Believe it or not I have never tried Salisbury steak before.. Looks like a homey easy meal for a weeknight.. I must try it soon.
This looks marvelous and love the classic recipe made easy! I like the idea of using better than bouillon beef base. That would have enhanced the flavor so much!
That is such a hearty and comforting dish. Love the idea of using better than bouillon base. I’ve only recently got to know about it and use it to make soups, but this is a great recipe to use it too.
This looks mouth wateringly good! Beautiful photo!
Thank you Lauren!
My grandmother’s salisbury steak was the best ever! I never knew it was so simple to make! I’m making this next week! Wish me luck. I suck at following recipes but this looks simple enough! Can’t wait!
You won’t have any issues following this recipe. Let me know how it goes! You’ll love it! Thank you so much Amy!