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!
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.
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.
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.
1. Dice the onions and saute over medium high heat. (pic 1-2) *See notes
2. Add white bread to the food processor and process into bread crumbs.
(pic 3)
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)
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.
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.
- Ground beef.....to make flavorful patties use 80% ground beef which equates to ground beef with 20% fat.
- 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.
- I updated the post and the recipe just a tad to make it more efficient.
Easy Salisbury Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- Beef patties
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ lb ground beef
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 3 red onions 1 onion diced the other two sliced into rings
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 ¼ tsp onion powder
- salt for taste I used 1 ¼ 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
- ¼ 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
You may also like:
- Meatloaf
- Southern Sweet Cornbread
- Lemon Parmesan and Herb Crispy Tuna Patties
- Juicy Dry rub roast chicken
- Southern Pan Fried whiting
- Sour cream mashed potatoes
- Stove-top mac and cheese
- Southern Candied yams
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Maddy
Wow - I've never had Salisbury steak before and now I am seriously craving it! This recipe sounds so good! Definitely making this soon. Thank you for sharing! Yum!
Danielle Wolter
I am drooling over this. It sounds incredible. I also love using the Better than Bouillon - it has a great flavor! This is truly ultimate comfort food over some mashed potatoes 🙂
Stine Mari
I am so impressed that you got brown, saucy food to look this good! It looks so comforting and delicious, and also way too easy to make to buy those TV dinners! Great job on this. 🙂
Krista Price
These are indeed some "fancy hamburgers." Lol. I grew up on mystery meat frozen salisbury steak, so seeing it prepared from scratch is a breath of fresh air! YUM! Thanks for the inspiration!
Krista Price
Marisa Stewart
You are making my mouth water!! Whether it is a fancied up hamburger doesn't matter -- the taste of the meat plus the delicious onion gravy is what counts. I haven't tried Better Than Bouillon-- I'll have to pick some up.
Mahy Elamin
My husband loved this! He cleaned his plate, and then had more. I doubled the gravy recipe though, as it seemed like it needed more. There was a bit of a sweet taste to the gravy, which really went over well at my house. A definite keeper for my recipe box.
Mahy Elamin
Gloria
If it involves gravy I am in. Especially with some mashed potatoes. This sounds fantastic, and I know mashed potatoes would be the perfect side to this meal. My family would love this for sure.
Amanda
Salisbury steak totally takes me back to my childhood. It's the ultimate comfort food. I'm super excited to revisit this classic. Thanks for sharing!
Liz
This looks like the Salisbury steak my mom used to make growing up! It would be so fun to try this recipe and see if it's just like what I remember as a kid!
Noel Lizotte
Gravy ... that's what makes Salisbury steak so good.If you fail on the gravy, the entire dish becomes ... blah.
I remember those frozen dinners too. The brownie was the best part.
Cheese Curd In Paradise
I can't wait to try this! I love salisbury steak and my kiddos love it was well. The gravy sounds fantastic!
Cheese Curd In Paradise
Kelly Anthony
Your onion gravy sounds rich and delicious! My family is going to love every bite of this salisbury steak recipe.
Kelly Anthony
Jessie
Trying your mt loaf tonight for change up... when I make Salisbury stks I use cubed steaks ... I will try thm your way... any pork chop recipes?
April
Sorry, I don't eat pork. I hope you enjoy the meatloaf! Thank you Jessie.
Greg Hobson
April, I like your recipes and your writing style and your photography. I'm going to try the Salisbury steak next week. I'm eating your Meat Loaf later tonight,. It's in the oven right now. Two things: 1.There's a typo in the line about preferring the Better than Bouillon. I believe a word or two must have dropped out when you pasted it. And 2, In the photo, it looks like you're using red onions. Is it important to use red ones, or will yellow or white work as well? Greg P..S. Your cooking must be good for you. You look stunning.
April
Thanks for the heads up but which recipe are you referring to please? Is the typo in the ingredient or the body of the post? I truly hope you enjoy both of my recipes! Thank you Greg!
Emily
This looks like a great classic recipe! Such a flavorful onion gravy.
Veena Azmanov
I am a huge steak person and this looks like comfort food. Love the color and flavor of that gravy!! Can't believe how simple and easy it is to make. Saving this for later. Yum!