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! 

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. 

4.97 from 33 votes

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Easy Salisbury Steak Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

My easy Salisbury steak is made with ground beef and simmered in a rich and so flavorful homemade brown onion gravy. This recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner! 

Course: Beef

Cuisine: American

Keyword: classic dinner food, comfort food, vintage food

Servings: 6 people

Author: April

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

1. 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. 
   

2. Next, add two slices of white bread to a food processor and process until you get bread crumbs. You should now have about 3/4 cups of bread crumbs. ) 

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.
   

4. 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.
   

5. 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. 

Recipe Notes

QUICK TIPS: 

• 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.  

Tools used to make this recipe: Cast iron skillet, Nordic Ware Sheet Pan, Hamilton 8 Cup Food Processor, Mixing Bowl Set & Pyrex 4 Measuring Cup 

Feb 15th  2019. Recipe and post has been updated slightly. 

If you make this easy Salisbury Steak recipe I’d love to know! Leave a comment below! 

If you love this recipe, you’ll enjoy The Best Meat Loaf Recipe or my Italian Mac and cheese.

Better yet, salisbury steak with  Stovetop Mac and Cheese and these Instant Pot Grape Jelly Meatballs is delicious!  

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