Chopped Steak
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This Chopped Steak recipe is made with seasoned ground beef patties, smothered in caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, and a red wine gravy. It’s full of flavor and a great copycat recipe of your favorite steakhouse restaurants chopped steak!
What’s the difference between salisbury steak and chopped steak?
One of the most popular posts I’ve ever published is this salisbury steak recipe. It’s received rave reviews and is one of the most popular meals around my house.
In high school, I had a job waiting tables at Outback Steakhouse. They had a chopped steak on the menu that was very similar to salisbury steak.
The difference between a chopped steak and salisbury steak is what’s mixed with the ground beef. A chopped steak is made simply with seasoned ground beef, whereas the beef patties for a salisbury steak are made more similarly to meatloaf with cooked onions and garlic, ketchup, breadcrumbs, and eggs added to the seasoned ground beef mixture.
A salisbury steak is covered in a mushroom gravy, where a chopped steak is covered in caramelized onions, mushrooms and a variety of different sauces or gravy. For this recipe, I took a page from the Outback Steakhouse menu and covered the beef patties in a red wine gravy. The result was a classic comfort food meal with bold flavors.
Why this recipe is the best
Here’s what makes this recipe better than the rest!
- The red wine gravy. Instead of making a traditional brown gravy to top the steaks, I made a copycat version of the chopped steak recipe from Outback Steakhouse and topped them with red wine gravy. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this classic recipe.
- Perfectly caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms top the steaks. While it takes a little extra time to perfectly cook the onions and mushrooms, it’s worth it to get them to the perfect texture to top the steaks!
- The steaks are perfectly seasoned. You only need two ingredients, steak seasoning and worcestershire sauce, to add a ton of flavor to the ground beef patties!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this chopped steak recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Ground beef – I like to use a ground beef that’s 80/20, meaning 80% lean ground beef and 20% fat. This will give you the perfect amount of fat to make tender, juicy chopped steaks.
- Steak seasoning – I highly recommend spending 5 minutes to whip up my homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning recipe. It adds the perfect peppery flavor to these chopped steaks! With a combination of kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, minced garlic and onion, this seasoning blend is flavorful and great for storing in the pantry to use on all your favorite steak recipes!
- Worcestershire sauce – this amazing condiment adds so much flavor to the chopped steaks and red wine gravy. It’s sweet, salty, tangy and adds a wonderful umami flavor to the dish. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Butter – to cook the onions and make a roux for the gravy.
- Olive oil – to cook the onions and mushrooms.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion for this recipe.
- Sea salt – to season the caramelized onions.
- Baby bella mushrooms – these mushrooms are like small portobello mushrooms. They’re earthy in flavor, meaty in texture, and delicious in this recipe! Of course, you can also use sliced white button mushrooms, or portobello mushrooms, if you prefer.
- Garlic – fresh minced cloves are preferred for the best flavor.
- Thyme – I recommend fresh thyme to season the mushrooms, but you can also use dried thyme if that’s what you have on hand. You’ll just want to use half the amount.
- All-purpose flour – used to make a roux, to thicken the gravy. You can also make it without flour, and use cornstarch instead to make the recipe gluten free. You will only need half of the amount of cornstarch, because cornstarch has more thickening power than flour. For this recipe you’ll need 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch to replace the 3 tablespoons of flour.
- Beef broth – you can purchase beef broth in a can or box at the grocery store, or make your own beef stock at home. I found this Custom Culinary Beef Base at a restaurant supply store in San Diego and love it so much. You can order it online via the link provided above.
- Red wine – I recommend using a dry red wine, like a cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir or syrah. If you prefer not to cook with wine, you can simply substitute in an additional cup of beef broth.
- Black pepper – to season the red wine gravy.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare the ground beef patties.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef with steak seasoning and worcestershrie sauce.
- Form the ground beef into four 8-ounce patties that are each 2 inches thick. They should be oval in shape, somewhat similar to a mini meatloaf.
- Heat a large pan, or dutch oven, on the stovetop over high heat. Once hot, add the beef patties and sear for 2 minutes on each side, or until they’re nicely browned on the outside.
- Remove the patties from the pan and set them aside on a clean cutting board or plate.
Cook the onions, mushrooms and red wine gravy.
- Reduce the heat on the stove to medium-high and add olive oil and butter to the same pan that you seared the beef patties. Once the butter has melted and the oil is hot, add sliced onions. Season with salt and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add more olive oil to the pan. Add sliced mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine everything in the pan, then cook for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Add minced garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute.
- Add more butter to the pan. Once it melts, sprinkle flour over everything in the pan.
- Stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the flour starts to brown.
- Pour beef broth and red wine into the pan and season with black pepper, then stir to combine everything.
Cook the chopped steaks in the gravy.
- Bring the gravy to a simmer in the pan. Add the beef patties back to the pan.
- Cook for 5 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the beef patties to reach 145°F on an instant-read thermometer for a medium chopped steak, or 160°F for well done.
What to serve with it
Serve the chopped steaks on a plate topped with the caramelized onions and mushrooms, and red wine gravy. Add a garnish of fresh chopped green onions or parsley, if you’d like.
When it comes to side dishes to serve with this classic meal, I recommend potatoes and vegetables. Try any of these for a classic steakhouse combo!
- Potatoes: Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Loaded Mashed Potatoes (Outback Steakhouse copycat), Smashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, or Roasted Baby Potatoes (seen pictured in this post)
- Vegetables: Roasted Carrots, Steamed Broccoli, Green Beans with Bacon, Creamed Corn, Asparagus, Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- Salads: Blue Cheese Salad, Grilled Caesar Salad, Italian Salad
Storage and reheating
Store chopped steak leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat the leftovers on the stove, in the microwave, or in the oven.
To reheat it on the stove, add the chopped steaks to a large skillet with the gravy. Reheat over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the steaks are hot.
To reheat it in the oven, place the steaks and gravy in an oven-safe skillet. Reheat at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, or until heated through.
To reheat it in the microwave, place one chopped steak, topped with gravy, onions and mushrooms, on a microwave-safe plate and into the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
More ground beef recipes
If you’re looking for more delicious ways to use ground beef to make dinner, check out these easy recipes!
Chopped Steak
Ingredients
Chopped Steaks
- 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
- 2 tablespoons steak seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Red Wine Gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound onion, cut into ¼ inch slices
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons flour, or replace with 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch to make the recipe gluten free
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Make and sear the steaks.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, steak seasoning, and worcestershire sauce.
- Form the mixture into four 8-ounce oval-shaped patties, approximately 2 inches thick.
- Place a large skillet, or dutch oven, on the stove over high heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the beef patties and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until they’re nicely browned on the outside.
- Remove the patties from the skillet and set them aside on a clean plate, or cutting board.
Prepare the caramelized onions, mushrooms, and red wine gravy.
- Reduce the heat on the stove to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the same skillet.
- Add the onions. Season with salt and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add another tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, then add the mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce, stir to combine everything in the skillet, then cook for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Add the minced garlic and thyme, cook for an additional minute.
- Add another tablespoon butter to the skillet and once it’s melted, sprinkle the flour evenly over everything in the skillet.
- Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the flour starts to brown.
- Pour the beef broth and red wine into the skillet, then season with the black pepper. Stir to combine everything.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, then add the beef patties to the sauce in the skillet.
- Cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time. Check the internal temperature of the beef patties using an instant-read thermometer. You want the internal temperature of the beef patties to reach 145°F for medium or 160°F for well done.
- Serve the beef patties topped with the caramelized onions, mushrooms and red wine gravy.
Notes
- If you prefer not to cook with wine, you can substitute in an additional cup of beef broth.
- Store chopped steak leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat the leftovers on the stove, in the microwave, or in the oven.
Nutrition Facts
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