Salisbury Steak
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Make the best homemade Salisbury Steak for the ultimate comfort food meal! This recipe will give you all the feels of an old-fashioned TV dinner, but with so much more flavor! These tender, juicy little steaks are topped with the most flavorful mushroom gravy, creating a delicious recipe that you’ll come back to over and over again!
Table of contents
I remember the first time that my husband asked me to make Salisbury Steaks. To be honest, my first thought was, “like the 70’s TV dinners?” But, he’s a pretty great husband, so I obliged him and oh my gosh, I immediately fell in love!
Who knew that this old-fashioned recipe could be elevated to make one of the most flavorful dishes ever! With a few simple ingredients, like homemade steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard, the flavor of the classic Salisbury Steak is taken to another level!
It’s still a classic, simple dish, but with a taste that will blow you away! After the first time I made it, I immediately added it to the blog calendar. Because I knew that I had to share my version of a homemade salisbury steak recipe with you!
Now if you’re wondering what makes it a salisbury steak, or what’s the difference between a hamburger steak and salisbury steak? It’s quite simple. Hamburger steaks are simply made up of ground beef hamburger patties, usually only seasoned with salt and pepper. Whereas, a salisbury steak is made more like a meatloaf, or meatballs, with binders like eggs and breadcrumbs, and more seasonings.
A salisbury steak is also traditionally served with a rich brown gravy, or mushroom gravy poured over the steaks. It’s basically an elevated version of a hamburger steak and I’m here for it!
Ingredients
- Olive oil – or another neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable, canola or avocado oil.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion for it’s nice, neutral flavor.
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- 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 salisbury steaks.
- Breadcrumbs – you can use traditional or panko bread crumbs in this recipe.
- Large egg
- 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 salisbury 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 salisbury steaks and 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.
- Ketchup – this ingredient adds a little sweetness and acidity to the meat patties.
- Dijon mustard – the acidity and tanginess of the dijon mustard helps balance out the richness in this dish. It’s a secret ingredient that you should always add to your salisbury steaks! If you don’t have dijon mustard, you can just 1 teaspoon of ground mustard or mustard powder in it’s place.
- 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.
- Butter – to combine with the flour and make a roux for the the mushroom gravy.
- All-purpose flour – used to make a roux, to thicken the gravy. You can also make it without flour, and use cornstarch instead. 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 – since this is one of the main ingredients in the base of the gravy, I recommend purchasing, or making, a high-quality beef stock, or broth. Beef stock has a richer, deeper flavor than beef broth. I found this Custom Culinary Beef Base at a restaurant supply store in San Diego and am absolutely obsessed with it. You can order it online direct with a $5 shipping charge. It’s a little expensive for beef bouillon, but oh my gosh the flavor is so good. (Not sponsored, just obsessed!)
- Black pepper – to season the mushroom 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 and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Soften the onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove. Add diced onions and cook for 4 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. This will soften the veggies and give them a wonderful texture in the steaks.
- Prepare the salisbury steaks. Add ground beef to a large mixing bowl with an egg, panko breadcrumbs, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and dijon mustard. Add the cooked onions and garlic, then stir to combine everything.
- Form into patties. Take the seasoned ground beef and divide it by four. Take each fourth of the mixture and form it into small oval shapes that are about 1 inch thick.
- Sear the patties. Place the pan, that you cooked the onions and garlic in, back on the stove over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the salisbury steak patties to the skillet and sear on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until they’re nicely browned on both sides. Remove the patties from the skillet and set them aside on a plate, or cutting board, while you prepare the mushroom gravy.
- Cook the mushrooms. In the same skillet that you seared the beef patties, add olive oil to the skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Cook diced onions in the oil for 2 minutes, then add sliced mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Stir to combine everything, then cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Make a roux. After 5 minutes, add minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Next, add butter to the skillet, and once it’s melted, sprinkle flour evenly over everything in the skillet. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the broth and season. Pour beef broth into the skillet, then season it with dijon mustard and black pepper. Stir the gravy in the skillet and bring it to a simmer.
- Add the salisbury steaks. Once the gravy is simmering, add the beef patties to the gravy in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the patties, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.
What to serve with it
Serve the salisbury steaks on a plate, topped with the mushroom gravy, with 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 mashed potatoes. I always make these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes to go with the dish, but there are several other sides that would pair perfectly with a delicious meal of salisbury steak. Try any of these!
Make it gluten free
To make this recipe gluten free, use pork panko instead of traditional panko bread crumbs, and use cornstarch instead of flour. 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.
Always check the label on the Worcestershire sauce to make sure that it’s gluten free.
Recipe notes
- Do not over mix the meat mixture. Overworking the meat will result in a tough texture. Use your hands, or a spatula, to stir the ingredients together just until they’re combined, before forming the salisbury steaks.
- You can make the beef patties ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days before you cook them with the gravy.
- Instead of cooking the salisbury steaks in the gravy on the stove, you can also transfer them to a 400°F oven and finish cooking them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. You do not need to flip the steak patties in the gravy, if you’re finishing them in the oven. You do need to make sure that the pan you’re using is oven-safe.
- Don’t skip the breadcrumbs and egg in this recipe! They’re used as binders to keep the patties together while they cook.
Storage and reheating
Store salisbury 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 salisbury steaks to a large skillet with the gravy and reheat over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the steaks are heated through.
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 salisbury steak, topped with gravy on a microwave-safe plate and into the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
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Salisbury Steak
Ingredients
For the steaks
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef, 80/20
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon steak seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, or 1 teaspoon mustard powder
For the gravy
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour, or replace with 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Make and sear the steaks.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, panko breadcrumbs, steak seasoning, worcestershire sauce, ketchup and dijon mustard. Add the cooked onions and garlic, and stir to combine.
- Form the mixture into 4 oval patties, approximately 1 inch thick.
- Place the same skillet that you cooked the onions and garlic in back on the stove over high heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the beef patties and cook for 1-2 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 plate, or cutting board.
Prepare the gravy and simmer the steaks.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet.
- Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and worcestershire sauce to the skillet, stir to combine everything in the skillet, then cook for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the 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 into the skillet, then add the dijon mustard and black pepper. Stir to combine everything.
- Bring the gravy to a simmer, then add the beef patties to the gravy in the skillet.
- Cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
- Serve the beef patties topped with the gravy, and garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if you'd like.
Video
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten free, use pork panko instead of traditional panko bread crumbs, and use cornstarch instead of flour. 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. Always check the label on the Worcestershire sauce to make sure that it’s gluten free.
- Store salisbury 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 salisbury steaks to a large skillet with the gravy and reheat over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the steaks are heated through.
- 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 salisbury steak, topped with gravy on a microwave-safe plate and into the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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