An easy to make classic that is done in under 30 minutes. Salisbury steak with onion gravy is one of the best classic North American dishes. Follow this homemade Salisbury steak recipe and the results will be nothing but beefy, saucy goodness. Get ready for some hearty comfort food!
If you’re anything like me, you have fond memories of Salisbury steak. I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t have stories of their mother serving up this classic beef recipe at one point or another. Some made an onion gravy to go with Salisbury steak and others preferred a mushroom gravy.
My family prefers to go all out and make Salisbury steak with onion AND mushroom gravy. Why choose between onions and mushrooms when you don’t have to?
Regardless, which way you choose to make it, you simply can’t have Salisbury steak without a rich, flavorful gravy. My recipe delivers just that.
As a 20-something on my own, it was literally a recipe for greatness. I made it any time I could.
To this day, I make Salisbury steak for my family. It is a hearty and budget-friendly meal that everyone loves.
Serve up this tasty meal any time you want a filling dinner that really sticks to your ribs. I love to make this throughout the year, but it’s especially delicious and inviting on a cool fall day or cold winter day.
If you enjoy easy beef recipes, you need to check out alfredo meatballs with pasta and mom’s old fashioned stovetop pot roast.
To this meal I would add air fryer roasted potatoes or mashed potato casserole. You will also want some delicious garlic bread to sop up some of that onion gravy. Yum.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This is an easy-to-make from-scratch recipe.
- Budget friendly. No expensive ingredients and most you already have.
- This can be on the table in under 30 minutes!
- Salisbury steak tastes amazing while sill being easy on the budget.
- Family friendly. The whole family will enjoy this meal!
Ingredients in Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients in this easy to make Salisbury steak recipe. Most are common ingredients you probably already have in the fridge and pantry.
For the Steaks
- Lean ground beef: Using a lean ground beef leaves less grease to drain from the pan. However, you can use ground beef with a higher fat count.
- Milk : Adds moisture to the ground steak patties.
- Instant mashed potato flakes: Works as a binder and makes steak patties more moist.
- Beef bouillon cube: The base for your gravy.
- Salt and pepper
For the Sauce
- Butter: Using unsalted butter will help you control the amount of sodium in the dish.
- Onion: Yellow onions or white onions will both do fine.
- Mushrooms: Sliced baby bella or white mushrooms.
- Garlic: A must for any good gravy.
- All-purpose flour: The thickening agent for your gravy.
- Beef broth: A key ingredient for the gravy.
- Worcestershire sauce: This salty, savory flavored sauce adds a lot of flavor with just a small amount.
- Dijon mustard: Any grainy mustard will work.
- Tomato paste: (optional) I use it sometimes in the gravy if I have some I want to use up as it adds terrific flavor and can be a nice change but is definitely NOT needed in this wonderful gravy.
- Salt and Pepper: Required seasoning for just about any sauce or gravy.
- Fresh chopped parsley: optional garnish
How to Make Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
- Here are the step-by-step photos and instructions for making this easy classic dinner recipe for Salisbury steak. For the complete instructions, check the recipe card further down on the page.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Whisk milk and potato flakes in large bowl. Add beef, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper and crushed beef bouillon. Knead until combined. I like to mix by hand, do not over mix.
4. Shape into eight even portions, into flat oval shapes and and transfer to parchment-lined plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
5. Heat an oven-safe 12-inch skillet (I like to use cast iron) with deep sides over medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and cook patties until well browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Next, place the pan into the oven for 10-15 minutes until an internal temperature reaches 165°F.
6. Take the steaks out of the pan and place them on a plate and cover them with foil, set aside.
7. Wipeout any excess grease from the pan. Over medium heat, add the remaining butter and let it melt. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook.
8. Stir occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened.
9. Add the flour and stir it in, coating the veggies, cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the beef stock, making sure there are no lumps. Add the Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard, whisk it in. Taste and add additional Worcestershire sauce if desired.
10. Add the garlic, pepper and tomato paste, if desired. Stir until blended. Let the gravy simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Add the steaks back to the pan and cover in the sauce, let simmer for 5 more minutes or until the steaks are heated through.
12. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.
13. Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice with your favorite vegetable.
Substitutions
Don’t have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this recipe for Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy.
- You may substitute beef bone broth for the beef broth. It does have a stronger, bolder taste than beef broth.
- The mushrooms may be omitted. I happen to love the combination of onions and mushrooms which is the more classic version. The same goes for the onion, if you prefer just a mushroom sauce.
- Garlic powder can be used in place of fresh garlic, if you prefer.
Variations
Want to personalize this Salisbury steak recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips for changing up this recipe.
- Use ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork instead of ground beef. The ground chicken and turkey will need some extra seasoning so it isn’t bland.
- Optionally, you can use part ground beef and part groundchicken, turkey or pork.
Equipment
All you need are a handful of basic kitchen tools to cook up Salisbury steak with gravy.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon for stirring
- Spatula
- 12-inch oven-proof skillet
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Store the patties and gravy separately in the freezer for up to one month.
- Reheat: Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or simmer on the stove top until the patties are warmed through.
Tips
- Do not over-mix the beef mixture or it will become tough.
- To give the beef patties a great flavor, give them a good seer and flavorful brown crust before you flip them.
- You can skip the oven step and cook the steaks all the way on the stovetop but I find they tend to get too brown. However, if you really love that extra crispy exterior on your beef patties, feel free to opt for this method instead.
- The beef bouillon cube gives an extra depth of flavor to the steaks. I place the cube in a plastic baggie then crush it with a rolling pin. This helps to dissolve it quickly and more evenly into the gravy mixture.
FAQ
Honestly, nothing really. Salisbury Steak is just the official name and most commonly used name for this recipe.
Seasoned ground beef patties served with a simple onion and mushroom gravy.
Salisbury steak is a fancy hamburger that is named after James Henry Salisbury, a doctor known on his comments on diet and nutrition in the late 1800s.
More Ground Beef Recipes
If you want another great ground beef recipe, try this French onion beef casserole recipe.
Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
For the Steaks
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 beef bouillon cube crushed
For the Gravy
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 8-16 ounces baby bella sliced or white mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic or 1 tablespoon minced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup tomato paste if desired
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- sea salt or kosher salt to taste
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk milk and potato flakes in large bowl. Add beef, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper and crushed beef bouillon. Knead until combined. I like to mix by hand, do not over mix.
- Shape into eight even portions, into flat oval shapes and and transfer to parchment-lined plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Heat an oven-safe 12-inch skillet (I like to use cast iron) with deep sides over medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and cook patties until well browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Next, place the pan into the oven for 10-15 minutes until an internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Take the steaks out of the pan and place them on a plate and cover them with foil, set aside.
- Wipeout any excess grease from the pan. Over medium heat, add the remaining butter and let it melt. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook.
- Stir occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened.
- Add the flour and stir it in, coating the veggies, cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the beef stock, making sure there are no lumps. Add the Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard, whisk it in. Taste and add additional Worcestershire sauce if desired.
- Add the garlic, pepper and tomato paste, if desired. Stir until blended. Let the gravy simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the steaks back to the pan and cover in the sauce, let simmer for 5 more minutes or until the steaks are heated through.
- Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice with your favorite vegetable.
- Enjoy every bite!
Notes
- You can skip the oven step and cook the steaks all the way on the stovetop but I find they tend to get too brown.
- The beef bouillon cube gives an extra depth of flavor to the steaks. I place the cube in a plastic baggie then crush with a rolling pin.
Nutrition
History of Salisbury Steak
During the 19th century, Hamburg was a common port for transatlantic travel, and that meant many German immigrants. As they made their way to North America, they brought their recipes with them. One of those was Hamburg steak, a dish made with ground beef and gravy.
The funny thing about Salisbury steak is that it’s essentially just a rebranding of hamburger steak. It’s true! Hamburger steak as we know it today was once called Hamburg steak. The dish originated in, you guessed it, Hamburg, Germany.
In the late 1800s, James Salisbury, a physician known for his belief that a meat-centered diet was conducive to good health developed a recipe for a ground beef patty served with gravy as an entrée. He called it Salisbury steak. It was really just Hamburg steak.
Today, Salisbury steak is one of the main types of frozen entrees found in your grocer’s freezer section and a homemade Salisbury Steak recipe like this one is a common dinner all across North America.
Leave a Reply