Salisbury Steak is classic comfort food that never goes out of style! Juicy, flavorful beef patties are served with tender mushrooms and onions in a hearty beef gravy. The best part? It couldn’t be easier to make.
Enjoy more of my favorite recipes like French onion Salisbury steak and Salisbury steak stuffed peppers.
Table of Contents
What is Salisbury Steak?
Salisbury steak is a beloved, comforting dinner consistent of ground beef patties in a rich and flavorful gravy. It’s a perfect recipe for weeknight and weekend dinners alike. It’s very easy to make and can be served with a variety of vegetables, mashed potatoes, and pasta.
Salisbury steak is not actually a “steak” but a dish made out of ground beef and served with gravy or brown sauce. The beef mixture is similar to meatloaf, combined with several ingredients for the most flavor and tenderness.
Through the years, I’ve always added a little something extra when making this dish, like my French onion Salisbury steak. This recipe includes lots of mushrooms and onions too.
Ingredient Notes
Ground Beef – This is the star of the show! For the best results, try to use beef with a 85/15 or 90/10 meat to fat ratio. Don’t get any leaner ground beef than that or it will be too dry.
Breadcrumbs – Panko breadcrumbs are my go-to. Feel free to use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
Mushrooms – Any type of mushroom will work well here. You can keep it classic with baby bella of get adventurous with various other types.
Onion – A sweet Vidalia onion is best. A regular yellow onion will also work well if that’s what you have on hand!
Dijon Mustard – Use Dijon mustard for the very best results! Spicy gourmet mustard also works in a pinch. Just make sure not to use plain yellow mustard.
Beef Stock – I love using homemade beef stock whenever I can.
Garlic – Fresh is always best! Press it or mince it as you wish.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Salisbury Steak
Make the meat mixture. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the beef patties and mix very well (2).
Form the patties. Divide the meat into 6 or 8 even balls and roll them into the patties. Place them on the parchment covered cutting board until ready to cook (3).
Cook the patties. Preheat oil in the large skillet, over medium heat. Place steak patties in the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side (4). Take the patties out and set aside (just the meat patties).
Cook the veggies. Sauté the onions until soft and golden (5). Add the mushrooms and cook just until tender (6).
Thicken it. Sprinkle the flour over the top and mix it in (7).
Add the broth mixture. In a small bowl, mix together beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, pressed garlic, Dijon mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper. Start pouring in the broth mixture (8), make sure to stir continuously as you pour.
Add the steaks back to the skillet. Heat the gravy mixture through, while slowly stirring, and once it starts to thicken (9), add the beef patties back into the pan (10).
Bring mixture to a gentle simmer and then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes flipping the patties half way through.
PRO TIP: You can cut into the thickest patty to make sure it’s done.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Make sure to let the meat and gravy cool to room temperature prior to storing! Transfer everything into an airtight food storage container and store in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it should stay good for about 3-4 days.
To reheat, you can simply reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until heated through. Try not to overheat or the meat will get tough!
As another option, you can reheat the Salisbury steaks in a pan over medium-low heat. Cover the pan with the lid as the steaks are reheating for the best results.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers or make a double batch to freeze half for later! Just make sure to cool the cooked steaks and gravy to room temperature. Then, transfer it all into an airtight freezer container with a lid. Get as much air out as you can, label, and freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, it’s best to slow-thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 24 hours. Reheat them in a pan over medium to medium-low heat.
The best part about this juicy “steak” is that it goes with so many different sides. A traditional way to serve it is with mashed potatoes or pasta but really, any side will be great here. Roasted potatoes, asparagus, green beans and so many other veggies would be ideal sides. Just don’t forget the potato rolls to soak up all of that extra gravy!
Hamburger steaks are usually just a simple dish consisting of ground beef patties and gravy. It sounds very similar to the Salisbury steaks, but it’s really just a simplified version of it. Hamburger steaks feature just ground beef patties seasoned with some salt and pepper. The cooked patties are then finished with some brown gravy.
Salisbury steak features a ground beef mixture that is close to a meatloaf mixture because it includes eggs, bread, crumbs, onion, garlic, and a few other flavorful ingredients. The gravy also features seared onions and mushrooms. Overall, there’s much more flavor in Salisbury steak and the meat itself is much more tender and juicy.
More Beef Recipes To Try
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Salisbury Steak Recipe
Ingredients
Beef Patties:
- 2 lbs ground beef 85/15 or 90/10 meat to fat ratio
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs*
- 1/4 cup minced Vidalia onion use part of the onion for gravy
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
- Salt
- Fresh-ground black pepper
Gravy:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large Vidalia onion sliced
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced (more if desired)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour*
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the beef steak and mix very well.
- Divide the meat into 6 or 8 even balls and roll them into the patties. Place them on the parchment covered cutting board until ready to cook.(Pro tip: try to work as quickly as you can so the heat from your hands don't start melting the fats in the meat.)
- In a small bowl, mix together beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, pressed garlic, Dijon mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper. Whisk well and set aside.
- Preheat a large skillet, over medium heat, and add some oil. Place steak patties into the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Take the patties out and set aside.
- Add butter into the pan and let it melt. Add in sliced onion and let it start sautéing until transparent. Stir in sliced mushrooms and cook until both are cooked through.
- Sprinkle flour over the veggies and mix until evenly coated. Give the beef stock mixture another stir and start slowly pouring it into the pan, while carefully mixing. Keep stirring until everything is evenly combined.
- Heat the gravy mixture through and once it starts to thicken, add the beef patties back into the pan. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until patties are cooked through flipping the patties half way through. (You can cut into the thickest patty to make sure it's done.)
Video
Notes
- *Gluten Free Notes: to make this recipe gluten free, simply use gluten free bread crumbs in the beef mixture and use gluten free all purpose flour to thicken the gravy.
- Storing: Make sure to let the meat and gravy cool to room temperature prior to storing! Transfer everything into an airtight food storage container and store in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it should stay good for about 3-4 days.
- Reheating: you can simply reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until heated through. Try not to overheat or the meat will get tough! As another option, you can reheat the Salisbury steaks in a pan over medium-low heat. Cover the pan with the lid as the steaks are reheating for the best results.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in November 2015.
kelli sefton says
Love this! It’s so good, i’m making it again. This is saved in my “go to” recipes!
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Kelli!
Lynda says
I love to try recipes with gravy. Can’t wait to make this one. Thank you!
LyubaB says
Thanks, Lynda! I hope you like it! 🙂
JennT. says
Made it tonight for dinner. Used ground venison and pork but otherwise followed the recipe. The sauce is excellent but should reduce without the lid for a few minutes. Maybe cover and simmer for ten minutes then remove lid and simmer another five or so.
lyuba says
Thank you, Jenn! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Looks delicious Lyuba! I can smell the meat cooking all the way over here! We do need new cookware and we watch our coated ones like hawks. No-one gets near them with metal. Great photos of the dish!!
lyuba says
I’m glad you know what I mean 🙂
Thank you so much, Marisa!
Liz says
Thank you for the nice recipe. Have a great weekend.
Joshua Hampton says
Salisbury steak does sound excellent for holiday meals. The pictures of your salisbury steak look so mouthwatering, especially with those mushrooms. Thanks for the ideas.
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Joshua!!