All Recipes
Beverages
Breakfast
Appetizers
Dinner
Sides
Dessert
Videos
Ultimately cozy and comforting Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy easily comes together in under 35 minutes making it a classic weeknight meal. These hamburger steaks are tender and drenched in mushroom gravy. It’s best served over mashed potatoes making it a classic family-friendly meal.
Recipes using ground beef like this Traditional Meatloaf or Ground Beef Stroganoff are some of my favorite because of how easy they are to prepare. They’re also comfort foods. Comfort foods that I never get tired of eating like Swedish Meatballs or Sloppy Joes.
Why You’ll Love It
Since it first gained TV dinner popularity back in the 1950s this dish has only gained comfort food momentum. With its easy-to-prepare instructions and pantry and refrigerator staple ingredients, you might just fall in love with it too.
This version of smothered hamburger steak is made of ground beef and breadcrumbs as well as other pantry ingredients that make it into more of a meatloaf-like texture. Typically served with mushroom gravy or brown sauce, this now-classic dinner originated in the United States.
This is one of the easiest weeknight meals to prepare coming in under 35 minutes from start to finish. It’s also extremely family-friendly and a recipe that can easily become a family favorite.
Ingredients Needed
This recipe is broken down into two components with the first being the hamburger steak and the second the mushroom gravy. Most of the items below are pantry staples or standard refrigerator ingredients.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground Beef: the best beef to use is 80/20 ground chuck, which has the perfect lean to fat ratio for making juicy and flavorful steaks.
- Mushrooms: you can use your favorite mushrooms or a mushroom blend for this recipe. I prefer to use sliced baby Bella mushrooms.
- Breadcrumbs: adding breadcrumbs to the hamburger steak mixture will give it that tender meatloaf-like quality.
- Egg: adding an egg to the patties ensures they stay intact while cooking them in the skillet.
- Worcestershire Sauce: this sauce adds a hint of tangy, savory, and sweet flavor that works to bring all the other ingredients together.
- Mustard Powder: you can use dijon mustard or mustard powder. I prefer the mustard powder, which I add with the spices.
- Cornstarch: the cornstarch is used to thicken the mushroom gravy and can be swapped out for other thickeners such as flour or even coconut flour.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten-Free: you can easily make this recipe gluten-free by swapping out a few ingredients. You’ll need gluten-free breadcrumbs or almond meal, and swap out the Worcestershire sauce for a different marinade without gluten. Check your labels for any hidden gluten.
- Ranch Style: add a packet of Ranch Seasoning Mix to the ground beef mixture along with the other spices for an intense Ranch flavored steak.
- Add even more flavor: dissolve a bouillon cube or base into the gravy or add a packet of Au Jus Gravy seasoning to the mixture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare the hamburger steaks. In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons olive oil, ketchup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, egg, and salt and pepper. Use your hands to gently mix the ingredients together until just combined.
- Shape the steaks. Carefully shape the beef mixture into an oval and use your thumb to make a slight indentation in the center of each steak.
- Cook. Place a large heavy-bottomed or cast-iron skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the patties and cook on each side for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the center reaches 160ºF and the sides are slightly crispy and the patty is cooked through.
- Remove. Using a slotted spoon remove the patties from the skillet and set them aside on a plate.
- Sauté. In the same skillet and the remaining olive oil, mushroom, and diced onion. Cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes and use a slotted spoon to remove and place on the same plate as the patties.
- Prepare the gravy. Add the beef broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Thicken the sauce. Create a slurry in a small bowl by whisking the cornstarch and warm water together until the cornstarch has completely dissolved. Pour into the skillet and stir into the gravy mixture.
- Put it all together. Place the patties and the mushroom mixture back into the skillet and let simmer until the gravy thickens, about 5 more minutes.
Oven Instructions
It will take a little longer to make this recipe in the oven, but you can use that method of cooking by following the directions below.
- To bake it in the oven prepare the steaks as directed and then sear the steaks with butter over medium heat in an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven for 3 minutes on each side.
- Add the remaining olive oil, mushrooms, and diced onions to the skillet as well as the beef broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Make the cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and then stir into the skillet as well.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 350ºF for about 45 minutes or until the center of each steak reads 160ºF.
Serving Suggestions
The most common way to serve Salisbury steak is over mashed potatoes, but there are some other options you may want to try below.
- Mashed Potatoes
- Egg Noodles
- Sweet Potatoes
- Peas
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Steamed Broccoli
Recipe Notes and Tips
- When forming the steak patties don’t pack the beef together tightly. Loosely form it into an oval shape and use your thumb to make an indent in the center. This will keep the patty from shrinking as well as keep it tender while cooking.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the patties. You want to remove them from the skillet the minute they reach 165ºF.
- Both the hamburger steaks and the gravy are freezable. To freeze, prepare the patties as directed and let cool completly or you can prepare them up to the point of cooking them. If cooked allow them to cool and place them in a freezer-safe storage bag. Prepare the gravy as directed and let it cool completely. Store it in a separate freezer-safe storage container or bag. It will last for up to 3 months stored in the freezer.
- Try a Salisbury Steak Sandwich by serving the steaks on a hamburger bun for one ultimately delicious meal.
FAQs
Though they are both similar the hamburger steak traditionally contains only ground beef and seasonings, whereas the Salisbury steak contains breadcrumbs, egg, ketchup, and seasoning. Many recipes are very similar though and the terms can be used almost interchangeably since both are cooked in a gravy-like sauce.
Yes, and in fact, I often swap the mustard powder for dijon mustard, which adds a bit of a spicy kick. If you don’t have the mustard powder you can easily swap it out for any version of mustard you like.
Yes! I prefer to make my own gravy, however, you can easily use either a French onion soup or mushroom soup in place of the beef broth.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @AimeeMarsLiving and #AimeeMars.
Salisbury Steak
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Small Whisk
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Spatula
- Slotted Spoon
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs Ground Beef
- 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt and Pepper (each)
- 2 tablespoons Butter
Mushroom Gravy
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 6 ounces Mushrooms
- 1/2 Onion diced
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- 1/4 cup Ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Warm Water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons olive oil, ketchup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, egg, and salt and pepper.
- Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined and then divide into quarters. Gently shape into a round patty (about 1-inch in thickness) and use your thumb to make an indentation in the center.
- Place a large heavy-bottomed or cast-iron skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the patties and cook on each side for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the center reaches 160ºF and the sides are slightly crispy and the patty is cooked through.
- Using a slotted spoon remove patties and set aside on a plate for later.
Mushroom Gravy
- In the same skillet and the remaining olive oil, mushroom, and diced onion. Cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes and use a slotted spoon to remove and place on the same plate as the patties.
- Add the beef broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Create a slurry in a small bowl by whisking the cornstarch and warm water together until the cornstarch has completely dissolved. Pour into the skillet and stir into the gravy mixture. Bring the gravy to a boil and reduce heat to low.
- Place the patties and the mushroom mixture back into the skillet and let simmer until the gravy thickens, about 5 more minutes.
Notes
- When forming the steak patties don’t pack the beef together tightly. Loosely form it into an oval shape and use your thumb to make an indent in the center. This will keep the patty from shrinking as well as keep it tender while cooking.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the patties. You want to remove them from the skillet the minute they reach 165ºF.
- Both the hamburger steaks and the gravy are freezable. To freeze, prepare the patties as directed and let cool completely or you can prepare them up to the point of cooking them. If cooked allow them to cool and place them in a freezer-safe storage bag. Prepare the gravy as directed and let it cool completely. Store it in a separate freezer-safe storage container or bag. It will last for up to 3 months stored in the freezer.
- Try a Salisbury Steak Sandwich by serving the steaks on a hamburger bun for one ultimately delicious meal.
Oven Instructions
- To bake it in the oven prepare the steaks as directed and then sear the steaks with butter over medium heat in an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven for 3 minutes on each side.
- Add the remaining olive oil, mushrooms, and diced onions to the skillet as well as the beef broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Make the cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and then stir into the skillet as well.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 350ºF for about 45 minutes or until the center of each steak reads 160ºF.
