Salisbury Steak

My Salisbury Steak Recipe is 100% from-scratch with no pre-made gravies or ketchup. It takes just 35 minutes to make and freezes beautifully! Recipe includes a how-to video!

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Coming at you today with some classic comfort food! My salisbury steak recipe is an incredibly flavorful dish made entirely from scratch without any ketchup or soup/gravy mixes. The steaks are formed out of ground meat, breadcrumbs, and lots of flavorings and seared before finishing in a robust gravy (made with or without mushrooms!). This recipe is easy, satisfying, fast, and it feeds the whole family…my favorite kind of weeknight dinner!

Just like with my sloppy Joe recipe, instead of using ketchup for flavoring, we essentially make our own using tomato paste, sugar, and vinegar. This gives us maximum control over the dish and eliminates any preservatives or unwanted ingredients.

Why try my salisbury steak recipe:

• Pairs well with pretty much any side–I’ve included my favorites below!
• Makes a great freezer meal (like my beef ragu).
• 100% from-scratch and super flavorful.
• Ready in just 35 minutes!

What You Need

Let’s talk about a few of those ingredients up there before we get started with the recipe:

• Ground beef. Yes, ground beef! Salisbury steaks aren’t made from whole muscle steaks but instead use ground beef. Don’t worry though, we will be seasoning our beef with lots of spices and sauces to make sure it’s extra flavorful. Use whichever percentage you prefer; I typically use 93% lean.
• Mushrooms. I personally don’t love mushrooms, but my husband insists that they belong in any good salisbury steak recipe, so I included them here. If you aren’t a fan either, you can absolutely leave them out with no other changes needed.
• Panko. Use plain (unseasoned) panko breadcrumbs. Gluten-free or regular will work equally well. Recently I’ve been substituting the panko for homemade sourdough breadcrumbs. 
• Egg. An egg is important for binding the steaks together, it serves like a glue that keeps them from falling apart while you’re cooking.
• Worcestershire sauce. If you don’t want to or can’t use Worcestershire sauce, you can substitute coconut aminos. 
• Stone ground mustard. If you have dijon, this will work too. Don’t use regular yellow mustard, which has an entirely different flavor profile.

SAM’S TIP: As with my meatball recipe and smash burgers, we need to be careful not to over-mix the meat mixture here. Over-mixing will result in tough salisbury steaks, so just gently work everything together until combined, then stop.

This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Salisbury Steak

Make the steaks

1. Mix the beef with all ingredients under the “steaks” section until just combined.
2. Form into four steaks that are about ½″ thick.
3. Sear the steaks in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat until well browned on each side.
4. Remove to a plate and let rest while you prepare your gravy.

SAM’S TIP: Don’t overcrowd the meat when searing, or you could end up steaming it instead of searing it. If this happens, the meat will look grey instead of brown and won’t be as flavorful.

Make the gravy

1. Melt the butter in your hot pan and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan as it cooks.
2. Toss in the onions and cook until softened.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown.
4. Sprinkle flour over the mixture and stir/cook until it is absorbed, then cook for another 30 seconds or so until toasted.

5. Stir in the tomato paste and seasonings and cook until the tomato paste begins to brown.
6. Slowly drizzle in the broth while stirring and scraping the pan.
7. Add the steaks to the gravy and cook until done. The gravy will thicken during this time.
8. Serve salisbury steaks with lots of gravy and sides of your choosing (my suggestions are below).

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some of your favorite comfort food dishes? Let me know in the comments! 👇

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

Salisbury Steak

My salisbury steak recipe is 100% from-scratch with no pre-made gravies or ketchup. It takes just 35 minutes to make and freezes beautifully!

Recipe includes a how-to video!

5 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 495kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

For the Steaks

• ▢ 1 lb (453 G) ground beef
• ▢ ⅓ cup (20 g) plain panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons coarse stone ground mustard
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce (may substitute coconut aminos)
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar firmly packed (may substitute coconut sugar)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

For Cooking

• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Gravy

• ▢ 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup (140 g) finely chopped yellow onion 1 medium yellow onion
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (226 g) sliced mushrooms optional, I use baby bella
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth see note

Recommended Equipment

• ▢
  Baking sheet
• ▢
  Mixing bowls

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

For the Steaks

• In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients from the “Steaks” section and use your hands to mix all the ingredients together until well-combined – don’t over-mix or turn the meat into paste.
  1 lb (453 G) ground beef, ⅓ cup (20 g) plain panko breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 2 Tablespoons coarse stone ground mustard, 2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Form the mixture into four steaks/oblong patties about ½” thick (I often make a small indent in the center to help the centers cook evenly). Set aside.
• Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Once oil is shimmering, sear the steaks in the pan, cooking until well- browned on each side. Remove to a plate and rest while you prepare the gravy. Reduce pan heat to medium (do not clean it out, immediately start making your gravy).

Gravy

• Add butter to the skillet and scrape the pan as it melts.
  2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Once melted, add onion and cook until softened.
  1 cup (140 g) finely chopped yellow onion
• Add mushrooms and cook until golden.
  1 ½ cups (226 g) sliced mushrooms
• Sprinkle pan with flour and cook, stirring, until flour is completely absorbed, then cook another 30 seconds (to lightly toast the flour).
  2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Add tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and stir well, cooking at least 1 minute until tomato paste loses its bright red color.
  2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• While stirring, slowly drizzle in beef broth until ingredients are combined (make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan!).
  2 cups (473 ml) beef broth
• Return salisbury steaks to the pan and nestle into the gravy. Allow to cook until steaks are cooked through (no longer pink in the middle/160F) and gravy is thickened.

Notes

Beef broth

2 cups of beef broth makes a lot of gravy, which we like, especially if serving over mashed potatoes! If you want less gravy, reduce by ½ cup.

Storing

This meal freezes well. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 1852mg | Potassium: 875mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

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