Salisbury Steak Recipe

Looking for a recipe to use up ground beef? Our Salisbury steak recipe looks and tastes amazing, it's low in carbs, plus it's economical to make.

Ground beef makes dinnertime easy! We think you'll love adding our Hamburger Barley Soup and Stuffed Pepper Soup to your meal rotation.

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Why This Recipe Works

We think our Salisbury steak recipe is successful for these reasons.

• Flavorful Patties: We use 85% lean ground beef with onion powder, thyme, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, salt and pepper.
• Tender Beef Patties: We use the right ratio of meat to egg to liquid, and allow the meat mixture to rest 30 minutes to help build flavors and to help the protein relax. The patties are seared then cooked in an onion gravy to soak up all the flavor and moisture.
• Thick, Delicious Gravy: This recipe makes two cups of homemade onion gravy, which means there is more gravy per steak than most other recipes. The onions are caramelized to provide another layer of flavor, and then are cooked in a brown gravy.

Ingredients

This Salisbury steak recipe takes basic pantry staples that are economical and easy to find at your grocery store. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.

• Meat: We used ground beef with 85% meat and 15% fat for the best flavor.
• Binder: We used breadcrumbs and an egg to hold the Salisbury steak patties together in this recipe.
• Spices: We used thyme, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
• Liquids: We used Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and beef broth.

How to Make

Gather all the ingredients for our Salisbury steak recipe.

1. Put the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and spices in a bowl, then mix together with your hands.  Be careful not to mix longer than necessary, or the Salisbury steak patties will get tough. Rest the meat mixture for 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. With the help of a kitchen scale, divide the meat mixture into 12 balls of equal size.  They should weigh roughly 3.25 ounces each.

3. Place the large meatballs on a baking tray. Shape the meatballs into round patties that are similar in thickness and place back on the baking tray.

4. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in two cast iron skillets over medium high heat.  When the skillet is sizzling hot, place 6 round patties in each pan, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the patties over and repeat the searing process, then transfer the seared patties to a 9x9-inch baking pan.

5. Drain off the hamburger fat, then melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in one of the cast iron skillets.  Add the onions and cook at medium heat for a few minutes, and then reduce to medium low for the remainder of the cooking time, about 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until the onions are caramelized. Stir in some white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan for a couple of minutes to deglaze the pan.

6. Make a well in the center and melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the onions, then sprinkle ¼ cup of flour.  Cook the flour for two minutes while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon.

7. Gradually add the beef stock to the onion mixture, making sure to stir constantly to prevent any lumps. Stir in two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce for added flavor and color.

Turn the heat down to medium low and let the gravy simmer until it's a bit thicker.  Taste and sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper, if necessary.  Remove the skillet from the heat.  There should be roughly 2 cups of gravy.

8. Cover the patties with the onion gravy.

9. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F.  During this step, the patties will finish cooking.  The foil and the gravy will help the patties stay moist.

10. Serve Salisbury steak while still warm.  Spoon the gravy over each patty.  Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley and serve with our sour cream mashed potatoes and a side of buttered peas.  Yummy!

This Salisbury steak recipe is a classic American supper dish that is guaranteed to please everyone when it's served.

Recipe FAQs

Serve

This hearty Salisbury steak recipe works well with many easy side dishes, but some of our favorites include: mashed potatoes, green peas, green beans, crispy green salad, and tomato wedges.

Store

Got questions about how to store Salisbury steak? We've got you covered.

• Make Ahead: Cover with foil and refrigerate before baking.  When ready to eat, just bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Leftovers: Cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: Wrap uncooked patties in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to two months. You can also freeze cooked leftover patties with the gravy in a freezer bag.
• Reheat: Allow frozen patties to thaw in the fridge, then reheat in a skillet over medium heat until heated through. If necessary, add a little beef broth to the gravy.

Variations

• Want a different gravy?  Try mushroom gravy with your Salisbury steak.
• Want to sneak in more vegetables?  Add grated onion and finely diced green pepper to the patties.
• Want a different meat? Try ground turkey or a combination of ground pork and ground beef.

Expert Tips

• Only flip the steaks once to get the best sear.
• Make uniform patties: same size, weight, and thickness.
• Rest patties for 30 minutes at room temperature to meld flavors and help the protein relax.
• Want to make this recipe ahead?  Cover with foil and refrigerate before baking.  When ready to eat, just bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Want to serve with traditional sides?  Serve this main course dish with mashed potatoes and peas.

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Recipe

Salisbury Steak Recipe

This easy recipe for Salisbury steak is low carb and perfect for family dinners!   It’s a classic comfort food made with flavorful hamburger meat patties bathed in a rich onion gravy.  This recipe is browned in a skillet and baked in a casserole dish for maximum juiciness.

3.4 from 8 votes

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 12 patties with gravy

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients

 

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US ImperialMetric

For the Beef Patties

• ▢ 2.25 pounds ground beef, 85% meat, 15% fat
• ▢ 1 cup white breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter

For the Onion Gravy

• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter
• ▢ 2 large yellow onions, sliced in rings
• ▢ ¼ cup white wine
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ Salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢ 2 cups beef stock
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Equipment

• ▢
  cast iron skillet
• ▢
  digital kitchen scale
• ▢
  2 cup measuring cup
• ▢
  9x9-inch pan

Instructions

Making the Beef Patties

• Make your own breadcrumbs.  Cut or tear the bread into small pieces, place in a blender, and let it whirl for a minute until the breadcrumbs are small.
• Mix together the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and spices with your hands.  Let the meat mixture rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Divide into 12 balls of equal size, roughly 3.25 ounces (92g) each.  Shape patties to be similar in thickness.
• In two cast iron skillets over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter per skillet, swirl it around, allow the skillet to heat up then place 6 patties in each skillet.  Cook patties for 2 minutes on medium heat then 2 minutes on medium low.  Flip them over and cook the other side.
• Transfer the 12 cooked beef patties to a 9x9-inch baking pan.  Place them close together, but in one layer.  Set aside.
• For easy clean up, pour the hamburger fat into a small bowl and place in the fridge for it to harden into a disc, then discard.

Making the Onion Gravy

• Halve both onions, then cut them into thin slices.  Separate each piece.
• In one of the cast iron skillets, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat, then add the onions.  Turn the heat down to medium and cook for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to medium low and finish cooking.  Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until caramelized, roughly 15 minutes.
• To deglaze the pan, pour in ¼ cup of white wine.  Stir constantly until the fond is off the bottom of the pan.  This is will take roughly 2 minutes.
• Make a well in the center of the onions and melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it.  Sprinkle the onions with salt and pepper, then sprinkle ¼ cup of flour over the onions.  Cook the flour for two minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
• Gradually add the the stock, constantly stirring as you do so, then add two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce for additional color and flavor.
• Let the gravy simmer until its the desired thickness.  Taste and sprinkle more salt and pepper over the gravy if desired.  You should have about 2 cups of gravy.

Baking the Salisbury Steak

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Spoon the onion gravy over the patties in the baking pan.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  This step lets the patties finish cooking and helps them stay moist.
• Serve warm.  Spoon the onion gravy over each beef patty.  Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Notes

• Only flip the steaks once to get the best sear.
• Make uniform patties: same size, weight and thickness.
• Rest patties for 30 minutes at room temperature to meld flavors and help the protein relax.
• Want to make this recipe ahead?  Cover with foil and refrigerate before baking.  When ready to eat, just bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Want to serve as a traditional recipe?  Serve this main course dish with mashed potatoes and peas.

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal (17%)Carbohydrates: 12g (4%)Protein: 18g (36%)Fat: 24g (37%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 91mg (30%)Sodium: 336mg (15%)Potassium: 392mg (11%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 203IU (4%)Vitamin C: 2mg (2%)Calcium: 49mg (5%)Iron: 3mg (17%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Our Salisbury steak recipe was originally published on January 12, 2018 and was updated with new photos and content on June 21, 2019 and also on May 27, 2022.