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    Salisbury Steak

    October 2, 2024

    Salisbury steak is, of course, not steak at all. Think perfectly browned ground beef patties, seasoned with abandon and served with onion-and-mushroom gravy. So yeah, now you know what’s for dinner!

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    5 salisbury steaks in a homemade gravy with mushrooms and onions topped with fresh parsley in a cast iron skillet with spoon
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Easy, Budget-Friendly, And Tasty Weeknight Comfort Food

    Salisbury steak is not trying to win any awards for flair or elegance. It’s not trying to be elevated, or ultra healthy, or trendy. Salisbury steak just wins on taste and comfort alone. Remember eating Salisbury steak TV dinner? Maybe it’s something that your own mom (or dad) served on the regular. Whatever this all-American comfort food means to you, our Salisbury steak recipe is sure to hit the spot. Bursting with savory umami-ness and bathed in a delicious mushroom-and-onion gravy, our classic Salisbury steak recipe quite simply rocks. Oh, and it’s easy on the budget, too, much like the similarly awesome-retro Sloppy Joes or Patty Melt — another beefy, dinnertime fave.

    ingredients for Salisbury steak on the counter. Ground beef, mushrooms, onions, butter, spices, garlic, ketchup

    What Is the Difference Between Salisbury Steak and Hamburger Steak?

    Nothing, really! Salisbury steak and hamburger steak are pretty much the same dish. Ground beef is seasoned—quite generously—and formed into oval-shaped patties. It’s cooked and served with a beef-forward onion gravy. Recipes vary a bit, but essentially Salisbury steak and “hamburger steak” are the same basic thing. What is Salisbury steak? Attributed to the good Doctor Salisbury, an American physician who supported a meat-loving diet for good health, the Salisbury steak showed up in the United States in the late 1800s.

    milk being poured into a bowl with eggs, ketchup, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion, mustard, Worcestershire & pepper
    eggs, milk, ketchup, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion and mustard powders, Worcestershire & pepper in a mixing bowl
    ground beef and breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl for making salisbury steak patties
    egg mixture being poured into a bowl with ground beef and breadcrumb mixture for making salisbury steak patties

    What Kind of Meat Is Salisbury Steak Made Of?

    Like we said, Salisbury steak isn’t really steak at all—it’s made from ground beef. You can think of it sort of like a hamburger patty without the bun, or like a pan-fried single-serving meatloaf, or, think of it as rather meatball-like. And you know how much we love meatballs, as you can tell from this roundup of Best Meatball Recipes. Anyway, Salisbury steak is made of ground beef. It’s ground beef in disguise as a steak. Sort of. So, what else is in our Salisbury steak patties? Well, just about everything savory and good on this planet, that’s what! Ingredients like:

    • Eggs

    • Whole milk

    • Italian seasoning

    • Garlic powder

    • Onion powder

    • Ketchup

    • Mustard powder

    • Worcestershire sauce

    • Breadcrumbs

    • Oil

    salisbury steak patties made with eggs, milk, ketchup, spices and Worcestershire sauce, cooking in a skillet
    onions and mushrooms cooking in a cat iron skillet

    Everything You’ll Need to Make Salisbury Steak Gravy

    Lots of people call Salisbury steak sauce a gravy, but it’s not exactly a gravy, it’s just a really yummy sauce that echoes the seasonings that have been mixed into the Salisbury steak patties. Similar to Beef Stroganoff, not exactly gravy but reminds you of gravy. Big, beefy, and bold this simple brown sauce is the reason that Salisbury steak is sooooo good. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:

    • Onion

    • Mushrooms

    • Fresh garlic

    • All purpose flour

    • Mustard powder

    • Garlic powder

    • Onion powder

    • Butter

    • Beef broth

    • Beef bouillon

    • Worcestershire sauce

    mushrooms and onions in a homemade gravy sauce in a cast iron skillet
    a cast iron skillet filled with salisbury steaks in a homemade gravy with mushrooms and onions

    How To Make the Best Salisbury Steak Recipe Ever

    Easy, quick, and cozy, Salisbury steak is the retro comfort food your family needs right now. You can throw this dinner together in about 30 minutes and it doesn’t need to be served with anything too fancy. A Simple Butter Lettuce Salad and some Sourdough Bread, or maybe if you’re feeling ambitious, some Crispy Shallot Mashed Potatoes. We think that a side of Green Beans with Apples and Sage Butter would be classic, or Perfectly Roasted Broccoli for a simple vegetable. Here’s how to make easy Salisbury steak:

    1. Mix all the seasonings into the ground beef. Use your hands and try to have a light touch, just as you would if you were making meatballs. It'll keep the "steak" tender rather than tough.

    2. Form the meaty mixture into six oval-shaped patties.

    3. Brown the patties! They don't have to be cooked through, just nice and brown.

    4. Make the gravy! Sauté the onions and mushrooms, add the garlic. Add butter, let it melt, then stir in the flour, mustard powder, salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour in the broth, bouillon and Worcestershire. Bring the gravy to a boil.

    5. Add the browned beef patties to the onion gravy. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

    6. Dig in!

    a cast iron skillet filled with salisbury steaks in a homemade gravy with mushrooms and onions topped with fresh parsley

    Tools You’ll Need

    More Easy Ground Beef Recipes

    a cast iron skillet filled with salisbury steaks in a homemade gravy with mushrooms and onions topped with fresh parsley

    Not Your Usual Frozen Food Salisbury Steak

    Don’t overthink it, but do make it homemade! This old-fashioned Salisbury steak recipe is a classic for a reason. Easy to make, easy to love, good leftover—this is the kind of weeknight recipe we can never get enough of. We hope you give it a go! When you make it, show us how it all turned out, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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    Salisbury Steak

    Updated on October 2, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories:  427
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    Ingredients

    Salisbury Steaks

    • 2 large eggs, beaten
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • 3 tablespoons ketchup
    • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
    • 1 ½ pounds 90/10 ground beef
    • ¾ cup breadcrumbs
    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive
    • Minced fresh parsley leaves, for serving (optional)

    Gravy

    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
    • 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
    • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 cups beef broth
    • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon beef base, or 1 beef bouillon cube

    Method

    1. Make the steaks. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ketchup, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper.

    2. In a large bowl, using your hands, gently combine the ground beef and breadcrumbs. Add the egg mixture and mix well. Form the mixture into six, 1-inch-thick oval patties.

    3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the patties. Cook, undisturbed, until browned but not yet cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the patties to a plate.

    4. Make the gravy. Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes more. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

    5. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour, mustard powder, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Slowly stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire, and bouillon.

    6. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Nestle in the patties, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the internal temperature of the patties reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes.

    7. Divide the Salisbury steaks between plates and top with the gravy. Garnish with minced parsley before serving.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 427
    • Protein 35 g
    • Carbohydrates 17 g
    • Total Fat 25 g
    • Dietary Fiber 2 g
    • Cholesterol 147 mg
    • sodium 1184 mg
    • Total Sugars 5 g

    Salisbury Steak

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Tammy

      This recipe is amazing! So delicious! I’m so happy I found this recipe, always wanted to make Salisbury steak but other recipes never came out great!!! Thank you will have this in my recipe box forever.

      Thanks so much Tammy, this is so wonderful to hear! We are so happy you loved it so much!

    • Kari

      Can you make this in the crockpot with beef cubes instead?

      Hmm, we have tried Kari. Let us know if you give it a shot!

    • Jacque

      I do not have bouillon is there anything I can sub that for?

      There is not a great sub for bouillon, if you don't want to use it just leave it out. It will not turn out quite as flavorful without it so just keep that in mind. Hope you enjoy Jacque!

    • Jen

      My husband has an aversion to hamburger meat (he got deathly ill from undercooked hamburger meat and won’t eat it anymore, no matter how well done it is), but the mushroom and onion gravy/sauce sounds devine. Would it go well with steak or some other kind of meat?

      Definitely! It would be delicious on steak or even pork. Hope you enjoy it Jen!

    • Ayisha

      This is the best Salisbury Steak recipe I’ve ever made. Next time I will double the “gravy” portion of the recipe as we love ours over rice and there isn’t enough of it for leftovers. Next time I will make the patties smaller as they are a huge portion.

      Thanks Ayisha, glad you loved it!

    • Tosha

      I accidentally sent a question instead of posted a review.. whoops!

      But, this recipe is absolutely delicious, i made this with shredded steak and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much for the recipe, i will definitely be making this again!

      Thanks Tosha, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Cas

      Fantastic. Really. I made a little extra and froze the cooked patties and sauce and it reheated beautifully. Easy to make, and it had a lot of great flavor. Mine turned out a little salty, so the next time (and there will be a next time!) I’ll cut back on salt a little. Also going to try it with ground chicken (and chicken broth) as an option! We served it with roasted potatoes and roasted veggies for a really great comfort dinner.

      Thanks Cas, glad you loved it!

    • Grant

      This was one of the best recipes I have made from Modern Proper.

      WOW! Thanks Grant, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Ryan

      UNBELIVEABLE! There is nothing that needs to be changed about this recipe - so many great flavors that all work well together. This one will become a regular part of my routine for certain.

      Thanks Ryan, we are so glad you love it!