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Salisbury Steak

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 really easy on the budget, too!

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. 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!

Salisbury Steak

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

Ingredients

Salisbury Steaks

  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1½ 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
  • 1½ 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
  • Calories427
  • Protein35 g
  • Carbohydrates17 g
  • Total Fat25 g
  • Dietary Fiber2 g
  • Cholesterol147 mg
  • sodium1184 mg
  • Total Sugars5 g

Salisbury Steak

Questions & Reviews

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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 Lake

    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!

  • Wendy Burger

    I woke up this morning with a craving for Salisbury steak. I’ve never had it except from a freezer in college, but I knew there had to be a real recipe out there! I’ve used other recipes from this site and always had great results. Once again your recipe wins. It’s amazing comfort food and really hit the spot. Also, your Hungarian Mushroom Soup is my go-to. We love it.

    Thanks Wendy, we are so happy you were able to try this recipe out! So glad you loved it!

  • Thomas P

    Very tasty and moist. Highly recommend!

    Thanks Thomas, glad you enjoyed it!

  • Laura Kelly

    This recipe is fantastic! My husband wants to have it every week, and no other recipe shares the status😀. I let the seasoned ground beef “rest” in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours which enables even more taste and super tender meat. I think using ground chuck vs super lean ground beef is a great upgrade as the meat is more flavorful and tender. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Thanks Laura, we are so glad you both loved it! So happy to hear it'll be around every week!

  • Christina Mcneilis

    I’ve made this twice within a few weeks - delicious and a hit with the whole family!

    Thanks Christina, so happy to hear the whole family enjoys it!

  • Kirsten

    This was a great weeknight meal for my family with littles. Trying to get protein into my kids is a challenge. While they didn't eat the gravy (which left more for their parents) they LOVED the actual steak. I served it with crusty bread and the kids dipped it in ketchup (they are totally missing out, I know). It took me a bit longer to prep and cook than the recipe stated, but it was great!

    Thanks Kirsten, we are so glad that you and your family loved this meal! Kids are funny, but they'll get why certain things are delicious eventually right?! Or at least all us parents hope so!