Easy Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
This classic Easy Salisbury Steak recipe is smothered in a thick, luscious Mushroom Gravy and is a fast, easy, and inexpensive comfort food recipe to make in only 30 minutes! Everything cooks in one skillet for an easy and hearty weeknight dinner. If you’ve never had Salisbury steak, here’s the deal: it’s essentially a giant meatball, formed flat like a steak and pan-seared. This version is then smothered in a thick mushroom gravy cooked up in the same pan (though you can skip the gravy if it’s not your thing).
Salisbury steak is one of those ultra-comforting recipes that you can’t help but love. I mean, what’s not to love about it? Especially when it’s covered in a thick mushroom gravy and served with creamy mashed potatoes. It’s like a fast and easy version of meatloaf but WITH GRAVY. Can’t beat that!
I grew up near a town called Salisbury in Massachusetts. When I was little, I used to think Salisbury Steak was named for that town. And until only recently, I thought it was a British recipe named for the town of Salisbury in the UK. Nope.
It’s actually an American recipe developed by a physician named James Salisbury in the Civil War era who recommended it for health reasons.
But enough with the history lesson. I want to get to the good stuff, and let you know what exactly a Salisbury Steak is and how EASY it is to make these salisbury steaks and mushroom gravy in one skillet.
What is Salisbury Steak Made From?
OK so the name is pretty misleading, but a Salisbury Steak is not made from a steak. It’s actually made from ground beef.
It’s basically a big ol’ meatball that’s formed into an oval patty and cooked in a skillet.
But it’s also not a hamburger steak or just a burger served with gravy. A good burger or hamburger steak is nothing more than ground beef seasoned with lots of salt and pepper. A salisbury steak consists of a mixture of ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasoning.
I used a simple mixture of onion, salt, and pepper for the seasoning, but other recipes often add Worcestershire sauce or other spices to the mix.
So here’s what I love about it: ground beef is cheap! Which makes this Salisbury Steak a super budget-friendly recipe. It’s also easy to work with– you won’t have to worry about overcooking this recipe.
How to make an awesome Salisbury Steak mixture
I’ve got a few tricks for getting a super flavorful result in as little time as possible with only a few ingredients.
- First, mix together grated onions AND their juices with breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and an egg. It’s easy- just use a box grater to grate the onion and slide all the pieces, and the juices, into a large bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Why? The flavor of the onion will impart into every single bite, the juices will help soften the breadcrumbs, and the small onion pieces will help maintain the structural integrity of the steak (large pieces can cause it to fall apart). I use this trick in my twice-baked potato recipe, too.
- Then, add the ground beef and mix it together with your hands. You can use a spoon if the thought of touching raw meat reallllly weirds you out, but the texture of the patties will be better if you use your hands because everything will be mixed just the right amount without over-mixing.
- I use a special trick to divide the mixture into four perfectly even parts: press the mixture down into the bowl and use your finger to draw lines into the surface dividing it into quadrants. Now, you know exactly how much to use for each patty.
How to make Salisbury Steak and Mushroom Gravy in one skillet
Cooking the Salisbury Steak and the Mushroom Gravy in one skillet enhances flavor AND saves time.
- First, get a good sear on the outside of the steaks by cooking them on HIGH heat for 2 minutes on each side. Then, remove them to a plate- they will still be raw on the outside.
- Then, make the mushroom gravy in the same skillet. This will ensure all the flavors from searing the patties gets into the gravy. And make sure you brown the mushrooms correctly- here’s how!
- Finally, finish cooking the salisbury steaks in the gravy. The steaks will absorb all of the delicious flavors from the mushroom gravy and stay moist and tender. PLUS, you’ll save some time by finishing the gravy and the steaks all at once! Don’t worry if the gravy seems thin at first- it will thicken as it simmers.
What to serve with Salisbury Steak:
- A pile of classic mashed potatoes
- Rosemary Infused potato and cauliflower mash
- Mashed Cauliflower with Butter and Herbs
Other Easy Ground Beef Recipes:
- Five-Ingredient Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
- Simple Shepherd’s Pie
- Greek Spaghetti
- Slow Cooker Spicy Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
- Quick and Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Manestra (Greek-Style Orzo with Ground Beef)
- Easy baked Meatballs
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Classic Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
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Ingredients
For the Steaks:
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 small yellow onion grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lb. lean ground beef such as 90/10
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For the Mushroom Gravy:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms I used baby portobellas (cremini)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the grated onion (and its juices), the breadcrumbs (1/3 cup), the egg, the kosher salt (1 teaspoon), and the black pepper (1/2 teaspoon) until well combined.
- Add the ground beef to the bowl and mix to combine with the breadcrumb and onion mixture. I recommend using your hands for this.
- Divide the beef mixture evenly into four. The easiest way to do this is to press the beef mixture into the bottom of the bowl and use your finger to "draw" lines dividing it into four quadrants. Form 4 oval shaped patties with your hands about 3/4ths of an inch thick.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Only after it's searing hot (after about 2 minutes), add the olive oil (1 tablespoon) to the pan and swirl to coat.
- Add the patties to the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side- they should a have nice brown color. To get the best color, don't move them until the two minutes are up.
- Remove the patties to a plate.
- Add the butter (2 tablespoons) to the skillet, then add the sliced mushrooms after it's melted.
- Cook the mushrooms for 2 minutes, until golden. Then, sprinkle the flour (2 tablespoons) over the mushrooms. Stir the mushrooms, coating each of them in the flour, and continue to cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the beef broth (2 cups), stirring constantly to incorporate the flour, and bring it to a simmer.
- Add the steak patties back into the gravy mixture and simmer, uncovered, for 5 more minutes, or until they're fully cooked and the gravy has thickened.
Notes
- Time saving tip: Form the patties ahead of time and store in your refrigerator for up to two days.
- Money saving tip: Look for ground beef on sale or buy it in bulk to store in your freezer. Take it out of the freezer 24 hours before making this recipe. You can also make your own breadcrumbs easily by toasting two slices of bread and using your food processor to crumble them.
- For a dairy-free version: use more olive oil instead of butter to make the gravy.
- For a gluten-free version: use gluten-free breadcrumbs in the steaks and use cornstarch instead of flour (added after the broth in a slurry) for the gravy.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Made this twice. Yummy both times and family loved it.
So glad you and your family liked it!
Excellent: So flavorful and delicious.
I was a little overwhelmed by the layout of this page. I got a little confused and thought when you wrote “into a large bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients” I thought that meant to add the tablespoon of olive oil. I don’t think it hurt it anyway.
We are a gravy-crazy group. I think I’ll have to make a separate pot of just the gravy. It was so delicious.
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback. Looks like you were looking at the body of the post which has tips and tricks for the recipe – you may want to just jump directly to the recipe card at the bottom of the post next time which has the recipe written out traditionally and more concisely! Hope that helps.
DELICIOUS! Wouldn’t change a thing
So glad you liked it!
Super delicious
So glad you liked it!
My Husband and picky eater child really enjoyed this recipe.
This will be added to our fall/winter dinners.
I love the easy to follow directions. The pictures are so helpful. Every meal I have made from this site is always a winner. Can’t wait to make another one tomorrow!!
So glad you liked it, and thank you so much for the kind words!
We loved the detailed directions which produced the most flavorful Salisbury Steak we’ve ever had. This recipe goes together easily with few ingredients and is highly recommended.
So glad you liked it!
This is the second time I’ve made this recipe; the first time was about a couple of weeks ago. This is absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! I used to eat the frozen Salisbury steaks that are available in the freezer section of the grocery store – never again: these are so much better. For ages I’ve been trying to find a Salisbury steak recipe in vain – this one is in my bookmarks.
So glad you liked it!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I’m making it for the 5th time in one month right now. It is the best salisbury steak recipe I have come across so far.
So glad you liked it!
Delicious!! Brought back childhood memories of my Mom’s Salisbury steak. I did add a little Worcestershire Sauce to both the patties and gravy when cooking. Also, next time I might add some sautéed onions to the gravy. Wonderful as us though. Thanks!
So glad you liked it and I love the idea of adding onions to the gravy! I suggest letting them cook for a while to caramelize a little bit first… YUM.
Love it – but made 1 change and 2 additions. Used 2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Roasted Beef base with 2 cups of water because I am highly allergic to MSG and Better than Bouillon has low sodium and no MSG. I added 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash original seasoning and 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic for more flavor. I loved that you said to grate the onion. I have done that for years because my daughter is super picky and if she sees an onion will not eat the food or she will try to remove it. Otherwise I found this recipe to be perfect. Thanks so much for sharing this.
So glad you liked it, and that the trick with grating the onions was helpful!
I haven’t made this yet but was wondering how you feel about using ground bison. I just have a problem with ground beef and I find that bison is much leaner.
I think you can definitely use ground bison! I haven’t tried it, and I’ve never cooked with it. If it’s leaner, it may need less time to cook, or you might just want to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t overcook too much, since leaner meat tends to dry out when it’s cooked too long. If you try it, I’d love to know how it comes out!
Hi do think 1 can og beef broth and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup kwould work because i only have the 1 can of broth
Thank you Linda Rayissian in
I think so! You might need less flour for the roux, if any at all, since the cream of mushroom soup will already be pretty thick. Hope you like it!
Delicious, quick easy and affordable. Great quick weekday family dinner.
So glad you liked it!
Tried it tonight. It was delish.
Thanks! So glad you liked it!
I Haven’t tried this yet but I’m giving you five stars because every recipe I’ve made from your site has been wonderful. As far as this one goes, I hate mushrooms. Do you have any ideas for a replacement veggie? Thanks!
Oh my goodness you are so kind! Thank you for saying that. I’ve seen some Salisbury steak recipes served with onion gravy which sounds amazing- just sauté some sliced onions in the butter over medium heat until they soften a ton and start to caramelize- it will take a little longer than the mushrooms (probably about 10-15 minutes, or longer if you want deep caramelization). But you can also just skip the veggies in the gravy if you want- just melt the butter over medium high heat, add the flour and whisk it around until it’s all incorporated (about a minute), then add the beef broth and proceed as directed. Hope that helps and hope you like it!!
Something is wrong I am trying to SAVE to my Pinterest. It won’t do anything as soon as I pick the picture it closes????
I just contacted my social sharing support and hopefully it will be fixed soon! When I try to pin it, an image pops up that I can pin (the first image in the post) but it doesn’t let me pick out which image I want, which is strange and not happening on my other posts. I bet these two issues are related. I’ll keep you updated!
OK I think the issue may be fixed! Try again, and hopefully it works this time :-)