Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak is a stick-to-your-ribs, comforting dish that you’d expect to find on the menu at your favorite diner.  It’s not steak at all, but rather ground beef, mixed with onion and bell pepper, pan seared and finished in brown gravy.  It’s not fancy, nor is it trendy, but what it is, is really good.  This Salisbury Steak is made from scratch and so is the gravy.  I like to serve this dish with mashed potatoes (did I mention there was gravy?!) and a steamed or roasted vegetable, such as my Roasted Broccoli with Lemon.  Salisbury Steak comes together quickly, but will taste like it’s been cooking all day.   

To make this dish, start by chopping ½ bell pepper (of any color) and ½ of an onion, which equates to approximately ¾ cup of chopped bell pepper and about 1 cup of chopped onion.  Add the vegetables to a large frying pan that has been coated with two teaspoons of olive oil and cook over medium heat until the onion turns translucent and the pepper begins to soften.  Place the cooked vegetables into a large mixing bowl to cool for about 5 minutes or so.   

When the vegetables have cooled to the touch, add 1 pound of uncooked ground beef, one slice of finely chopped sandwich bread (I usually use the heal), 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, and one egg.  Mix the ingredients together with your hands gently.  Shape the meat mixture into four oblong-shaped patties that are about ½ inch thick.  Add two additional teaspoons of olive oil to the same frying pan that you used to cook the vegetables, and heat the pan to medium, medium-high.  When hot, place the patties in the pan.  Brown the patties for about 6 minutes on each side, then place them on a plate to rest while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, melt three tablespoons of salted butter in the frying pan over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any tasty bits of “steak” left behind.  Next, add ⅔ cup of all-purpose flour to the melted butter and stir the flour, cooking it for about 1 minute.  Slowly drizzle 2 ½ cups of beef broth into the pan, whisking continuously.  The gravy will look lumpy at first, but keep whisking!  It will become smooth and silky as you stir, I promise.  Last, add two teaspoons of soy sauce, two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, ½ teaspoon of black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt to the gravy.  Stir, taste and add more salt if you desire.  When satisfied with the gravy, reduce the heat to low and gently place the cooked “steaks” back into the pan.  Using a spoon, ladle the gravy over top of the patties.  Cover the pan and let the steaks cook in the gravy for 3-5 minutes.  Serve the Salisbury Steaks with mashed potatoes and steamed or roasted vegetables.  Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Salisbury Steak

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Steak

• ¾ cup chopped bell pepper (any color)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tsp olive oil, plus 2 more teaspoons (divided)
• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 slice of sandwich bread, finely chopped
• 1 egg

For the Gravy

• 3 tbsp salted butter
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 2½ cups beef broth
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste)

Instructions

• In a large frying pan, cook the chopped onion and pepper in two teaspoons of olive oil. Sauté until soft then place in a bowl and allow to cool to the touch.
• Add the ground beef, bread, thyme, salt, pepper and egg to the bowl with the peppers and onions. Gently mix the ingredients with your hands, then form the meat mixture into four oblong-shaped patties.
• Add two teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, and cook the patties (or "steaks") over medium heat for about 6 minutes per side. Remove the steaks from the pan and onto a plate to rest.
• Using the same pan, make the gravy by melting three tablespoons of butter. Add flour to the melted butter and cook for one minute.
• Next, slowly stream the beef broth into the flour, whisking continuously. The gravy will be lumpy at first, but keep stirring. It will become smooth overtime.
• When the gravy is smooth, add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper to the gravy. Stir, taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
• Turn the heat to low and add the steaks back into the pan with the gravy. Ladle gravy over top of the steaks, cover the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes. Serve the Salisbury Steaks with mashed potatoes and steamed or roasted vegetables. Enjoy!