Homemade Salisbury Steaks are pure comfort food, reminiscent of On-Cor frozen dinners I ate when I was a child. These are easy to make at home was ingredients you probably have on hand.
I make this Salisbury steak recipe at home regularly. Some like to use mushroom gravy, I have always loved them with beef gravy. Either way they are so delicious and turn out great every single time.
ANOTHER RECIPE YOU MIGHT LIKE: Crockpot Lasagna
Recipe for Salisbury Steaks
For my Salisbury steaks, I always grill the meat first to seal in the juices and achieve those lovely grill marks. Alternatively, you can brown them in a skillet. I don’t cook them completely on the grill, just enough to get the marks on both sides, then I cook them one of three ways:
- simmer them covered on the stovetop
- bake them in a foil covered baking pan in the oven
- cook them on low all day in the slow cooker
In all scenarios, I cover the Salisbury Steaks in gravy first then cook. I’ll give you instructions below for all three methods, but the Crockpot definitely makes the most tender Salisbury steak.
Ingredients you will need:
- 1 lb ground beef or chuck (80-85%)
- 1 lb lean ground beef (90%)
- 1 egg white
- 1/3 cup onion, minced
- 1/4 cup crushed Saltine crackers (about 6 crackers)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2(12-14-oz) cans or jars brown gravy
- Sliced mushrooms, optional
Kitchen tools you will find helpful:
How to Make Salisbury Steaks
No matter what method you choose, the first part of the recipe remains the same.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and form the meat mixture into 8-10 oval patties.
- Grill the beef patties on both sides (you can brown them in a large skillet over medium high heat if you prefer).
- Follow the instructions below depending on which method you have chosen.
Baked In the Oven
- Place grilled patties into a 13x9x2 baking pan and cover with gravy.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 25 minutes.
- After removing from the oven, allow to rest for ten minutes before removing the foil cover and serving.
Simmered on the Stovetop
- Place grilled patties in a large skillet and cover with gravy.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Turn off heat and allow to rest for ten minutes before removing the cover and serving.
Made in the Slow Cooker
- Place grilled patties in the slow cooker crock and cover with gravy.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove patties from gravy, tent with foil and set aside.
- Spoon off any excess fat from gravy.
- Turn slow cooker on high to thicken gravy if needed.
When to Add Mushrooms
You can add your mushrooms to any of the pans and allow them to cook in the gravy. I prefer that my mushrooms not be completely soft, so I saute them in a skillet and add them to the gravy just before serving.
In the oven, cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in 375 F oven for 25 minutes. On the stovetop, simmer for 25 minutes. In the slow cooker, cool on low for 6-8 hours.
What sides should I serve with Salisbury Steaks?
Serve these easy Salisbury steaks with gravy, mashed potatoes, and roasted broccoli or Slow Cooker Balsamic Carrots.
More recipe ideas
- If you love using your slow cooker and are always looking for recipes, try my crockpot mac and cheese and this crockpot chicken and dumplings!
- I’ve even made a version that replaces some of the meat with Portobello mushrooms!
- A couple more of my favorite comfort food recipes include this beef stroganoff and my Swiss steak.
More ground beef dinner ideas you will like:
I use ground beef a lot. You can substitute ground turkey or chicken for many of these ground beef recipes, let me know how they turn out!
- If you are looking for a cheesy dish the family will love, try this bacon cheeseburger pasta!
- One of my family’s favorite casserole dishes is this southwest ground beef casserole. It has tons of tasty flavors and is so filling. Perfect for a weeknight meal.
- You don’t want to miss the best meatloaf recipe ever, I swear by this one!
- We love Mexican flavors in this house, so this Taco Casserole is right up our alley.
- This Cheesy Ground Beef Enchilada Chili from Oh Sweet Basil sounds delicious!
- These Ground Beef Gyro Meatballs from Kalyn’s Kitchen are calling my name, definitely trying these.
- For a fun twist on this classic recipe, try our Salisbury Steak Meatballs!
- Ground beef stroganoff aka hamburger stroganoff features all the same delicious flavors as classic beef stroganoff, but with ground beef in place of steak.
Salisbury Steaks
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 lb ground beef or chuck 80-85%
- 1 lb lean ground beef 90%
- 1 large egg white
- ⅓ cup onion minced
- ¼ cup crushed Saltine crackers about 6 crackers
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 2 12-14-oz cans or jars brown gravy
- 1 cup Sliced mushrooms optional
Before You Begin
Instructions
- Preheat the grill.
- In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, egg white, onion, cracker crumbs, milk, salt and pepper. Use your hands to be sure everything is mixed evenly.
- Form 10 oval shaped patties from the meat mixture.
- Brown both sides of patties on the grill, just enough to get those fabulous grill marks on both sides. You can also brown them in a skillet if you prefer.
In the Oven
- Place grilled patties into a 13x9x2 baking pan and cover with gravy. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 25 minutes. After removing from the oven, allow to rest for ten minutes before removing the foil cover and serving.
On the Stovetop
- Place grilled patties in a large skillet and over with gravy. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to rest for ten minutes before removing the cover and serving.
In the Slow Cooker
- Place grilled patties in the slow cooker crock and cover with gravy. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove patties from gravy, tent with foil and set aside. Spoon off any excess fat from gravy. Turn slow cooker on high to thicken gravy if needed.
When to Add Mushrooms
- You can add your mushrooms to any of the pans and allow them to cook in the gravy. I prefer that my mushrooms not be completely soft, so I saute them in a skillet and add them to the gravy just before serving.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on May 12, 2012.
Amanda Davis
Latest posts by Amanda Davis (see all)
- Appetizer Veggie Pizza - December 23, 2024
- Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies - December 19, 2024
- Christmas Tree Cheese Platter - December 16, 2024
Sandy Gotter says
Hi amanda , just wondering why we can’t use the whole egg ? Thank you Sandy – looks delicious
Ursula allen says
Do you have to grill them on the grill or on the stove before putting them in the crockpot ?
Amanda Formaro says
It’s best to brown them at least in the skillet first, but no it is not necessary.
Dean LaBella says
Subscribed today. This is my favorite meal and can’t wait to try it.
Looking forward to any dutch oven recipes I can find on your site.
Dean L.
Kristen Formaro says
Welcome Dean! So glad to have you.
Dolorez Jones says
Tjis3 iz delicious csn i have the recipe for green beans too thank you
Connie says
I would like to freeze these as make ahead meals. I could freeze some that are completely cooked, then just heat them up, but I’d also like to cook some partially, take out of freezer and finish cooking later. Do you think it would be better to grill, assemble then freeze, or cook halfway then freeze?
Also, what would work as a substitute for the crackers?
I have tried a recipe for meatloaf made with crackers, didn’t care for the flavor. (I have used crushed crackers in salmon patties that were very good.) Thanks for any suggestions.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Connie. If you are going to finish these off in the crockpot I would say grill them and freeze. Then you should be able to put the frozen patties into the crockpot and continue with the recipe. As for the saltines, they really are best in this recipe. But you could substitute finely ground dry bread crumbs.
pamela says
why does this say to use a pound of ground beef two different times?
1 lb ground beef or chuck 80-85%
1 lb lean ground beef 90%
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Pamela! You need a total of 2 pounds of meat. I have found that 1 pound of each of the above to be the best combination :)
Martha says
I’ve made these twice over the last couple of months. Once in the slow cooker and once in the oven. Both were delicious, bu I agree that they are more tender in the crockpot. My husband raves about them, thank you!
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you loved them, thanks for letting me know!
KalynsKitchen says
Yum, that looks delicious. I haven’t had Salisbury Steak for ages but always liked it. Thanks for the shout-out for my Ground Beef Gyro Meatballs too.
Amanda says
I LOVE that story, how wonderful is that??!! I am so glad you liked the recipe and that your fabulous husband treated you with such a sweet and thoughtful dinner. Love it! :)
MrsDocChuck says
Amanda:
Thought you might enjoy this story.
I had a really bad week at work (I am a nurse in a correctional facility) and the last thing I wanted to do on a Friday night was cook.
Lo and behold, when I finally made it home and opened the door I was greeted by a beautifully set table, a glass of my favorite merlot and the wonderful savory aroma of salisbury steaks bubbling away in a pan of deep brown gravy.
Yes, it was my ever-so-thoughtful husband at work!! He’s a retired “educator” with the time and the inclination to treat me like a queen. Lucky me!
Anyway, the salisbury steaks were AWESOME and just the kind of comfort food I was craving. My husband made extra, which we froze in the gravy.
THANK YOU for helping me get over a stressful week.
~~ Liz, RN
Jayne Mcleod says
LOvE this story … what a lovely thing for your extremely thoughtful husband to do … and a very big THaNKYOU for the amazingly difficult work that YOU do !! Jayne (Canada)
DocChuck says
When I was a kid (let’s see, that was about 60 years ago … LOL), I also liked salisbury steaks, which was one of the things that our maid could do really well.
Haven’t had any in a long time, but your post prompted me to ask my lovely wife, Doctor E, to give it a try.
She will probably use ground bison, instead of beef, but I can hardly wait to re-awaken what’s left of my childhood taste buds.
Thanks for the neat post.
Aggie says
Oh…this looks delicious. I know my husband would be thrilled if I made him a Salsbury Steak! He’s such a meat guy! lol
Tami says
My son would’ve come right over to eat dinner with you if we lived nearby! ;) This has always been one of his favorite meals.
I had to laugh because my sister and I ate our share of Swanson’s salisbury steak growing up, too! lol!
Amanda says
Admittedly, I’ve tried several recipes before I found and settled on this one. My husband didn’t like the first two or three I tried but this one was a keeper!
Sortin'ItAllOut says
Hi Amanda,
These salisbury steaks look great. Much better than the ones I have made (my husband actually told me he didn’t like them and was relieved when I stopped making them :)
I have to confess–I used to love the salisbury steak at the school cafeteria. :)
I’ll have to try it your way, just one more try for the old salisbury steak. Maybe this ones a winner ;)