Homemade Salisbury Steak is an easy comfort food dinner! Made with homemade ground beef steaks and covered in the best mushroom gravy, this is a hearty meal the whole family will love.
Ground beef is one of my favorite proteins to have on hand – it’s budget-friendly, defrosts quickly and there’s so many different things to make with it. Meatballs, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, tacos… And Salisbury Steak!
What used to be a popular TV dinner is now an easy comfort food dinner made from scratch: Homemade ground beef steaks and covered in the best mushroom gravy, so good.
My kids call these “mini meatloaves”, and they are a dinner staple around here. Especially during winter, and we LOVE them with mashed potatoes, egg noodles or even rice – it’s such a versatile meal!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is an overview of the ingredients in the recipe (great to use as a visual grocery list at the store!). Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Meat: Traditionally, it’s an all-beef recipe. But if you want to change it up, you can also use a mix of pork and beef. Or even ground turkey, if you want.
- Broth: Beef works best here, but you can use chicken broth with an extra dash of Worcestershire sauce if you don’t have beef on hand.
- Green pepper: Finely diced green pepper is a traditional ingredient in Salisbury steak, but you can replace it with a finely diced celery stick or 1 finely diced onion if you really don’t like the taste of green pepper.
- Mushrooms: Not a fan? Just leave them out! Alternatively, make the onion gravy from my bangers and mash!
Step by step photos
Make the patties
Make the gravy
Recipe tips
- Shaping the patties: Make firm patties to keep them from falling apart in the gravy. I always make a shallow indentation in the middle with my thumb to help them keep their shape during cooking.
- Oven instructions: 20-30 minutes, covered, in the oven at 350°F will cook your steaks, too.
- Internal temperature: Remember, however you cook your steaks, make sure they reach in internal temperature of 160°F to be safe! See also Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures Chart on the government’s food safety website.
Make ahead instructions
I like to buy lean ground beef on sale and make a bunch of meatloaves, meatballs and Salisbury steak patties for the freezer. So handy!
To freeze the uncooked patties
Place them on a lined baking sheet in a single layer, cover with foil and and freeze until firm (about 2 hours). Then transfer to labelled freezer bags or freezer friendly containers for up to 3 months.Defrost in the fridge overnight, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
To freeze the cooked patties
Freeze the cooked patties in gravy. Defrost in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a pan OR in the oven until piping hot all the way through.
Salisbury steak FAQs
I asked myself for the longest time, and decided to finally look it up. Apparently it’s named after physician James H. Salisbury, who seems to have been one of the first low carb diet promoters.
Yes, he invented ground beef steaks in gravy as a means to control health issues. Seriously.
Simply that Salisbury steak usually has chopped onions and green peppers added to the meat.
Now all that’s left to figure out is why on earth it has become so popular. Probably because it tastes amazing – although I would never have it without a side of carbs 😉
Serving suggestions
My family loves their Salisbury steak over mashed potatoes with a side of sautéed green beans.
The steaks are also delicious with wide egg noodles or rice, and I do also enjoy a side salad with either my honey mustard dressing or my homemade ranch dressing.
More comfort food classics
Check out my collection of easy dinner recipes with ground beef for more ideas!
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Homemade Salisbury Steak
Recipe details
Equipment
Ingredients
For the steaks
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 green pepper finely chopped
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon oil
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried onion powder
- ½ pound brown button mushrooms sliced
Instructions
Make the beef patties
- Combine beef mixture:Place all ingredients for the steaks (EXCEPT for the oil) in a large bowl and mix well (I use an electric mixer with the hook attachment because it's way less messy).
- Shape patties:Shape beef mixture into 4-6 firm patties. I make a shallow indentation in the middle to help them keep their shape during cooking.
- Brown patties:Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the steaks from both sides, 3-5 minutes each. Remove to a plate.
Cook the gravy
- Make roux:In the same skillet (DON'T wipe it!), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until starting to brown – do not let it get too dark, or it will be bitter. Pour in the stock, stirring very well.
- Season gravy:Season gravy with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and onion powder, then add the mushrooms, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Finish cooking the steaks: Place the steaks in the gravy and cook, covered for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
Notes
Recipe tips
Meat: Traditionally, it’s an all-beef recipe. But if you want to change it up, you can also use a mix of pork and beef. Or even ground turkey, if you want. Oven instructions: 30 minutes, covered, in the oven will cook your steaks, too. Internal temperature: Remember, however you cook your steaks, make sure they reach in internal temperature of 160°F to be safe!Make Ahead Instructions:
I like to buy lean ground beef on sale and make a bunch of meatloaves, meatballs and Salisbury steak patties for the freezer. So handy!Freeze uncooked
Place them on a lined baking sheet in a single layer, cover with foil and and freeze until firm (about 2 hours). Then transfer to labelled freezer bags or freezer friendly containers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then proceed with the recipe as directed.Freeze cooked
Freeze the cooked patties in gravy. Defrost in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a pan OR in the oven until piping hot all the way through.Nutrition
More recipe information
I first shared this recipe on 12/05/2018. I updated it on 06/05/2020 to make it better for you.
Jackie Dewitt says
We love is recipe
Nora says
I’m so glad, Jackie!
Pam C says
I recently made this recipe. I enjoy Savory Nothings recipes, tips, nutritional data, etc. It’s my go to site. This recipe is amazing. Next time, I will make about 50% more gravy for our leftovers (it’s just 2 of us). My husband raved over this!
Diane says
Love this recipe, I always add a little bit more Worcestershire sauce in both the patties and the sauce.
julie says
This meal was so flavorful! The beef was so tender. We will be making this again!
Megan Scott says
I have never made comfort food before, and I feel like I found the Holy Grail in this recipe; it was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe using portabella mushrooms. I had 7 good sized patties, and lots of mushroom gravy (I hate it when I have to scrimp on gravy). With mashed potatoes and peas, it made a perfect supper for two lasting 3 meals plus one lunch. Thank you!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Megan!
Kelly Bigenho says
Absolutely delicious! I substituted green pepper for red and used half the amount.
Maureen P Watson says
Very good, will definately make this again. Thank you!
Laurie says
Perfect!! Just what I was hoping it would be. The only thing I did different was omit peppers, as I had none. Will definitely make this again. Thank you.
Zena says
This recipe is outstanding! I had 1.5 lbs ground round so I increased the Salisbury steak ingredients slightly. I also didn’t have a green bell pepper so I used a little bit of a yellow bell pepper. Next time I will make sure to have a green bell pepper on hand. I also increased the broth to make more gravy and used both flour/water and cornstarch/water to get the perfect thickness. I added one sweet onion sliced with the fresh sliced mushrooms.
Finally, I used a deep lidded cast iron skillet to start on the stove and my gas flames were too hot for a slow simmer so I transferred to a 300 degree oven for slow cooking for about an hour when we were ready to eat. Delicious!!!! This recipe is so much better than those using packets of brown gravy.
Froze leftovers for a 2nd meal.
Donna Peretic says
This is the 2nd time I have made this recipe and everyone loves it! Lots come back for 2nds and 3rds! I do not put the green peppers in it because we cook for about 30 teenagers daily although next time I may try putting green peppers in half of them. Also I did not make the gravy from scratch as in the recipe. I used brown gravy mix from GFS and added ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and a little pepper to change it up a bit…turned out very well👍!
Tina says
Made this today for dinner. Used chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Excellent green pepper flavor.
Linda says
I was looking for a salisbury steak recipe that had green peppers in it and sure am glad I came across this. It was sooooo good. I used peppers from our garden and the flavor was yummy. I loved the gravy but I think I’ll make a little extra next time. Yes, there will be a next time:)
Susan says
Excellent recipe! The whole family loved it. I left the mushrooms out due to my picky eaters but other than that, the recipe turned out just as it was pictured. Thanks for sharing! It’s a keeper in our household. 🙂
Harry Urey says
Great Recipe, I only used Bison and it was delicious!
Karla says
So easy and so amazing. This is exactly what I craved it would taste like. Thank you!
Cathy says
Good recipe. fast n easy.
Linda says
Excellent
Tracy T says
This was SO good!!! I used 1 pound meat and just 1/2 of a Minced bell pepper. Plus I put some Worcester sauce in the meat mixture. Made mashed potatoes and peas and it was delish! Will definitely make it again!
Sarah says
Delicious! Subbed onions for mushrooms in the gravy since my husband doesn’t like mushrooms and it all tasted great!
Jerri McConnell says
I prepared this savory, yummy recipe last night and we loved it! In fact, I doubled the recipe and we are about to enjoy it again tonight!! My best friend joined my husband and me for dinner and we all loved the meal (your Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, my mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits). The gravy was a special hit but we really liked the Salisbury hamburger steak too!
The only thing I added was a little extra salt to the gravy. Thank you for this delicious recipe!!❤️
Catherine N. says
We made this for the first time tonight and declared it a winner! It was amazing how flavorful the dish was. It was quite satisfying. Thank you for a new addition to our dinner rotation! We liked how the amount of gravy that the recipe makes was the perfect amount to generously cover the steaks and accompany our side of mashed potatoes.
Stacy Cardinale says
This was absolutely delicious!! My husband and son had seconds and asked if I could make this more often. Very easy to make. Thank you for sharing.
Pam says
It was just fantastic!I cook almost every night for my daughters family,whom I live with,and sometimes it’s hard to diversify.I’ve tried a few Salisbury Steak recipes and this is absolutely my favorite.The gravy is superb!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad you and your daughter’s family enjoyed the Salisbury steak!