Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

$8.34 recipe / $2.09 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.84 from 56 votes
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My boyfriend saw what I was cooking and said, “What is this, the “Hungry Man” edition of Budget Bytes? 😆 What can I say, this pandemic has me craving comfort food! And for some reason, Salisbury Steak has been on my mind for weeks. So I set to work putting together a super simple version of Salisbury Steak, smothered with a mushroom and onion gravy, perfect for serving over a hot bed of fluffy mashed potatoes. Add a little something green (peas, in this case), and you have a classic “meat and potatoes” comfort meal. 

It’s funny because the very first time I ever had Salisbury Steak was in a frozen TV dinner in the 1980’s. So, this kind of is a Hungry Man edition of Budget Bytes. :P

Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy on a plate with mashed potatoes and peas, a fork on the side.

What is Salisbury Steak?

If you weren’t as lucky as I was to experience Salisbury Steak for the first time as a frozen TV dinner in the 80’s (read: sarcasm), then let me tell you a little about this classic comfort food. It’s a bit like a mini-meatloaf or big, flat meatball. It’s a mixture of ground beef and seasonings, plus a little breadcrumbs and egg to keep it all moist and tender. It’s usually cooked in a skillet and smothered with gravy. The dish gets its name from Dr. Salisbury, who recommended a version of this dish in the late 19th century as a part of his meat-centric diet (read more on Wikipedia). 

What to Serve with Salisbury Steak

The mushroom and onion gravy made with this Salisbury Steak is so delicious that you definitely want some sort of starch to soak it up. I served mine with fluffy mashed potatoes, but you could also spoon it over hot rice. Or, just serve with some crusty bread so sop up the gravy from your plate.

I really suggest having a vegetable or two on the side as well. Definitely something green, like the peas shown in my photos, or roasted broccoli. As a second vegetable, I’d probably go with something orange, like roasted carrots. Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes would also make a great, colorful side to Salisbury Steak. With my leftovers, I added a scoop of sauerkraut on top and that was an AMAZING combination.

How are the Leftovers?

AWESOME. We reheated leftovers of this dish in the microwave and happily gobbled them up. Your leftovers should keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator. And while I haven’t tested freezing this one, this is definitely a dish that I would normally have frozen, if we hadn’t eaten it so fast. The gravy may separate a little upon thawing and reheating, as many flour thickened sauces do, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad and won’t be noticed if it’s mixed right into your mashed potatoes.

Gravy being spooned over a Salisbury Steak in the skillet

What Percent Fat Beef Should I Use?

You can use any type of ground beef for this recipe. If you use a higher fat ground beef, like 15% fat, the extra fat will be absorbed by the breadcrumbs and make the Salisbury Steak extra tender. If you use a more lean ground beef, like 7% fat, your Salisbury Steak will be a little more firm, but will be kept moist by the egg and breadcrumbs.

What Kind of Mushrooms Should I Use?

I used Baby Bella mushrooms because they give the gravy a wonderful color and they’re quite affordable at Aldi. If you have a limited selection or Baby Bella mushrooms are too expensive in your area, regular button mushrooms can be used instead. Your gravy may be slightly lighter in color when using white button mushrooms.

Salisbury Steak in rectangular meal prep containers with mashed potatoes and peas
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Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

4.84 from 56 votes
Homemade Salisbury Steak with a rich mushroom gravy is a quick, simple, and hearty weeknight dinner that will fill even the biggest of appetites!
A plate full of Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy, mashed potatoes, and green peas.
Servings 4
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion, divided ($0.32)
  • 1 lb. ground beef ($5.15)
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs ($0.13)
  • 1 large egg ($0.23)
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, divided ($0.05)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10)
  • 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
  • 1/4 tsp pepper ($0.03)
  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
  • 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.69)
  • 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
  • 1.5 cups beef broth* ($0.20)
  • salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)

Instructions 

  • Finely mince about ½ cup of the onion and slice the remainder of the onion. The minced onion will go in the ground beef mixture, the rest will be used for the gravy.
  • Add the ground beef, minced onion, breadcrumbs, egg, 1 Tbsp of the Worcestershire sauce (the remainder will go in the gravy), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until they are evenly combined. Divide the mixture into four equal parts, and shape each into a flattened oval.
  • Add the cooking oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once the skillet is hot, add the shaped beef patties and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they are well browned on each side. Transfer the cooked patties to a clean plate.
  • While the beef patties are cooking, slice the mushrooms. After removing the beef from the skillet, add the sliced mushrooms and the remaining sliced onion along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to cook the mushrooms and onions over medium until they are soft. Allow the moisture released from the onions and mushrooms to help you dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet as you stir.
  • Once the mushrooms and onions have softened and most of the moisture has evaporated off the bottom of the skillet, add the butter and flour. Continue to stir and cook for about two minutes. The flour and butter will form a paste and begin to coat the bottom of the skillet.
  • Add the beef broth and one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Stir to dissolve the flour into the broth, making sure to dissolve any flour that is stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Allow the broth to come up to simmer (still over medium heat), stirring often. Once it reaches a simmer, it will thicken into a gravy.
  • Once the gravy is simmering, add the beef patties back to the skillet with the broth, mushrooms, and onions. Spoon the gravy over top, and continue to simmer the beef in the gravy for an additional five minutes. Taste the gravy and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.

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Notes

*I use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth, which as a full, robust flavor. The flavor of your broth will greatly impact the overall flavor of your gravy, so make sure to use one that has great flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1steak with gravyCalories: 446.88kcalCarbohydrates: 20.6gProtein: 27.35gFat: 27.78gSodium: 1009.73mgFiber: 1.83g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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Video

Scroll down to see the step by step photos!

Close up side view of a Salisbury Steak on a plate with peas and mashed potatoes, and a piece of the steak cut off the side.

How to Make Salisbury Steak – Step by Step Photos

Sliced and minced onion on a cutting board

Mince about ½ cup of one yellow onion, and slice the rest of the onion. The minced portion will go IN the Salisbury Steaks, the sliced portion will go into the gravy. If you have a small onion, you’ll probably mince about half and slice half. If you have a larger onion, you’ll mince about ¼ of the onion and slice the remaining ¾ onion.

Salisbury Steak ingredients in a bowl

Add 1 lb. ground beef, the minced onion, one large egg, ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ½  tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper to a bowl.

Shaped Salisbury Steak patties in a bowl

Use your hands to combine the ingredients until they are evenly mixed. Divide the mixture into four equal pieces, then shape them into flattened ovals.

Cooked beef patties in a skillet

Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the shaped patties in the hot skillet for about five minutes on each side, or until they are well browned on each side. Remove the cooked patties to a clean plate.

Sliced mushrooms on a cutting board with the sliced onion.

While the beef patties are cooking, slice 8 oz. mushrooms.

Onions and Mushrooms added to the skillet

After removing the cooked beef from the skillet, add the sliced onion and mushrooms. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then continue to cook the onions and mushrooms over medium heat until they have softened. Allow the moisture released from the onions and mushrooms to help dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Butter and flour added to the skillet with the mushrooms and onions.

Once the mushrooms and onions have softened and most of the moisture has evaporated from the skillet, add 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes more. The flour and butter will form a paste and begin to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Beef broth being poured into the skillet

Add 1.5 cups beef broth and another 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Stir and cook over medium heat, dissolving the flour into the broth. When the broth reaches a simmer, it will thicken into a gravy.

Beef patties returned to gravy in the skillet

Return the beef patties to the skillet with the gravy and spoon the gravy over top. 

Simmered Salisbury Steaks in the skillet with mushroom gravy.

Continue to let the patties simmer in the gravy for another five minutes. 

Close up side view of the Salisbury Steak in the skillet with mushroom gravy.

Taste the gravy and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.

A plate full of Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy, mashed potatoes, and green peas.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for a classic comfort meal!

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  1. I remember the ‘Hungry Man’ frozen Salisbury steak dinner. But it cannot compare to this tasty and hearty recipe. Thank you! The Salisbury steak with mushroom and onion gravy hit a ‘home run’ with me. As suggested I served it with ‘fluffy’ mashed potatoes, the perfect pairing. I’ll be making it again for my family.

  2. Easy and comforting. Added a little light cream at the end and served over mashed cauliflower. Husband loved this!

  3. This recipe was so good! The gravey sauce was super tasty! This is definitely a keeper!!!!!! I had mashed potatoes and corn with it and my finance really loved it! He couldn’t quit eating!

  4. The receipt is in the slow cooker now and so far it looks and tastes good. I can see there may be a shortage of gravy. I have packs of beef gravy mix and can add a cup or 2 if necessary.

  5. I thin the only correction I need to make for this recipe is to double the gravy. For the life of me, I can’t seem to get that much left over without the meat sucking up the sauce, especially when I have leftover. Not a bad thing, but I want some on my potatoes too! :) My thoughts on on just doubling the broth and Worcestershire , but should I increase the butter, flour, onions, and mushrooms? Any advice would be lovely.

    1. Doubling the liquids would work, and you’d have to double the flour and butter as well. Extra mushrooms and onions would be optional, but if you choose not to add more they would just be more dispersed in the gravy.

  6. This was excellent.
    I finely diced the mushrooms to try to hide them from my picky kids, and they still thought the gravy was too thick/chunky.

    I will definitely be making this again, but running the gravy through the blender before it gets to the table. 😆

    I’ve made dozens of your recipes over and over again over the last decade or so, and this will be one to add to the short list.
    Thank you!!