Best Salisbury Steak Recipe (2024)

A cross between a hamburger and a meatball, Salisbury steak is the staunch classic that we think is well deserving of a revival. A staple from the bygone era of box TV dinners in the living room and microwave dinners, this meal takes seasoned and browned ground beef patties and smothers them in a rich mushroom gravy. The result is a dinner that’s as heartwarming as an at-home Saturday movie night, but simple to make. Here are a few key points to pay attention to along the way to take the classic comfort food up a notch:

Test and taste your steak mixture.
There’s nothing worse than a bland meat patty. While the seasonings in the steak and gravy can vary by recipe, common additions to both include onion, Worcestershire sauce, and some type of tomato product (we went with tomato paste here). The seasonings used for a Salisbury steak are also what separates it from a hamburger steak, so take care with them. Cooking a bit of the ground meat mixture and tasting it for seasoning might SEEM like a pain, but we promise it’s worth it to get it just right.

Add water to the pan with the mushrooms.
This seems to contradict everything we’ve ever heard about cooking mushrooms (mushrooms are already watery, and water is the enemy of caramelization, so why would we add more?). But when mushrooms hit a hot pan, the heat causes them to shrivel and shrink immediately. Adding water prevents this shock and actually speeds up the browning process. Provided the pan is large enough for the mushrooms to fit in a single layer, the water will evaporate evenly as they cook, resulting in plump, golden brown, perfectly crisp mushrooms.

Add red wine.
Red wine pairs beautifully with the mushrooms, onions, and thyme, adding an extra layer of acidity and richness to this gravy. That said, if you don’t have it or prefer not to use it, you can easily substitute it for water or an additional 1/3 cup chicken stock.

Avoid beef stock.
Low-sodium or not, store-bought beef stock has a really intense, fake beef flavor that we just don’t love. Fortunately the beef fat, mushrooms, onion, and wine bring so much flavor to this gravy that low-sodium chicken broth can be easily subbed in—you’ll never know the difference.

Serving ideas.
One of the best parts of this classic dish is the mushroom gravy, so we love to pair this dinner with creamy mashed potatoes to soak up every last bite. Serve up some homemade potato rolls and peas and carrots, and you've got a delicious dinner on your hands that will put the freezer aisle to shame.

Freezing tips.
To make this simple meal even easier, salisbury steaks can be made in advance and frozen. You can freeze the raw steaks if you like (freeze individually on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm and then transfer to an airtight container), or you can freeze the fully cooked steaks with the gravy. Either way, they should stay good for up to a month.

Made this? Let us know in the comments below.