Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy is a comfort food favourite that’s easy to make. Juicy seasoned beef patties made with ground beef (mince) smothered in an outrageously delicious mushroom gravy, this Salisbury Steak recipe has been tried and loved by readers from all over the world. And now it’s your turn to experience it!
And next time – try Salisbury Steak Meatballs!
Salisbury steak
There’s a man who lives in his car at our local dog park. He’s a valuable member of our community – he knows all the locals, looks after the park like it’s his own backyard, has gun-barrel views over Sydney’s beautiful Pittwater waterways and he tells the worst jokes. 😂
Anyway, the story of this Salisbury Steak recipe is that I regularly take hot meals down to him, sometimes even fancy-sounding things like duck confit. As we approached Christmas one year, I asked him what, of all the meals I took to him that year, his favourite meals were.
And he said “Oh, those burgers with the mushroom gravy were spectacular!” So I made them again for him, then I published the recipe on my site the next day. 🙂
This was back in 2015, and that’s how this Salisbury Steak recipe came to be on my website!
How to make Salisbury Steak
Salisbury steak involves making seasoned beef patties using mince / ground beef, then making a mushroom gravy. In my recipe, there’s just two little things I do differently to the usual Salisbury Steak recipe that I think makes them even tastier:
Grate onion and soak the breadcrumbs in the juices – guaranteed to make the steaks softer and tastier, a tried, proven and much loved method that I use for my classic Italian Meatballs (plenty of reviews substantiating this!). Plus it’s much more efficient than cooking chopped onions (raw onion bits in steak is not nice), and you avoid the risk of the steaks falling apart if the onions aren’t chopped finely enough ; and
Sear beef patties briefly then finishing cooking IN the gravy: I like to sear them in a stinking hot skillet to brown the steaks so they are still raw on the inside, then finish cooking them in the gravy so the juices that seep while they are cooking flavours the gravy. Never waste free flavour! That’s my motto! Plus, the gravy infuses moisture in to the steaks. Double bonus!
What is the difference between a Salisbury Steak and Hamburger patties?
Great Hamburger patties are made with nothing more than good quality ground beef, salt and pepper. Whereas the ingredients in Salisbury Steak patties are more like meatballs – including breadcrumbs, onion and flavourings such as Worcestershire sauce.
Salisbury Steak is pretty much me on a plate. Wholesome, homely, down to earth good food that’s economical, packs a flavour punch but is not fiddly or time consuming to make. Hope you love it as much as I do! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Sometimes it helps to have a visual – so watch me make this Salisbury Steak!
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Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
Salisbury Steak
- 1/2 onion (white, brown or yellow)
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or 1/3 cup ordinary breadcrumbs)
- 1 lb/500g ground beef (mince)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tsp dijon mustard OR 2 tsp dry mustard powder
Gravy
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 5 oz/150g mushrooms , sliced
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp flour (all purpose / plain)
- 2 cups beef broth / stock , low sodium
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Salisbury Steaks
- Onion grating – Place breadcrumbs in a bowl. Use a box grater and grate the onion over the breadcrumbs. Mix with fingers, leave to soak for a few minutes.
- Mix – Add remaining Salisbury Steak ingredients into the large bowl. Use your hands to mix until just combined. Mix well for a couple of minutes until the mixture becomes a bit "pasty" which will ensure your patties hold together well.
- Form patties – Divide into 5 and pat very firmly into oval patties around 3/4" / 1 2/3 cm thick.
Cooking and Gravy
- Brown patties – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the steaks and cook the first side for 1 minute or until browned, then gently flip and brown the other side (they will still be raw inside). Remove onto plate.
- Cook aromatics – If skillet is looking dry, add a touch more oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook for 2 minute until onions are a bit translucent.
- Cook mushrooms – Add the mushrooms into the skillet and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until golden.
- Make gravy roux – Turn heat down to medium. Add butter. Once melted, add flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Gravy – Gradually add in beef broth, stirring as you go. Once mostly lump free, whisk in remaining Gravy ingredients.
- Finish cooking steaks – Add steaks along with the juices on the plate. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes, or until gravy is thickened, stirring occasionally around the steaks. If the gravy thickens too quickly, add more water.
- Season gravy – Remove steaks onto a plate. Taste gravy and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve salisbury steaks topped with the mushroom gravy – over mashed potato is ideal! Sprinkle with a bit of parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Every morning over the summer break. PS He’s leaping to catch sand. No interest in the usual toys!
Nagi I tried your Salisbury Steak recipe and my family LOVED it! I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty good cook. But your recipes and use of interesting spices has made me even more confident in my cooking. My family hates that I can’t take a compliment for the meals I prepare. But when I prepare your recipes I KNOW THE RESULTS WILL BE SHEER PERFECTION!! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL RECIPES.
We tried this for dinner last night
If I could give it 10 stars, I would!
To date this is our favorite meal yet!
It was Awesome! And love the story behind the inspiration.Thankyou Nagi!
OMG, I love this recipe! I was really not sure about the ketchup and mustard in the mix or gravy, but it all worked together seamlessly. This tasted just like the TV dinner classics I am used to, but WAY better, if that’s possible! So, it checked off the nostalgia box, as well as the “better because it’s homemade” box. I would definitely make this again!
Rating 100%
True comfort food for the winter months, this is a keeper.
Loved 🥰 this! Soo good! Thank you Nagi for all your great recipes! Can’t wait til your cookbook comes out 😘
Very tasty recipe and one that will be made over and over again I am sure. Hubby doesn’t like mushrooms so made it with out and still very nice.
I made this and the steaks crumbled apart. Next time I will use more panko. Very good recipe.
Perfection.
I see other comments complaining steaks did not hold together, and sauce too thin. Did you have any problems with that? I would like to make them.
Thank you for posting this simple, tasty recipe. This works really well utilizing ground venison.
Love your recipe, the fact that you have a print button at the very beginning, an accompanying video are great. This is my favorite place. From Orlando, FL.
My steaks totally were falling apart! My sauce was also too thin. Good flavor though.
It sounds like you didn’t sear the patties long enough or at a high enough heat. To thicken the gravy add more flour and whisk any clumps out, slow stirring constantly. Did you use the egg in the meat mixture? The egg acts as a binder.
Hi Nagi
Have just made this recipe and my steaks did not hold together. Followed your recipe, what did I do wrong and how can I fix for next time please. Love your recipes as well cheers Wendy
You really need to work the mix well. If you just mix it, they will fall apart. I made them tonight, and they held together. Give them another go. 😊
I happened upon this recipe while looking for inspiration to showcase mushrooms my husband picked up at the farmers market. This recipe was phenomenal! It was easy, used ingredients in our pantry, and included some fantastic tips new to us. Grating the onion over the panko was a simple step with powerful impact! The patties were so tender, with an amazingly soft yet still meaty texture. Now that I looked around your blog some more, it was not a surprise to see your philosophy: fast, creative, clever, and fresh. Your philosophy shines through this recipe! We can’t wait to find our next dinner inspiration on your blog!
Great recipe!! I made it with ground turkey. Will definitely make this again soon!!🙂
Loved it!
This recipe could have been presented in three paragraphs. But the woman who promotes these sites insists on adding her comments, stories, reminiscences and even dog pictures. I wonder if she will ever make enough money from these simple recipes. S M H !
Do recipes require convoluted steps. I find this site to be a fantastic starting point & you to be way too full of yourself. I have found fantastic recipes & it is my first reference point for a lot of food. What is food if it isn’t a reflection of who you are, what you believe in & how you want to live. I don’t think this is a community for you.
So,you and you’re arrogant mind said!! Pfft
I hope that she makes lots of money with these “simple recipes”. I think I am among many who love everything about this site: Nagi, her stories, her approach to food, the wonderful recipes, and the pictures of Dozer.
You do realize there is a button to move you straight to the recipe, right? Stop finding reasons to be a miserable human being. Have a lovely day.
Move on, you won’t be missed
Good GRIEF! Nobody invited you to “invade” this site with your petty, mean-spirited comments…
Nagi & Dozer have become much loved, universal stars, so move along matey…
Hello,
This recipe sounds fabulous. Just wondering if I could omit the mushrooms in the gravy as my hubby is not a fan of them
? Would it still work, would any substitutes help? Thank you very much
Excellent flavor. My steaks turned out on the fall-apart side – I feel they needed more breadcrumbs or egg to help keep them together. The gravy was too soupy for me – next time I’ll reduce the water and/or use more flour.
Thinking of trying this tonight but only have Italian breadcrumbs. Could I use those of perhaps crushed ritz crackers??