This homemade Salisbury, or hamburger, steak with gravy is the perfect winter comfort food for a weeknight or weekend dinner. This flavorful, tender, dish can be created with just 1 pan, and the family will be fighting over leftovers the next day. Flavorful ground beef mixed with a bread crumb and seasoning mixture that is left to simmer in creamy gravy.
There are many different names for this type of steak, but Salisbury and hamburger steak are most common. It is actually just a ground beef recipe but it tries its’ best to sound fancier, and the flavor is almost as good as a perfectly dry-aged steak. Almost.
Why you will love this Salisbury steak recipe
- it is more economical than an actual beef steak!
- it is flavorful – the minced onion is so tasty in the recipe!
- comfort food and family friendly!
Hamburger Steak Ingredients
Ground beef- I used 85% lean French Creek Dry-aged beef. Our beef is aged 21 days which provides a juicy, flavorful and tender experience for our customers!
Bread Crumbs – any kind works well
Minced onion, pepper-My husband absolutely hates onions. So I have switched to a minced and he doesn’t mind that- it works great! I get the minced onion from Iowa’s own frontier co-op. Any kind of black pepper will work.
Gravy Ingredients:
Beef Broth- regular or lower sodium
Spices: minced garlic, minced onion, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to taste
Butter and cornstarch or flour: to thicken the gravy
Heavy Cream: to make this the ultimate creamy comfort food. Can use milk, too.
How to Make this Recipe
How to make this recipe
- Prep Steaks
Prepare the steaks: mix the steak ingredients together, and use your hands to knead well and then form patties.
- Quick Fry
Next you’ll quickly fry both sides of the steaks in the frying pan with butter. 2-3 minutes each side, and then set aside on a plate.
- Gravy
Using the same pan, start making the gravy! Add more butter and flour or cornstarch to form a slurry to make gravy. Once well combined, add the beef broth and seasonings. Bring to a simmer.
- Add Cream
Lastly, add the heavy cream and let that simmer for about 1 minute. Your gravy should be getting thick by now.
- Let Simmer
Lastly, add the steaks back into the gravy mix (and any veggies you want to add), and then simmer an additional 25 minutes on medium heat.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Gravy: if you do not want to go through the work of making gravy from scratch, try: 1-10.5 oz can of cream of mushroom soup plus fill the can with water. Stir well and use that as your gravy.
- Substitute cream with just milk in equal amounts
- Add diced small bits of celery, onion, minced garlic to your meat mixture.
- Add any veggie to the gravy mix to simmer for 25 minutes with the meat – I use diced carrots and diced potatoes.
Watch hamburger steak and gravy video
FAQs
I call this a hamburger OR Salisbury steak. Salisbury is supposed to involve egg, bread crumbs and other fillers for a softer texter, per wikipedia.
To prep this as as a freezer meal, just follow steps 1 & 2 for the hamburger steaks.
Flash freeze the uncooked hamburger patties on a cooking sheet and then store in a freezer bag in freezer until ready to cook. Thaw and follow the rest of the steps of this recipe. I do not recommend prepping the gravy ahead of time.
No, because it has more fillers and this is served with gravy. These are usually thicker than a burger and eaten with a fork– almost like meatloaf.
If your gravy doesn’t thicken properly, this means that you either forgot or didn’t add enough cornstarch or flour.
To try and repair this, take 1/4 cup of the hot broth mixture and add to a small bowl, add a a few tbsp of flour or cornstarch to the small bowl and whisk it together well.
Then dump back with the gravy in the pan. This may clump a bit- but it should start to thicken. If it still isn’t – do this over again.
You could try a similar recipe with ground venison or ground turkey but I have not tried it myself.
Leftover Storage
Freezer: let cool and place leftovers in freezer safe container in freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw and warm in microwave.
Refrigerate: let cool and place in airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days. Warm in microwave.
What to pair with hamburger steaks and gravy?
These Salisbury steaks pair well with other comfort food such as:
- creamy crockpot corn is a creamy, easy crockpot side dish.
- for dessert, try our kitchen sink cookie bars
- or just pair with a simple side salad
- Mashed potatoes, of course!
More Comfort Food Recipes you May Love
if you love this Salisbury Steak and Gravy, you will love these other recipes:
- creamy ground beef and egg noodles is one of our most popular recipes!
- Oven Baked Rump Roast is a simple, juicy recipe
- One Pot Goulash who doesn’t love goulash? This is our take on the classic recipe.
- Meatball Sliders – taste great using our pre-cooked meatballs!
- Zesty Meatballs– again, another flavorful ground beef recipe
- Side of velveeta mac and cheese – another popular and easy reccipe on our blog.
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I hope you enjoy these hamburger steaks just as much as I do! – Bobbi Jo
Hamburger Steaks with Gravy
Equipment
- 1 large frying pan
- 1 medium sized bowl
- measuring utensils
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 85% lean dry-aged french creek beef
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp minced onion
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp butter
Gravy
- 2.5 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup flour or cornstarch
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp italian blend seasoning
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp minced onion
- 1/2 tsp salt optional or to taste
Optional
- 1 cup diced carrots optional
- 1 cup diced potatoes optional
Instructions
Salisbury Steaks
- thaw 1 lb of ground beef. Add the thawed beef, bread crumbs and seasonings to a large bowl. Crack 1 large egg and whisk in a small bowl then dump in with the ground beef mixture. Mix this beef mixture together well with rubber spatula or your hands. (I use my hands to knead it).
- Patty into about 6 oval shaped patties.
- Heat a pan to medium high heat and add about 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. Then add the patties and brown each side for 2-3 minutes. Then remove and set on plate.
Gravy
- Using the same pan, add another 2 tbsp of butter and let it melt. Scraping the hamburger bits from the pan as it melts to create a tasty base.
- Once the butter is melted, add 1/4 cup corn starch OR flour to the melted butter and whisk until mixed well. Then slowly add the beef broth and seasonings.
- Continue to whisk and bring to a gentle boil. You will notice the mixture beginning to thicken. Add the heavy cream and continue mixing for another minute.
Bring it together!
- Lastly, add the patties back into the pan of gravy, and let simmer on medium heat for an additional 25 minutes. You can add diced potatoes, celery, diced carrots to the pan at this time for an easy one pan meal.
- Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and enjoy!
This is easily becoming a family favorite! We love it with diced carrots and mashed potatoes.