Salisbury steak turns boring ground beef into a gourmet meal. The recipe is quick and easy too. The meat is seasoned, shaped, and seared, then a delicious mushroom sauce is made all in the same pan.

Affordable comfort food packed with flavor
High-quality cuts of meat can get expensive, but this salisbury steak recipe creates a gourmet meal without blowing the budget or sacrificing on flavor. It just takes a few simple pantry ingredients to elevate the taste of ground beef. The formed patties are seared just like you would a steak and cooks just as fast.

The pan-fry method creates a flavorful, deep golden-brown crust that forms on each piece. To complement the protein, I saute onion and mushrooms in the butter to develop the base for an irresistible savory sauce. Serve this with creamy mashed potatoes and crisp vegetables, then generously spoon the gravy on top.

Salisbury steak is ground beef combined with seasonings and binders to create oval patties. The meat cooks similar to traditional steaks by searing in a hot skillet until a flavorful crust forms. It has a meatloaf-like texture but portioned into individual servings, something that can’t be achieved when baked in the oven inside a loaf pan. The dish is served with a flavorful pan gravy.

Ground beef selection
There are a lot of different types of ground beef to choose from. I recommend a 90% lean product, which is typically the sirloin cut from the cow. This selection provides just the right combination of beefy flavor that has enough fat to keep the steak patties juicy.

Seasoning the beef
Unlike classic hamburgers that are very simply seasoned with salt and pepper, we can be a little more creative here. To make Salisbury steak more flavorful use soy sauce to boost the umami notes and enhance the beef’s natural savory taste.

Ensuring the meat stays together
To make sure the ground beef holds its characteristic steak-like appearance after cooking, I add breadcrumbs and eggs as binders. The bread creates a starchy panade, locking in the flavorful juices and preventing the meat from shrinking. The eggs add extra fat from the yolk to keep the meat moist, while the albumin in the egg whites set and help to keep the oval shape.

Gently mix and chill the patties before cooking
It’s important not to overwork the meat mixture for Salisbury steak patties. The more you mix it, the tighter the beef will contract during cooking, making for tougher bites. After you form the ½-inch thick oval patties, chill them before cooking. This technique helps to solidify the fat after mixing and helps to further hold the shape when cooking in the hot pan.