Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

Salisbury Steak is one of those quick and easy meals that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It can be made stovetop, in a slow cooker, and in a pressure cooker. What I love about using the pressure cooker is that it is pretty much hands off. You don't have to stand by the stove or wait hours for it to be done in a slow cooker. The other thing that happens in a pressure cooker that doesn't always happen stove top is the tenderness of the beef patty.

Something really magical happens to the Salisbury Steak patties when they go under pressure and I really hope you give this method a try. If you don't have a pressure cooker, no problem, I've included directions for simmering on the stove or making this recipe in a slow cooker.

No matter which method you use to make it, you definitely want to try this amazing recipe for Salisbury Steak and serve it up with some mashed potatoes and a veggie of your choice for a perfect meal the entire family will love.

Another great adaption of this recipe would be to make salisbury steak meatballs instead of the hamburger patties! Perfect for entertaining and your guests will love them!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Beef

This recipe uses ground chuck 80/20 blend, but you can use lean ground beef if you like. You could also switch up the ground beef for ground chicken or turkey if you prefer. You won't have to worry about the patties drying out because of the other ingredients added to the mix.

You can also use cube steak, which is often used to make Salisbury Steak, but you would have to increase your pressure cooking time to 20-30 minutes in order to tenderize the steak. I would salt and pepper the cubed steak and brown it in oil before pressure cooking for the best flavor.

My preference is using hamburger patties because once you add the other ingredients to the ground beef mixture, they are so full of flavor.

What you choose to add to your ground beef mix is completely up to you, but I do have to say that adding in the sour cream really made a world of difference in the burger patties. Not only did it add moisture, it also added a slight tang. You could also try using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream if you prefer.

Whatever seasonings or ingredients you choose to add, you may want to take about 1 Tablespoon of filling and make a tiny patty to fry in the olive oil before commiting to the larger patties. This way you can make sure it is seasoned how you like it.

Gravy

Traditionally, Salisbury Steak is served with a mushroom gravy and, if you are a mushroom lover like I am, you can definitely add them to the gravy. I decided to make this recipe without mushrooms for all those people that don't care for them.

So, instead, I use 2 whole onions and make Salisbury Steak with an Onion Gravy. I've tested the recipe with both mushrooms and onions and it's delicious with both or just with onions.

The gravy also gets flavored with a touch of sour cream which I really think is what takes this recipe from good to the BEST Salisbury Steak ever.

How to Make Salisbury Steak

Except for gathering the ingredients, dicing and slicing onions, there really isn't any prep for the recipe. It moves pretty fast, so definitely have your onion finely chopped to add to the ground beef mixture and sliced for the gravy.

Turn the Ninja Foodi on sear/sauté on high and let the pot heat up while you mix the ground beef together.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, sour cream, finely chopped onions, seasoning mix, an egg, and panko or breadcrumbs.

Mix together well in the large bowl. You can use a kitchen tool or clean hands, and I find nothing beats your hands for mixing.

Divide the ground beef into the number of salisbury steak patties you want. I make 6 patties from the pound of ground beef, but you can certainly keep it to just 4 patties or double the ingredients in the meat mixture and make 8 larger patties.

Unlike hamburger patties where you don't want the meat to be compressed so much, with these patties, you do want them to be compressed so they hold together during pressure cooking.

Take each ball of meat mixture and smack it back and forth between your palms to pack the meat together. Then shape it into a thin patty about ¼" thick.

Repeat for the remaining meat mixture until the thin patties are formed.

Place the formed patties on a cutting board or, if you aren't going to make them right away, you can use a parchment paper lined tray and pop them in the fridge. You can actually make these up ahead of time and freeze them. I'll go over that later in the article.

Now is a good time to add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the innner pot which has been heating on high sear/sauté for about 5-7 minutes. If you are using an Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi with a stainless pot, you may want to lower the heat the medium or medium high.

Place as many ground beef patties as you can into the hot oil. I could fit three patties in the Ninja Foodi at a time.

Brown each side of the patty for 2-3 minutes and move the patties over to the side before adding another one. Once they start to cook, they do shrink and you can easily fit 4 patties in the inner pot.

As the burgers cook, move them to the side and even stack them to make room for all six burgers and the onions.

With the patties stacked on one side, add in the sliced onions and sauté for just a minute or two. Add in the crushed garlic and sauté another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper.

Deglaze the pot with beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any brown bits (fond) on the bottom. Add in the Worcestershire sauce now or you can add it after pressure cooking.

Put the pressure lid on and make sure the valve is in the seal position. Select high pressure and cook for 5 minutes. When the time is up, you can do a quick release of the pressure by turning the valve to the venting position.

Mix the cornstarch with the remaining beef broth to make a cornstarch slurry. Add to the pot and stir. The liquid is usually hot enough to activate the cornstarch and thicken the sauce, but you can use the sauté function on high if needed.

Once the salisbury steak gravy has thickened, stir in the sour cream just before serving.

Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with mashed potatoes or homemade egg noodles! Make sure to spoon on plenty of the delicious gravy!

Nothing quite beats a simple recipe and a quick meal the whole family with love!

Alternate Cooking Methods for Salisbury Steak

Skillet on the Stove

Probably the most popular way to make Salisbury steaks and it is also very quick. You will need more beef broth to simmer the patties due to evaporation and what I've found is the texture isn't quite the same as when you pressure cook, so if you have a pressure cooker, I really recommend giving that method a try at least once.

The recipe is not going to change much, so follow the same ingredients to make the patties. Heat the oil in the skillet and brown the patties on both sides. Add in the mushrooms if you are using them and the sliced onions with crushed garlic, season with salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Sauté for a few minutes.

If you want to make the recipe with a cornstarch slurry to thicken, then deglaze the skillet with 1¾ cups of beef broth and make sure to scrape the fond off of the bottom of the skillet to bring all that flavor into the gravy.

Cover, reduce heat to low medium and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the patties are cooked through and the onions and mushrooms if using are the texture you like. Mix together ¼ cup of beef broth with 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and pour into the skillet. Stir and heat on medium high until sauce has thickened. Stir in sour cream.

Serve & Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Slow cooking salisbury steak is another great option for a hands off approach to make this delicious recipe.

The recipe starts off the same and you will want to brown the hamburger patties either in a large skillet or in the slow cooker if you have that option.

Add in the onions and mushrooms (if using) along with the smashed garlic. Deglaze with 2 cups of beef broth. Mix together ¼ cup of beef broth with 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and pour the slurry into the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Slow Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours or until the ground beef has cooked through and the gravy has thickened.

Serve & Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Side Dishes to Serve with Salisbury Steak

Here are a few side dishes that would go perfectly with your Salisbury Steak dinner!