How To Make Mouthwatering Salisbury Steak

Comfort food comes with a relaxed weekend vibe as standard equipment—that’s part of its appeal—but homemade Salisbury steak is quick and easy enough for weeknight meals as well. It comes together in less than 30 minutes and uses a bare minimum of utensils along the way (minimal cleanup!).

Sure, you could just use your next pound of ground beef to make hamburgers, but why stick with the same old, same old? This old-fashioned Salisbury steak recipe doesn’t take any longer to make (in fact, if you count firing up and then cleaning the grill after burgers, it’s faster), and it feels more like a sit-down meal.

What is Salisbury steak?

Fun fact: Salisbury steak isn’t named after a place, but instead, a Civil War-era physician named James Salisbury. He argued that patties of ground beef—he called it “muscle pulp of beef,” which would make a modern-day food marketer cringe—were the ideal food, making his 19th-century diet book the ancestor of the modern-day low-carb movement. Modern versions add crumbs and egg to Salisbury’s dish, which originally contained just beef and onion.

Salisbury Steak Ingredients

Lean ground beef: The ground beef provides much of the recipe’s flavor and volume, and most of the healthy 25 grams of protein per serving. Going with lean ground beef isn’t mandatory, and some cooks find they prefer something slightly richer, like ground chuck.
Egg white: The egg’s protein helps bind the patties together, and as a wet ingredient it pairs with the cracker crumbs to help keep the beef moist and tender.
Chopped onion: Savory onion will add flavor, moisture and enticing aromas.
Crushed saltines: The starchy cracker crumbs combine with the liquids in the recipe to help bind the meat together and give it a tender and juicy texture.
Milk: Like the egg white, milk brings moisture and protein. It’s fine to use full-fat milk, if that’s what you have, since low-fat or non-fat milk won’t make much difference to the nutritional values of the finished recipe.
Horseradish: Horseradish adds a hint of pungent heat to the patty, countering the beef’s richness.
Beef gravy: Gravy will up the flavor and play matchmaker between the Salisbury steak and its starchy side dish, but without adding steps to the recipe or saturated fat to the finished meal.
Mushrooms: Add flavor and textural interest to your finished dish of Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy.
Noodles: The patty and mushroom sauce are tasty on their own, but a starchy side dish rounds out the meal. Our Test Kitchen suggests noodles, but feel free to opt for potatoes or a grain instead