Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy is a retro classic that deserves a comeback. This cozy, comforting dish skips the TV tray and goes straight to the dinner table—perfectly paired with mashed potatoes for a hearty, old-school meal the whole family will love.

Sometimes you need to make the classics. One great economical meat is ground beef. If we’re not making koobideh kabobs, or meatloaf with it, we regularly make this one skillet spaghetti. But what about the classic Salisbury steak?
I remember Salisbury steak from those aluminum foiled tv dinners my brother and I would sometimes get when my parents would go out for the night. We thought those meals were the best even though it took 30 minutes to cook in the oven! Boy would we salivate while with its aroma while it cooked.
Of course nostalgia and reality never agree as the salisbury steak from the past doesn’t measure up to my standards today. But by making it myself, oh yes, salisbury steak is back on the menu!
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Recipe highlights
- Family Favorite: This classic comfort food is a hit with both kids and adults. It’s budget-friendly, made with simple ingredients, and comes together quickly—perfect for busy weeknights.
- Versatile Serving Options: Serve your Salisbury steak over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or fluffy rice. Keep it retro with creamed spinach, or lighten it up with steamed veggies or a crisp green salad.
- No Eggs Needed: Many recipes call for eggs as a binder, but this version skips them entirely—and still holds together beautifully.
- Savory Mushroom Gravy: Even my mushroom-haters lick their plates clean! The rich, flavorful gravy is what makes this dish truly crave-worthy.
- Freezer Friendly: Make a double batch and freeze extras for a future meal. The patties and gravy reheat beautifully, making them perfect for meal prep or those nights when you just don’t feel like cooking.
Reader’s Reviews
“This was so easy and tasty… I love to sauté with mushrooms, which always make the meal little fancier with little effort, and I just love having another recipe where I can use ground beef! The kids and hubby stuffed their faces and I got requests to make it again! Definitely a hit at our house!” — Trixie
Ingredients you will need
- Ground Beef: this is the star of the meal. Even though it would taste fantastic with the more expensive ground sirloin, you can, you can totally use inexpensive 80/20. You could make it with ground turkey or pork, but the flavor is not quite the same. I suggest mixing it with some ground beef. If you do use 80/20 ground beef, you can omit the olive oil for browning the mushrooms and use the beef fat in the pan.
- Onions: chopped up and mixed in, onions give simple ground beef tremendous flavor. Don’t skimp and substitute with onion powder. Definitely not the same thing.
- Worcestershire sauce: That strange named condiment packs a lot of flavor. If you don’t have any in the fridge try substituting with soy sauce and apple cider vinegar using a 2:1 ratio.
- Mushrooms: Simple inexpensive white mushrooms are all you need for the mushroom gravy. Of course you could use cremini mushrooms or go full gourmet and use shiitake or oyster mushrooms. If you’re a mushroom lover, feel free to double the amount used in the recipe.
- Beef Broth: this is used for the gravy. You can also use vegetable, mushroom or even chicken broth. Plain water could be used, but certainly would add zero flavor.
Recipe Step-by-Step Instructions
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- Form the patties: Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and seasonings until thoroughly combined. Form into oblong ovals about the size and thickness of the palm of your hand.
- Brown the patties: Brown the meat patties on both sides until meat is evenly caramelized on the outside and juices run clear. Transfer to a serving dish.
- Sauté mushrooms: Sauté the mushrooms until soft and golden.
- Make the gravy: Stir in the flour and mix into the mushrooms. Whisk in beef broth and let sauce thicken, about 2 minutes more. Once thickened, pour over the Salisbury steak and serve.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQS
One of my favorite ways to serve Salisbury steak is over a generous serving of mashed potatoes! I have made mashed potatoes with a variety of different potatoes over the years. Sometimes it is just a matter of what potatoes I have on hand – and I always have potatoes on hand!
- Mashed potatoes are best made with potatoes that are high in starch like Russets or Yukon golds. This makes a nice fluffy and flavorful mash. The red or white waxy potatoes can be used for mashing, but it will be a bit creamy and can easily turn into a thick goop or paste.
- You can also combine purple potatoes with Russets (equal parts of both) to create purple mashed potatoes which are rich in polyphenol antioxidants called anthocyanins.
Looking for another easy weeknight dinner your family will love? Then try my bolognese pasta bake, healthy fried chicken or my cheeseburger meatloaf! All of these recipes are so easy that even my teenagers can make it!
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover Salisbury Steak in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Yes! You can prepare the patties and gravy up to 2 days in advance. Store them separately or together in the fridge, then gently reheat on the stovetop when ready to serve.
Some recipes add fillers like bread crumbs to their recipes. Like meatballs, it makes it more fluffy and less dense. I prefer my version that does NOT include bread crumbs.
If you’re not a mushroom fan, you can swap them out for caramelized onions, diced bell peppers, or simply leave them out. The gravy is still rich and flavorful without them.
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Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 lb russet potato peeled and quartered
- 2 ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 3 lb lean ground sirloin 90% lean
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large onion grated
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 32 oz sliced mushrooms
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cup beef broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pot add potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cover with water.
- Cover pot and bring water to a boil. When water comes to a boil, take lid off and reduce heat to medium-low until potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- While potatoes cook, in a medium-sized bowl combine ground sirloin, Worcestershire sauce, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and garlic powder until thoroughly combined.
- Form meat mixture into 8-10 large, oval patties, approximately, 1-inch thick.
- Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add meat patties into the hot skillet and cook 6 minutes on each side until meat is evenly caramelized on the outside and juices run clear.
- Remove meat, place on a serving platter and cover with loose tin foil to keep warm.
- To the hot skillet, add remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil.
- When oil is hot, add mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until mushrooms are tender, 3-5 minutes.
- Add flour to the mushrooms and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in beef broth and let sauce thicken, about 2 minutes more.
- While sauce thickens, drain potatoes in a colander and return the potatoes to the pot.
- Using a potato masher smash potatoes with heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- To serve, pour gravy over Salisbury steak. Serve with potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
This post was originally published July 17, 2009. The post, recipe and photographs have all been updated.
Such a classic dish! And one I haven’t had for years. Decades, maybe. Yours looks like perfection — thanks.
This was so easy and tasty (of course I can say that about all of the recipes I've tried so far!). I love to saute with mushrooms, which always make the meal little fancier with little effort, and I just love having another recipe where I can use ground beef! The kids and hubby stuffed their faces and I got requests to make it again! Definitely a hit at our house!