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Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

ByBrandie
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This dinner recipe for Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak is comfort food at its finest! Flavorful and tender with the most delicious gravy!

A DELICIOUS SALISBURY STEAK RECIPE

This Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak recipe is a family favorite. We all love meat and potatoes in my house! I like to make these and serve them over mashed potatoes or sometimes egg noodles or rice. As a side, I just make a steamed vegetable like carrots, green beans or broccoli. It is a warm, comforting meal that everyone in your family will love!

salisbury steak with gravy shown served on a a bed of mashed potatoes with a bowl of steamed sliced carrots in the background.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Why do you coat the patties in flour?

This helps to give the patties a beautiful brown color and is another step that helps to thicken the gravy. It is optional.

I only have a round slow cooker, not an oval one, can I use that?

I usually only recommend round slow cookers when making soups or sauces. They don’t cook quite as evenly as an oval one does for recipes like this. The patties have to stack higher and don’t get coated with the gravy as well as you would want. Technically you could use one but I wouldn’t recommend it.

How can I add even more flavor to salisbury steak?

*You can add 1 thinly sliced onion to the bottom of the slow cooker before adding the patties to make an onion gravy. Or add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms to the slow cooker for a mushroom gravy. You can even add both of them if you wish.
*Substitute condensed french onion soup in place of the beef broth for even more flavor.
* Add fresh herbs to the mix for an extra flavor burst, my favorites are finely chopped thyme, rosemary, parsley, and chives.

What is the difference between a hamburger steak and salisbury steak?

They are very similar. Think of salisbury steak similar to a meatloaf. It’s got egg and breadcrumbs added. A hamburger steak is a lot more basic – usually just seasonings added.

Do I have to thicken the gravy in a skillet?

No. I like the depth of flavor this adds. However, you can just add the cornstarch slurry directly to the gravy in the slow cooker and turn it on high. The gravy will slowly thicken in about 10-20 minutes. Then you can add the patties back in.

How do I store leftovers?

Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat leftovers in the microwave, skillet, or slow cooker. Reheat with the gravy. If you find the gravy a little thick, you can add a splash of water or beef broth to loosen it up.

fully cooked salisbury steaks with gravy shown in a black, oval slow cooker.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • lean ground beef – You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork in place of the beef. You want to use a lean meat here so it doesn’t produce a greasy gravy.
  • egg – egg acts as a binder to hold the meat together as it cooks.
  • plain breadcrumbs – you can also use panko breadcrumbs or seasoned breadcrumbs.
  • beefy onion soup mix – this really adds a lot of flavor. If you can’t find the beefy onion soup mix, just get regular onion soup mix or you can even make onion soup mix from scratch!
  • Worcestershire sauce – this is not a strong flavor in the overall dish. It just adds a nice layer of flavor in the meat mixture.
  • beef broth – if you want to reduce sodium levels then try using a low or no sodium beef broth.
  • au jus gravy mix – just like the beef broth, if you want to cut the sodium, try a low sodium au just gravy mix.
  • garlic – I love fresh garlic but the jarred stuff is fine too.
  • dijon mustard – this is my little secret ingredient that really adds a lot of flavor in the gravy but you don’t taste it as a separate ingredient. You can use regular mustard if you prefer.
ground beef, egg, plain breadcrumbs, beefy onion soup mix, milk, Worcestershire sauce, flour, beef broth, au jus gravy mix, garlic, dijon mustard, water, cornstarch.

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER SALISBURY STEAK:

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, onion soup mix, milk, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. I like to use my (very clean) hands for this. Divide the mixture into 8 even portions and form them into patties.

collage of two photos: ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, onion soup mix and Worcestershire sauce in a white bowl; ground beef patties on a baking sheet.

Place the flour on a small plate and dip both sides of the patties into the flour, tap off any excess.x zxzIn a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once hot, sear the patties in batches until golden brown, do not cook the patties all the way through.

collage of two photos: flour covered beef patties on a baking sheet; browning beef patties in a skillet.

Spray a 6-quart or similar-sized slow cooker with cooking spray. Layer the patties into the slow cooker, you will have to stack them. In a large bowl, whisk together the beef broth, au jus gravy mix, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard.

collage of two photos: beef patties in a slow cooker; beef broth, au jus, gravy mix, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard mixed together in a bowl.

Pour this mixture over the patties. Slow cook on low for 4-5 hours or high 3-4 hours until the patties reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F. The longer the patties cook, the more tender they will become. The patties will shrink a lot during cooking.

collage of two photos: gravy mixture poured over patties in slow cooker; cooked patties in slow cooker.

Place the patties onto a plate. Place the gravy into a large skillet and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Slowly stream in the cornstarch slurry while constantly whisking into the simmering gravy. Simmer until thickened, 1-2 minutes. 

collage of three photos: cooked patties on a white plate; gravy in a skillet; cornstarch slurry being poured into the skillet.

You can now serve the patties immediately or place them back into the slow cooker and pour the thickened gravy on top.

fully cooked patties with thickened gravy in a slow cooker with freshly topped parsley on top.

Keep on the warm setting until ready to serve, up to 2 hours. Add fresh parsley for garnish if using.

closeup photo of salisbury steak with gravy on cooked mashed potatoes on a white plate.

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Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak recipe.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

This dinner recipe for Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak is comfort food at its finest! Flavorful and tender with the most delicious gravy!
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

For the patties:

For the gravy:

  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans beef broth
  • 1 ounce packet au jus gravy mix
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • fresh chopped parsley (for garnish), optional

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, onion soup mix, milk, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. I like to use my (very clean) hands for this.
  • Divide the mixture into 8 even portions and form them into patties.
    with grand beef patties show on a baking sheet.
  • Place the flour on a small plate and dip both sides of the patties into the flour, tap off any excess.
    patties after they have been covered in flour and placed back on the baking sheet.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once hot, sear the patties in batches until golden brown, do not cook the patties all the way through.
    browned hamburger patties shown in a skillet.
  • Spray a 6-quart or similar-sized slow cooker with cooking spray. Layer the patties into the slow cooker, you will have to stack them. 
    layered hamburger patties in an oval slow cooker.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the beef broth, au jus gravy mix, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard. Pour this mixture over the patties.
    beef broth, onion soup mix
  • Pour this mixture over the patties.
    gravy mixture poured over patties in slow cooker.
  • Slow cook on low for 4-5 hours or high 3-4 hours until the patties reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F. The longer the patties cook, the more tender they will become. The patties will shrink a lot during cooking.
    gravy mixture poured over patties in slow cooker.
  • Place the patties onto a plate. 
    cooked hamburger patties on a round white plate.
  • Place the gravy into a large skillet and bring to a simmer.
    gravy added to a large skillet.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Slowly stream in the cornstarch slurry while constantly whisking into the simmering gravy. Simmer until thickened, 1-2 minutes. 
    cornstarch slutty being added to the gravy in a skillet.
  • You can now serve the patties immediately or place them back into the slow cooker and pour the thickened gravy on top. 
  • Keep on the warm setting. Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice.
    closeup photo of salisbury steak with gravy on cooked mashed potatoes on a white plate.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions. 
  • Regular onion soup mix can be used if you can’t find the beefy onion soup mix. 
  • Only lean ground beef should be used to help reduce the amount of grease produced. 
  • A 6-quart oval slow cooker was used here. 
  • These patties can be made larger if you prefer. It will obviously just make less of them. 
  • If you are sensitive to salt, I would suggest use low/no sodium ingredients where possible. 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 866mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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8 Comments

    1. If you scroll down to the recipe card, in the instructions for the patties it tells you to brown them in a skillet, but don’t cook them all the way through.

      Reply

  4. Hello, Brandie! I don’t have a crockpot because it’s packed away, can I make this on the stovetop in a large Dutch oven (7 quart) & I intend on adding the onions & mushrooms as well. If so, how long shall it cook? Thank you kindly in advance!

    Reply