This affordable and easy cube steak recipe with onion balsamic gravy has a rich and savory flavor.
Simple beef cube steaks are lightly fried and then smothered in a savory onion gravy. It’s the ultimate comfort food served over mashed potatoes or noodles.
You’ll Love This Savory Cube Steak Recipe Because…
- The slow braising makes the steak tender and infused with savory flavorings.
- The rich and robust gravy is balanced by the red wine, broth, balsamic, and Dijon.
- It combines sweet and tangy flavors.
- Caramelized onions add a little sweetness to the overall dish.
- The rich layered flavors and tender texture combine perfectly with the unique ingredients in the sauce.
What You’ll Need Cube Steaks & Gravy
Cube Steaks: Cube steaks are a lean cut of beef that comes from the top or bottom round and are also known as ‘cubed,’ ‘Swiss,’ or ‘minute steaks’. They’re a tough cut of meat that is usually pre-tenderized so cooking them is super easy! If you can’t find cube steaks, use round steaks and tenderize them with a meat tenderizer or mallet.
Onions: Use yellow or white onions to add lots of flavor to the gravy. The onions should be softened without browning.
Gravy: Rich and full-bodied this gravy has a bit of balsamic for a boost of flavor. Use extra broth if you prefer to omit the wine and feel free to add Italian seasonings if desired.
Variations
Bulk up the gravy with some bacon crumbles, sauteed garlic mushrooms, broccolini or toss in a bag of frozen vegetable medley if desired.
How to Make Cube Steaks and Gravy
- Dredge steaks in flour and seasonings and brown. Set aside.
- Cook onions in oil and deglaze the pot with red wine.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients (except cornstarch).
- Transfer the steaks to a plate and bring the gravy to a boil on the stovetop.
- Whisk in cornstarch slurry and simmer. Serve.
Storing Cube Steak
Leftover cube steaks with gravy can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat portions in the microwave or on the stovetop. Freeze portions in quart-sized zippered bags for up to one month and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Side Dishes for Cube Steak
Did you enjoy this Cube Steak recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Cube Steaks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cube steaks
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large yellow onions sliced into ¼" rings
- ½ cup red wine or beef broth
- 3-4 cups beef broth + 1 cup, not low sodium
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- On a shallow dish or plate, combine flour, kosher salt, and pepper. Lightly coat each cube steak with the seasoned flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
- In a 4qt Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the cube steaks for 2 minutes on each side (adding additional olive oil if needed) or until lightly browned. Remove from the Dutch oven and set aside.
- Add the butter to the Dutch oven and cook the onions over medium heat until tender. Add the wine, scraping up any brown bits, and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half.
- Add the beef broth, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and rosemary and stir to combine. Add the browned steaks, cover, and place in the oven. Bake covered for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until fork-tender. Halfway through cooking, add 1 more cup of broth if needed to ensure the meat is covered with liquid.
- Place the Dutch oven on the stovetop and transfer the steaks to a plate. Loosely cover with foil.
- Turn the stove on to medium-high heat and bring the gravy to a boil.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the gravy, stirring until thickened. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Notes
- Cook the steak low and slow for the best results. A higher temperature won’t tenderize the meat as well.
- If the cube steaks are not tender, they need more cooking time to continue to cook and break down tough tissues. Cover them back up and cook another 20-30 minutes.
- For a thicker gravy mix equal parts cornstarch and water and drizzle into the simmering liquid to reach desired consistency.
- No dutch oven? Brown the steaks in a large skillet and transfer to a casserole dish. Prepare the sauce in the same skillet and add to the casserole dish. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake as directed.
- Keep leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
What does it mean by 1 cup, not low sodium? what should be added at this ste?p
You will want to use 3-4 cups of beef broth (ensuring not to use low sodium) in step 5 before it’s added to the oven. Add enough to ensure all of your meat is covered. Halfway through cooking, you will want to add one more cup to make sure the meat is fully covered in liquid. I hope this helps!
This is very, very good. My husband wants me to make it twice a week
If you cook this recipe using the directions for crockpot steak and gravy, do you need to remove the cube steaks before adding the cornstarch and water?
No, you can leave it in the slow cooker when thickening.
I’m going to try this for our Sunday dinner,looks and sounds delicious
I love this recipe. My mom always used to make cubed steaks fried and I hated them. I was given some frozen and found this recipe and it turned out so good! Shared with my friend and he said it was one of the best things he’s eaten. Its now a staple in our meal rotations. The only thing I do differently is add a little more mustard, since we love dijon. I also bake it since I don’t have a dutch oven.
You mention: “No dutch oven? Brown the steaks & make the sauce on the stovetop, then transfer to a casserole dish (with a lid!) to bake.” What temp oven and still 2 1/2 – 3 hours?
The baking time and temperature remain the same.
I’ve done this low and slow on the stovetop without the oven by simmering and additional liquid as needed
very tasty
I have never left a review before but I had to for this one… I only had one cube steak to cook before it went bad so it only took 2.5 hours but LET ME TELL YOU… the gravy is divine with the balsamic and everything… it marries so well I can’t get over how good it is. My husband had the steak and he said it was amazing. If I could give this more stars I totally would. I’m saving the extra gravy for filet Mignon tomorrow!
I should also add that since I only had one steak..two cups of broth was perfect with the slurry at the end.
I’m making this for the second time….
It won’t be the last time….
Left overs make a great mini meat pies…
Delicious and deeply flavorful. Prep is a cinch, and then just chuck it in the oven. This reminds me of a simplified Bœuf Bourgignon. I naughtied it up and used bacon grease instead of olive oil and butter. I served it over polenta. Thanks for a great one-pot recipe!
Loved it! Reduced broth to 2 cups and cooked it 36 minutes in the instapot.
How would this work in the crock pot?
Hi Jean, we have a delicious crockpot steak and gravy recipe that you could follow the cooking instructions for.
This was excellent! Loved the addition of the balsamic vinegar. It gave it a totally different flavor than all the other recipes I have tried. Definitely add more water during the cooking process. I forgot and the level of liquid did get very low. Will definitely make again!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Nancy!
This was amazing! I cut the time in more than half by placing the steaks in my instapot for 25 minutes with a natural release then I followed the recipe butplaced in oven for 45 minutes. I used a cast iron skillet and covered with foil cz I don’t have a Dutch oven or any other oven dish with a lid. Steaks were so tender that I could break off a piece with my fork. Very flavorful! Thank you!
You’re welcome Elle. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your alterations, Elle! So happy this recipe was such a hit for you ❤️
This was a really great recipe. I added a few of my own tweaks but I noticed there is an important step missing. The recipe never states when to move the Dutch Oven into the regular oven. It’s common sense to me but likely not to everyone. I placed it in the oven after step 5. I also started with 4 cups beef broth so never had to add any extra.
Thanks for catching that, Crystal! We have updated the recipe accordingly.
Every recipe is right up my alley. Want to try the Balsamic beef. Problem is it’s generally my Mom and I so I would have to do an over the top Sunday with my sister and her husband on a Sunday. My Mom isn’t a meat eater. Don’t like it at all but will have a nibble to be polite. The pizza dip looks amazing!
If you do try it out we would love to hear how it turns out for you, Roger!
My Mom bought cube steaks in little packs with butter pats on top. (in the 60’s-70’s) She made those 4 little patties feed her family of 5! She worked side by side with my Dad in their business, so dinner was never fancy and always cheap! Many nights we had waffles for dinner (and not the frozen kind!) I gave this 4 stars only because I don’t like to have to cook all the food and then slow cook it, dump and go is my favorite way to make a meal. I am going to give your grape jelly meatballs a try soon!
That is such a sweet memory, Nancy. Thanks for sharing with us. We think you will love the grape jelly meatballs!
Can I leave the rosemary out and use something else?
It will change the flavor but you can omit it if you prefer, Donna.
Yes, you can use whatever herb you like.
Could this be done in an Insta Pot?
Hi Faye, we have not tried this recipe in the instant pot but would love to hear how it turns out for you!