Easy Swiss Steak
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Swiss Steak is a perfect family dinner; it’s easy to make and can be cooked either in the oven or in the slow cooker. This dish has delicious tender beef in a rich tomato gravy and is perfect served over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes!
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How to Make Easy Swiss Steak
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Swiss steak is one of those dishes I associate with comfort; I grew up eating this for dinner on Sunday evenings, and as I got older, it became one of those dishes I craved. These days it is a family favorite dinner option. We all love it for the incredible flavor, but also, as the grocery shopper for my family, I appreciate that an inexpensive cut of steak can become something so tender and delicious!
Swiss steak is often confused with Salisbury Steak, but there is a difference between the two. A Salisbury steak is made with ground beef and shaped into a patty while Swiss steak is actually steak! Salisbury Steak generally has a beef broth based gravy while Swiss steak has a tomato based gravy.
I cook this Swiss steak recipe in a dutch oven, but don’t worry if you don’t have a dutch oven! You can cook it in a frying pan and then transfer it to a casserole dish for baking, or you can put it in a crock pot for 7 to 8 hours to have dinner done when you come home from work.
When preparing your Swiss Steak, make sure you pound your steaks to tenderize them (I use a mallet style tenderizer). You can use round or chuck steaks, which are generally a tougher cut of meat, so the tenderizing process is important.
Believe me when I say there is nothing quite as nice as having a hot dinner that is packed with comfort from a great steak flavor with all of that creamy gravy!
- 1 1/2 lbs round steak
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
- 2 onions chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 can 28 oz diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 can 10 oz beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional, see note below
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Using a meat mallet, pound meat to 1/2″ thickness.
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Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, pepper & salt to taste. Dredge meat in flour mixture.
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Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven. Brown steaks on each side (adding additional olive oil if needed). Set aside.
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Place onion & carrot in the bottom of the pot. Top with browned steaks.
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Add remaining ingredients except cornstarch. Cover and cook for 2.5-3 hours.
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Serve over mashed potatoes.
If you’d prefer a thicker tomato gravy, after cooking remove beef from the pot. Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Bring liquid in the pot to a boil. Stir in cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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Holly
Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
I am going to try the recipe as is but with cube steak and potatoes added, no carrots and just cook it in the dutch oven on the stovetop, on low heat for a couple of hours, give or take.
I really like your site. It has a clean, fresh look and is easy to navigate. Signed up for your emails as well.
Thanks MaryAnn, please let us know how it goes for you!
Can this be made with cube steak, and with only onions? I don’t have carrots
Can you make it in a dutch oven on the stovetop, and just cook on low heat for (say) 1 – 1 1/2 hours?
Love your site, clean and easy to navigate.
Thank you MaryAnn, this recipe should be just fine without carrots. I haven’t tried it stove top but I’d say an hour and a half should work. You’ll just want to make sure the meat is tender and if not, cook it a bit longer. :) Enjoy!
How long do you cook this in an oven? Thank you!
You cook it in the oven for 2.5-3 hours.
Awesome recipe. It’s a keeper~ I have been looking for a recipe like this for so long. I had ribeye steak on hand so I cut them in half and doubled the recipe except the broth. I added Montreal Steak Seasoning, used two cans of tom. After after I browned the meat I put it in a baking bag and mixed the tom w/ juice, broth, and Worcestershire in a bowl then added it to the meat. I didn’t need the cornstarch for the thickening of the gravy. Thank u so much for sharing. Kitty from Alabama
Kitty, I’m so happy to hear that you’ve found this recipe and love it!
Came out great. I added chopped celery with carrots and onions and thickened sauce at the end just by removing steaks and adding a cornstarch water mixture while sauce was still very hot. Going in my book!
Glad you loved it Connie!
Can I use a 13×9 pan and cover with foil?
I think that should work just fine!
I made this and loved it. I didnt have diced tomatoes so I used 2 14oz cans of stewed tomatoe came out great. Served with mashed potatoes baked with parmesan cheese on top. Winner Dinner
So glad you loved it!
I have made this for years, Love it,, I use Round steak and make it in my electric fry pan.. ONE Pan for the whole works..
I love a good one dish recipe!
Made this for dinner, it was very easy, I added bell pepper to mine as I didn’t have much onion. I served it over rice, it was really good and my husband liked it also. I will definitely make it again.
I am so glad your family enjoyed this recipe Ginny!
Can this be done in the instant pot?
I haven’t tried it in the Instant Pot, but I’m sure it would work. Let us know if you try it!
Hi.
Recipe looks awesome. Have it in crock pot
Right now
My husband can’t wait for it to cook
Thank you
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Will definitely make again. I thickened the sauce and served this over mashed potatoes. Yummy!
Oh my heavens this was a delicious meal. I put it oven at 250 for 4 1/2 hours since I had to be away from the house all afternoon. The steak just fell apart and the flavor was fantastic!
So glad you loved it!
I’m not sure if I used to much flour when dredging the steak. I just took it out of the oven it seems kind of doughy. Going to try scraping it off and mixing it with the sauce, hopefully this works to thicken it instead of adding cornstarch. Other than that it smells amazing and hopefully my boyfriend likes it.
Oh no, I hope it worked out for you! The video in the post might help you get a good idea of the dredging, it’s more like a dusting. :)
Just wondering what kind of paprika everyone uses, regular or smokey? And does it make a difference in the flavor?
I use regular in this recipe. Smoked paprika would definitely have a different flavor.
This was really really tender and delicious..my did not look as tomatoey as the picture..and I can’t really figure out why. Followed recipe to the T. We both enjoyed it..he actually said it was one of his favorites. I think the flour part may be why it wasn’t a red with tomatoes..it was like a veew stew..with chunks of tomatoes. Any ideas?
So glad your family loved it! I can’t say for sure, but maybe the canned tomatoes you used were in smaller pieces than the ones I used.
This looks great I had to put in smoked paprika in as that was all I had and added a regular chopped tomatoes and sml chilli . I am hopeing I don’t ruin it will let you know tonight. Thank you
I am making this today in the crockpot for dinner tonight. I am really looking forward to it also. I like the idea of no bell peppers…they cause heartburn for boyfriend. And we both like carrots..so it’s a win win for us.
I made this with Moose Steak and it is the BEST!!!
That sounds awesome Connie! I am so glad you liked this recipe!
This is difinently not the traditional swiss steak recipe I remember growing up. No green bell pepper. The carrots, Worcestershire, beef broth and garlic resemble a pot roast recipe. Only thing missing is the potatoes. Since I haven’t actually tried it yet, I give the benefit of the doubt and give it 5 stars.
This has been a family favorite as long as I can remember and I am seventy years old. If we were lucky enough to have left-overs, Mom would cut the steak up into smaller pieces and mix everything with cooked macaroni so we had at least one more meal as goulash. She would add more tomatoes, tmatoe juice, or tomato sauce if the dish needed more sauce. Great recipe!
That sounds like a delicious way to enjoy Swiss Steak a second time around!
I would like to give a quick backstory. I live in Alaska and was fortunate enough to take my first moose this year. When I picked up my meat from the processor I saw that there were round steaks among the other cuts of meat. I decided to use moose in this recipe in place of beef and just let me say WOW. It was delicious! My gf’s mom had bad memories of Swiss steak from her childhood and I was able to change her mind. I would recommend checking the meat and adding a little bit of beef broth throughout the cooking process to ensure it does not get dry in the Dutch oven. Excellent recipe and will definitely make again.
I’m so glad you (and your gf’s mom) enjoyed this recipe!
You can use a thin chuck roast if no round steak. I don’t chop carrots (my desire) but if large, then quarter) I also throw the quartered potatoes right into the crock pot with the carrots & the rest. Comes out great. If there happens to be more meat left, then shred it and cook in skillet– add hot sauce (to your preference or more broth or diced tomatoes (Mex style) ) and keep cooking until desired consistency to make yourself some burritos. Many compliments. Been doing this for many years with many compliments. Enjoy
Delicious ideas, thank you for sharing!
This was quick and easy, my family over it.
I don’t have corn starch can i substitute it with flour?
Yes, that would work!
We have a big family and I have a husband that loves good ole potatoes and meat meals. He wanted this for dinner and bam this is just we had. We doubled the amounts and now have leftovers for another night. I am looking forward to trying the Salsbury Steak recipe next. Thanks, Holly!!
I am so glad that this recipe was a hit with your family!
I love that you posted this! Our family makes this and no one ever knows what it is! However, somehow our recipe was changed to just use ketchup! I actually do not really like ketchup, but in this meal it takes the gravy flavor to a whole new level!
I am so glad you like my version of this classic Holi!
Can I use top sirloin steak? What about adding 1/2 cup red wine to it?
That sounds delicious! Please let us know how it works out for you!
I want to make this tonight but there is just 2 of us and I bought only 1 pound and it’s pre pounded down to1/2 in.
I am going to make tonight…sounds amazing!! Thanks…very much
Could you use cubed steak for this crock pot recipe ??
I think that would work perfectly.
I have made this recipe for years….one exception…when tenderizing the meat by pounding with meat mallet, I also flour it and then brown it…..yummy!
Yep… that’s the way my mom did it too. I haven’t made this since the 70’s…. wonderful tasty memories, now I’m going to have to make ASAP !!
Fantastic meal cooking for 86 year old wife by 91 year old worn out XPOW .
Thank you so very much for your service….My Uncle was also an X POW and I admired him as I admire you….can’t thank you enough…and How Great…cooking for your lovely wife…that’s a real man. God Bless You and Your Wife..Always…
Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service.
Bless your heart!!
Thank you for your service, Sir. My dad was a WWII Navy Veteran. Its a privelege and an honor to make your acquaintance. May the good Lord continue to bless you. Sincerely, Leslie Stump
Love the recipes published through this link!
I lve in Westerville oh and been to all three major grocery store chains and they informed me that the don’t carry round steak like that anymore.
They don’t have whole round steak anymore because of it’s size but you can get bottom ound steak,eye of round or top round steaks anywhere…
Do you cut the steak into serving pieces when you put it in the Dutch oven OR do you cook the meat as one whole piece? Thanks.
My steaks were already in serving sized pieces. If yours is larger, I’d suggest cutting them into small steaks (about 2″x4″).
I would like to make this recipe, can you give instructions on how to make it in a crockpot. I have 3 little ones & it’s so much easier for me to make meals in a crockpot. Thank you.
To cook in the slow cooker, you will follow the recipe placing everything in the slow cooker in step 5. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. If you’d like to thicken the sauce, you can add the slurry directly to the slow cooker, cover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until thickened. Enjoy!
I made this last night and wow, what a hit! I didn’t realize that it had to go in the oven for 2-3 hours so I actually simmered this on the stove top for about 40 minutes and it was delicious. I doubled the meat because I have a large family but still kept the once can of diced tomatoes and one can of beef broth. I also added one tsp onion powder, one tsp garlic salt(I did not have garlic powder). Simply amazing dish! We had it over mashed potatoes, this recipe is a keeper
Yes, I was confused as well – Heat oven to 350… But you are cooking this on the stove top using a Dutch Oven. ??