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!
© SpendWithPennies.com
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!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds round steak
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
- 2 yellow onions chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
- 10 ounces beef broth 1 can
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional, see note below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a meat mallet, pound meat to ½″ thickness.
- Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, pepper & salt to taste. Dredge meat in flour mixture.
- 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.
- Place onion & carrot in the bottom of the pot. Top with browned steaks.
- Add remaining ingredients except for cornstarch. Cover and cook for 2 ½-3 hours.
- Serve over mashed potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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.
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This was FANTASTIC!!!
It tasted exactly like the McCormick seasoning bag version we had when I was a kid.
The only modification I made was increasing the spices to 1 1/2 tsp each and add 1 tsp of salt
Delicious!!!!!
I was really happy to find this recipe since in the last few months my dad has been going on and on about this Swiss steak that my mom made almost 60 years ago (and refused to make again because she said it was too much work) It’s in the oven now. Hopefully, this will be as good as his memory. I’ll let you know how it measures up! :)
I can’t wait to hear how he likes it Corliss!
I really enjoyed it. Dad gave me a “not bad” which in Dad-speak means he liked it. The wife looked at it and decided that all that tomato was going to give her heartburn and ate a bowl of mashed potatoes. (I keep telling her that a daily dose of Prilosec will fix that, to no avail.)
I think next time I’ll add some garlic, balsamic vinegar and a parmesan rind to the sauce to give it some extra flavor.
Glad your Dad liked it! Your additions sound delicious!
That looks amazing! Going to Try it!
It turned out pretty good. Will make again
I always have lots of the sauce left. So save it and heat it up in the morning and cook your eggs init. OMG to die for!
What an awesome idea Vicki!
Trying tonight but using 1 inch slice of top sirloin and stewed tomatoes as I had them on hand. Let’s see how we do. Recipe sounds (and smells) delicious!
Thank you for sharing recipes with us.
You’re welcome Carolyn!
I do not understand why the trend is to use canned diced tomatoes. They have been precooked. Canned whole tomatoes are raw, the taste is far superior. They are cheaper to boot.
Thanks for the tip Jo-Lynn!
Canyon wait to try this recipe perfect for the round steak I have in the freezer
Made this Swiss steak recipe today for supper. I didn’t have any mushrooms sigh! The meal with mashed potatoes with the tomatoey sauce was quite good. I hadn’t made Swiss Steak for ages and it will be an addition to my recipes.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Pat!
Our family tries to steer clear of red meat and so I regularly make this with thick cut pork chops. I sub bell peppers for the carrots. Meals like this help fill up my house full of men on a budget.
Those substitutions sound delicious Elizabeth, thanks for sharing!
Your recipes and food look great!
Thanks Janet!
Thank you for not including salt in your Swiss steak recipe. I am on a salt free diet..I used cube steak and added chopped green pepper. I simmered on stove top for 1&1/2 hrs. Served over mashed potatoes. It was delicious. So much flavor
PS: I couldn’t use the beef broth. To much salt. There was enough juice from tomatoes and added a small amount of water
So happy this recipe worked for you Linda!
New family favourite! Thank you so much.
It is so delicious Leona! So happy you loved it.
I’ve used tons of recipes from the internet. Most have been minimally tasty. Not yours! Easy to follow and delicious!!
Thank you Brenda! You made my day!
Looks quick and ez
I hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to try it Francis!
I also grew up eating Swiss steak and I loved my mom’s comfort food. I haven’t made it in many years. I’m making this tomorrow. It looks fantastic! Thank you for posting.
There is nothing quite like mom’s comfort food Janet! Hope you enjoy this version!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I used beef consommé as it is richer than broth, doubled the carrots and added an additional 14oz can of diced tomatoes. Thicken tomato gravy. Rich in flavor. Husband loved it so much, had for three meals. Highly recommend.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Debbie. Those sound like tasty alterations!
I’m not much of a cook. I have no imagination… This recipe was easy for me to follow and no nonsense ,its baking now and smells wonderful.. My husband should be surprised and happy to have a good old fashioned dinner !
Oh I’m so happy Karen! I’m sure he was thrilled!
I used crushed tomatoes instead of diced! Thicker gravy ,taste wonderful!
Yum Melissa!
Made this in the Crock Pot for dinner tonight. It was awesome. I will make this many times. Husband & I loved it. Great recipe
So happy to hear that you and your husband loved the swiss steak as much as we do!!
I wanted some comfort food that my mom had made in the past. This sure took care of my craving. I hadn’t made it myself for years. But now I can. Thanks again Spend with Pennies
You’re so welcome :)
How long and what setting did you use?
Swiss steak recipe
Enjoy David!