What Is Salisbury Steak? (2024)

A classic comfort food, Salisbury steak is a dish that most people relate to school lunches or disposable aluminum trays. However, homemade Salisbury steak is a dinner much more delicious than what you remember. Keep reading to learn more about what is Salisbury steak and how to recreate this nostalgic dish at home.

What Is Salisbury Steak? (1)

What is Salisbury Steak?

A cross between meatloaf and a hamburger, Salisbury steak is made from seasoned ground beef patties served with a simple mushroom and onion gravy.

This hamburger steak dish was named after Dr. James Henry Salisbury, a doctor who studied nutrition in the 19th century and was a big proponent of minced beef as a health food, according to Smithsonian magazine. This sounds intriguing until you learn what foods the good doctor did not consider healthy: fresh fruits and vegetables.

What's the difference between Salisbury steak and meatloaf?

Meatloaf is a seasoned meat mixture formed into a loaf—a loaf of meat, if you will—and baked in a loaf pan in the oven. Salisbury steak is sometimes similarly seasoned but formed into patties and browned in a skillet on the stovetop. Salisbury steak is also typically served with gravy, often a mushroom-based gravy. Some meatloaf recipes call for gravy or mushroom sauce, but meatloaf is more commonly prepared with a semi-sweet ketchup or tomato-sauce based glaze.

How do you make Salisbury steak from scratch?

Naturally, there are many variations on this general hamburger steak theme, but Salisbury steak is usually made with lean ground beef mixed with seasonings, bread crumbs, and dry onion soup mix.

See how to make a simple Salisbury Steak with Mushrooms:

Lean ground beef is often used since you don't want excessive fat drippings for this flavorful dish, but some recipes suggest substitutions like ground turkey or pork.

The ground meat is then formed into patties, browned in a skillet, and simmered in a mushroom gravy—made either from scratch with beef stock and fresh mushrooms or with cream of mushroom soup.

Find your new favorite version from one of our top-rated Salisbury steak recipes, featuring a variety of seasoning options and cooking methods, from skillet to slow cooker, oven-baked to Instant Pot.

What goes well with Salisbury steak?

A classic match for Salisbury steak is mashed potatoes and gravy with sauteed green beans, carrots, simply roasted broccoli, or corn to round out the meal. Buttered noodles, white rice, macaroni and cheese, and tatter tots are other common side dishes.

Is Salisbury steak healthy?

What Is Salisbury Steak? (2)

Although Salisbury steak might not qualify as a "health food," substituting lean ground turkey for ground beef, sauteeing your mushrooms and onions in olive oil, and making your own gravy using homemade stock makes it healthier by degrees.

Check out our complete collection of Salisbury Steak Recipes.

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What Is Salisbury Steak? (2024)

FAQs

What defines a Salisbury steak? ›

Salis·​bury steak ˈsȯlz-ˌber-ē- ˈsalz-, -b(ə-)rē- : ground beef mixed with egg, milk, bread crumbs, and seasonings and formed into a large patty and cooked.

Is Salisbury steak just hamburger? ›

Salisbury steak features a blend of ground beef, breadcrumbs, and seasonings, cooked with a rich brown gravy. Hamburger steak, on the other hand, is a simpler patty made from ground beef, seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices, often served with various toppings.

What were the Salisbury steaks in Rick and Morty? ›

Salisbury Steak is a dish that Rick Sanchez started providing for his family after they lost their appetite for Suicide Spaghetti.

What is school Salisbury steak made of? ›

Salisbury Steak is lean ground turkey and beef combined with fresh vegetables and crushed tomatoes and spices, and then baked. 1 steak provides 1.75 oz equivalent meat.

What does the word Salisbury mean? ›

Dissimilation of -r- to -l- is the result of influence from Salesbury in Lancashire, from sealh (“willow”) + burh (“stronghold”). The naming of the village in New Brunswick is not entirely certain. It may be named after explorer John Salusbury (1707 - 1762) or after Salisbury in England.

What was the original Salisbury steak? ›

The steak is named after Dr. J.H. Salisbury, who promoted a meat-based diet as the means to optimal health in the mid-1800s. His original recipe called for “the muscle pulp of lean beef (to be) made into cakes and broiled,” and it was served with Worcester sauce, mustard, horseradish or lemon juice.

Is Salisbury steak even a steak? ›

Salisbury steak is a dish originating in the United States and made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients, being considered a version of Hamburg steak.

What is banquet Salisbury steak made of? ›

Banquet: "Mechanically separated chicken, pork, beef, water, rehydrated onions, textured soy flour (soy flour, caramel color) bread crumbs (bleached wheat flour enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid ..."

What's the difference between Salisbury steak and chopped steak? ›

Salisbury steak is essentially a chopped steak with a few extra ingredients mixed in with the ground meat and then is served with pan gravy. Since its birth during the civil war era by Dr. James Henry Salisbury, it has evolved by adding different ingredients to the chopped beef and the sauce.

What animal is Salisbury steak? ›

Salisbury steaks are usually made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients, then topped with a thick brown gravy. The dish is named after James H. Salisbury, a doctor who promoted a meat-centered diet.

Who invented steak? ›

Although people have eaten beef since prehistoric times, many people consider steak as we know it today to have originated in Florence, Italy. On August 10, 258 AD, St.

What is Rick's Salisbury steak made of? ›

Step 1 Combine ground beef, 1 tsp. garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, tomato juice, 2 Tbs. Step 2 Worcestershire Sauce, and diced onion; mix well (don't overwork the meat mixture). Step 3 Shape mixture into four ¼- ½-inch thick oval patties.

Is Salisbury steak just meatloaf? ›

Salisbury steak isn't technically a steak, but more like a patty. In fact, it's similar to meatloaf but usually without as many ingredients, shaped into a patty rather than a loaf, and served with a mushroom and onion gravy. If you like meatloaf, you'll probably love Salisbury steak.

Does IHOP have Salisbury steak? ›

Try our new Sirloin Salisbury Steak or All-Natural Salmon with delicious sides like Garlic Broccoli, Loaded Mashed Potatoes, or Bacon Mac & Cheese.

Why does my Salisbury steak fall apart? ›

To prevent the dreaded patty disintegration, one essential step is the incorporation of an egg and crushed cracker mixture into your ground meat. The combination of these ingredients acts as a binding agent, holding the patty together during the cooking process.

What's the difference between country style steak and Salisbury steak? ›

What's more, country-fried steak is breaded and fried, whereas Salisbury steak is just pan-fried in a little oil. Breading and frying a cube steak locks in the flavor. It's the best comfort food and a popular Southern-style breakfast, usually served with eggs and biscuits.

What's the difference between Salisbury steak and chop steak? ›

Salisbury steak is essentially a chopped steak with a few extra ingredients mixed in with the ground meat and then is served with pan gravy. Since its birth during the civil war era by Dr. James Henry Salisbury, it has evolved by adding different ingredients to the chopped beef and the sauce.

Can Salisbury steak be a little pink? ›

To be sure all harmful bacteria are destroyed, cook all ground beef products to an internal temperature of 160 °F throughout. Ground beef can be pink inside after it is safely cooked. The pink color can be due to a reaction between the oven heat and myoglobin, which causes a red or pink color.

What meat is banquet Salisbury steak? ›

The patty is made of ground beef, according to the manager, who did not want to give his name. It is "topped with savory brown gravy and sauteed mushrooms and is served with mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables and Texas toast."

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