There’s nothing better than the smell of a hearty slow cooker meal wafting through the kitchen—and the rest of the house, too—when you step inside your home after a bitter cold day.
Of the thousands of recipes our Allrecipes community saved over the past year, one slow cooker recipe emerged as our most-saved dish this past year: Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak. It’s classic, it’s creamy, and it’s unique in flavor—two types of gravy mix and condensed soup ensure that the dish is wonderfully flavorful with only just a few simple ingredients.
It involves just a tad of work—just about 15 minutes of prep to dredge and sear the beef patties—but it’s extremely rewarding and worth it. Here’s everything you need to know to make it yourself.
What Is Salisbury Steak?
Salisbury steak is a beef and gravy dish. Seasoned ground beef patties are dressed in a rich gravy or au jus. Often they are served with sautéed mushrooms, onions, or a combination of both. This dish keeps things on the simple side, which makes it a great base for incorporating different options—but it’s perfectly cozy and flavorful on its own.
This recipe in particular, which is modified for the slow cooker, makes up for simplicity in ingredients with smart, flavorful choices. It’s popular for a few important reasons:
- It’s only nine ingredients: With just under ten ingredients, this dish is easy to whip up without a lot of fuss.
- Packaged gravy mixes pack a lot of flavor: A combination of au jus mix and dry onion soup mix adds the effect of simmering an aromatic broth from scratch for hours.
- Condensed cream of chicken soup: Condensed soup makes this dish ultra-creamy and decadent, but it also stays creamy through extended low-and-slow cooking.
- Bread crumbs and milk: A “panade,” or a combination of bread and milk incorporated into the beef patty mixture, is common in making meatballs—it is key to binding the beef mixture so it doesn’t fall apart, but it’s also essential for keeping the patty moist and succulent, as it helps retain moisture and juices throughout cooking within a sauce.
How To Make Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
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- Make beef patties. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, milk, and onion soup mix (in this recipe, onion soup pulls a lot of weight to season these patties and ensure they are flavorful and tender) in a bowl until combined. Form eight patties.
- Dredge and sear patties. Coat each patty in flour, then cook them over medium-high heat in a skillet, such as a cast-iron skillet, just to brown them on both sides. (It’s okay if they’re not completely cooked through, because they’ll cook in the slow cooker.)
- Prepare patties in the slow cooker. Place the patties in the slow cooker, stacking on top of each other alternately (like you would a pyramid). This helps distribute the flavor and juices throughout the sauce as it warms and cooks—and the patties too.
- Make sauce. Mix together water, condensed soup, and au jus mix, then pour carefully over the patties.
- Cook. Cook in slow cooker until beef is well-done, gravy is a rich brown color, and serve over mashed potatoes or noodles.
Praise From the Allrecipes Community
This slow cooker dinner is a proven hit with families. With only 15 minutes of prep, it’s a great option when you want to set-and-forget something simple, nourishing, and cozy. Here’s what reviewers had to say.
- “My two boys and my husband really ate this up!” —Allrecipes member Diana S
- “I am a really tough critic and this was soooo good. I rarely make crockpot meals, but took a chance and will absolutely be making again. The gravy turns out delicious and the beef is a wonderful texture! I only added a little thyme and parsley along with a little Kitchen Bouquet for color.” —beckysueper
- “My 8 yr old son asked, ‘Mom, who taught you how to cook? This is delicious! If I were grading this as a paper, I would give it a 100% A+!’,” says Christine. “My 3 yr old daughter liked it too. Everyone agreed, this should be in the regular rotation.”
- “I have made this recipe for soooooo many years, serving it to family, friends at NYE parties and more. It is delicious and on a work night it is perfect to make and enjoy with instant mashed potatoes” —SadWrap2881
Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak