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Easy Swiss steak is the kind of no-fuss comfort food that makes you feel right at home. Tender cube steak gets a golden sear before simmering in a rich, savory gravy packed with onions, carrots, and just the right amount of seasoning. The result? A melt-in-your-mouth dish that tastes like it took all day—but is actually a breeze to make. Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles to soak up every last drop of that delicious sauce. Perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite!
Discover how to make easy Swiss steak effortlessly with this weeknight dinner recipe. Perfect for those busy evenings, it’s a richly flavored dish that’s always popular.
More cozy favorites include steak pizzaiola, corned beef hash, homemade beef au jus, beef braciole, and this Mediterranean chicken pasta.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: This is a simple recipe to prepare. You just need to sear the steak and then braise it in a brown gravy with vegetables for a couple of hours.
Rich, cozy flavors: Swiss steak is great comfort food. The delicious meaty flavors, herbs, fresh vegetables, and thick, rich gravy is so good.
Great for busy weeknights: You can prepare this ahead and then braise it when you get home, making it a nice pick for a busy weeknight dinner.
Easy Swiss Steak Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Cube steaks: Also known as Swiss steak, cube steak is a type of beef that’s mechanically tenderized.
Flour: To coat the steaks and give them a crispy exterior.
Spices: Garlic powder and paprika add vibrant flavors, along with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Diced tomatoes: A can of tomatoes and their juice add a sweet flavor.
Garlic: Fresh garlic is always good in Swiss steak recipes, and you can add extra if you love it!
Brown gravy mix: You’ll need one envelope of gravy mix. Any brand works.
Vegetables: I used carrots and a yellow onion.
Fresh parsley: For an optional garnish.
How to Make Old Fashioned Swiss Steak
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Sear the steaks: Season the steaks with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, and then dredge them in flour. Heat oil in a large pot and sear the steaks for a few minutes before removing them to a plate.
Sauté the veggies: Add the onion and carrots to the same pot and cook until tender, then add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add more ingredients: Pour in the beef broth and diced tomatoes plus their liquid, and sprinkle in the brown gravy mix. Cook, stirring constantly, until the powder has dissolved.
Simmer: Return the steaks to the pan and then cover and simmer until the steaks are fork tender.
Serve and enjoy: Serve hot with some freshly chopped parsley on top.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, swap the all purpose flour for gluten-free flour and check the ingredients in your beef broth and gravy mix.
Cube steak: Substitute top round steak, bottom round steak, chuck steak, or even sirloin steak, using the pointed side of a meat mallet to tenderize it before cooking. You could even make this dish using ground beef.
Canned tomatoes: Try fire roasted tomatoes or stewed tomatoes.
Vegetables: If you want to try other vegetables, consider parsnips or turnips. Bell peppers are good too but can be added half an hour before the end of the cooking time as they cook quite quickly.
Olive oil: Use avocado oil, vegetable oil or any other cooking oil you prefer.
Optional add-ins: You can add a little tomato sauce or tomato paste, some Worcestershire sauce, celery seed, or soy sauce or even red pepper flakes to add more flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizer: Begin your meal with spinach artichoke stuffed mushrooms.
Side dishes: Serve garlic mashed potatoes and roasted artichokes on the side, or perhaps white or brown rice or egg noodles. Roasted vegetables, crack green beans or peas would work too. Add some crusty bread as well, if you want.
Dessert: This lemon mascarpone cake would be wonderful for dessert.
How to Store Swiss Steak
Store: Allow the steaks to cool completely before storing. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 to 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze Swiss steak for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: You can warm your Swiss steak back up in a skillet on the stove.
Top Tips
Taste as you go: The brown gravy mix adds lots of flavor to the sauce so you don’t have to add much more, but different mixes vary, so taste and adjust the seasonings near the end of the cooking time. You might need more salt and pepper in there.
Don’t skip the sear: Rubbing spices into the meat and then dredging it in flour makes a yummy crust on the outside of the steaks which not only adds flavor but also helps seal the juices inside, yielding a tender, juicy result.
Braising time: You will need a couple of hours of braising time, but check the doneness after the 1 ½ hour mark in case it’s ready sooner. You can then keep the pot covered and keep the Swiss steaks warm.
Old Fashioned Swiss Steak FAQs
The gravy mix thickens it up but if it still isn’t thick enough you can uncover the pot and simmer it uncovered for another 10 to 20 minutes or until reduced. It thickens up a little more as it sits too. If you need to thin it, add beef broth and simmer to warm it through.
These interchangeable terms refer to a tough cut of beef that is pounded to make it tender and “minute beef” is yet another term. The meat goes through a meat cuber or swissing machine which makes cube-shaped indentations on the beef. There’s not much marbling on cube steak so it can become tough and dry unless you cook it in one of two ways: cook it for 1 to 3 minutes per side over a high heat or sear it and then braise it like in this easy Swiss steak recipe.
Easy Swiss Steak Recipe
Easy Swiss Steak
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Heavy Pot
Ingredients
- 6 beef cube steaks, about 2 Pounds
- ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ Teaspoon paprika
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ Cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 Can diced tomatoes, 28-Ounce,undrained
- 2 Cups beef broth
- 1 Envelope brown gravy mix, 0.87-Ounce
- 2 carrots, large, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, large, diced
- 3 to 5 Cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil, or preferred cooking oil
Optional Garnish:
- parsley, freshly chopped
Instructions
- Season the steaks all over with salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, pressing it in so it sticks.
- Dredge the steaks in flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven.
- Add the steaks and sear for 2 to 3 minutes per side, working in batches if needed, adding more oil too if needed.
- Transfer the seared cube steaks on to a plate.
- Turn the heat down and remove any excess oil from the Dutch oven.
- Sauté the onion and carrots for about 4 minutes or until tender.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or 2 until fragrant.
- Add the beef broth, brown gravy mix and diced tomatoes with their liquid.
- Stir well to dissolve the powder.
- Put the seared steaks back in the Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
- Cover the pot, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours until the steaks are tender.
- Serve hot, garnished with freshly chopped parsley, if liked.
Notes
Don’t skip the sear: Rubbing spices into the meat and then dredging it in flour makes a yummy crust on the outside of the steaks which not only adds flavor but also helps seal the juices inside, yielding a tender, juicy result.
Braising time: You will need a couple of hours of braising time, but check the doneness after the 1 ½ hour mark in case it’s ready sooner. You can then keep the pot covered and keep the Swiss steaks warm.
Nutrition
This easy Swiss steak recipe with cube steak is ideal for dinner on a busy weeknight. Once you’ve seasoned and floured your steaks and seared them, you just need to braise it in a delicious tomato and garlic gravy until tender. A classic Swiss steak is beautiful paired with creamy mashed potatoes and your preferred vegetables and making Swiss steak is really simple. This budget-friendly dinner favorite is such a cozy and hearty choice; the whole family will love it.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This is pure comfort food at its best! The steak turns out so tender, and that rich gravy is absolutely perfect over mashed potatoes.