Swiss Steak is tender, slow-cooked beef smothered in a rich tomato gravy. This old-fashioned dish transforms an affordable cut of beef into a comforting meal. Whether served over rice, mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles, it's a guaranteed family favorite.
The short answer: Swiss steak is round steak or top sirloin that you tenderize, coat in seasoned flour, brown, and braise in tomato gravy in a 325°F oven. It makes 4 to 6 servings.
Jump to:
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Servings: 4 to 6
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 2 hours
- Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes 🔴 [Steps add up to a little more. Confirm.]
- Difficulty:
- Equipment: Needling device (or any meat-pounding tool), 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven, Ziploc bag, measuring cup
- Serve over: rice, mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles
- Leftover-friendly: Yes
About Swiss Steak
Swiss Steak was something that my mother often made when I was growing up. It was a way of taking a tough cut of beef and simmering it in a rich tomato gravy to create a scrumptious meal.
You may think that Swiss Steak originated in Switzerland because of its name. However, Switzerland had nothing to do with it. Rather, the name originates from a technique called swissing which is a tenderizing technique. With swissing, the meat is rolled or pounded before it's cooked to help tenderize it.
Swiss steak is often confused with Salisbury steak. While both are cooked in a rich gravy, Salisbury steak is made with ground beef that has been shaped into a patty whereas Swiss steak is made with unground steak. Also, the gravy is different. Salisbury steak gravy is a brown gravy that often includes mushrooms. The Swiss steak gravy is tomato based.
In the South and in England, Swiss steak is sometimes referred to as smothered steak.
Ingredients:
The ingredients for this amazing dish fall into four categories:
- The Beef: Historically, I've used round steak in this dish. However, I couldn't find any at the grocery store, so I opted for top sirloin steak. It worked amazingly well! The top sirloin steak had minimal fat, was full of flavor, and was fork-tender after the slow cook.
- The Vegetables: Sliced onions, chopped celery, and minced garlic.
- The Liquids: The flavorful gravy in which the steak is cooked consists of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
- Everything Else: I coated the steak in all-purpose flour seasoned with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and quick-fried it in vegetable oil. For the seasonings, I used dried oregano and paprika.
Making the Swiss Steak - Step-by-Step
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Mix the liquids: Whisk together beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste in a measuring cup. Set aside until ready to add it to the Swiss steak.
- Coat the beef: Cut the beef with the grain into serving-size pieces. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a Ziploc bag. Add the beef and shake to coat.
- Tenderize: Tenderize the beef with a needling device until each piece is about ½ inch thick. A needling device has many sharp stainless steel blades that penetrate the connective tissue and help flatten the beef. If you do not have one, use whatever tool you normally use to flatten meat. Return the beef to the bag, and coat it again in the seasoned flour.
- Brown the beef: Add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the steaks without overcrowding the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. (Overcrowding causes the meat to steam rather than brown). Move the steaks to a plate, and brown the rest in batches.
- Sauté veggies: Add the onions and celery to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and seasonings: Add the garlic and cook the mixture for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant. Then add the paprika and oregano, and stir to combine.
- Add the liquids: Add the beef broth mixture and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then, stir in the diced tomatoes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.
- Braise: Return the meat to the Dutch oven. After the liquid starts to boil, cover the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium-low. I placed the Dutch oven in a preheated 325°F oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until fork-tender.
The beef was fork-tender and falling apart, and the gravy had thickened to a perfect consistency. I spooned the gravy over the Swiss steak and served it with mashed potatoes, a green vegetable, and homemade biscuits. This was comfort food at its best. Yum!
PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips
- Choose meat that has minimal internal fat. Both round steak and top sirloin work well with this recipe.
- I like to use low-sodium beef broth, but you could use regular beef broth and adjust the added salt to taste.
- If you don't have a needling device, you can use whatever device you normally use to pound meat.
- I generally add between ½ and 1 teaspoon of salt, and about ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- I like to serve Swiss steak over rice, but you could also serve it over mashed potatoes or with a baked potato. Swiss steak goes well with many different sides, such as green beans, steamed spinach, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, or a simple side salad.
- Leftovers reheat well. Place them in a pan over medium-low heat and cook until bubbly and the meat is fully heated, about 15 minutes.
Need a little help with this recipe?
Have a question? Leave me a comment below-I'm always happy to help! For another way to explore a change or work through a cooking problem, try an option below.
These optional helpers open ChatGPT (AI) in a new tab, keeping this recipe open. Review the prepared question and send it if needed. AI suggestions may be untested and can be wrong.
The helpers need JavaScript to load. You can still leave your question in the comments below.
Question didn’t appear? Copy it here.
Select and copy a question below, then paste it into ChatGPT.
More Comfort Dishes
Did you make this recipe? We'd love to know how it turned out! Leave a review below. Then, share a picture on Instagram and tag @pudgefactor so we can see it.
Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Flipboard, and Instagram.
Thank you so much for visiting PudgeFactor. We hope you'll come back!
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of culinary inspiration as a bonus!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Pudge Factor.
Swiss Steak
Equipment
- Needling device
- Dutch Oven
- Ziploc bag
- Meassuring cup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (32 ounces, 907 grams) beef bottom round or top sirloin, trimmed of excess fat (See Tip 1)
- 1 cup (5 ounces, 142 grans) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, 28 grams)vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped (about ¾ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ cups (12 ounces, 340 trams) beef broth (See Tip 2)
- 1 Tablespoon (0.6 ounces, 17 grams) tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon (0.5 ounces, 14 grams) Worcestershire sauce
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (See Tip 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º F.
- Cut the meat with the grain into serving-size pieces. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a Ziploc or other plastic bag. Add the meat and toss to coat both sides. Tenderize the meat with a needling device until each piece is about ½-inch thick. Dredge in the flour again, then set aside. (See Tip 4)
- Add vegetable oil to just cover the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven overmedium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the steaks to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately2 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a plate and repeat until all steaks are browned.
- Remove the last steaks from the pot and add the onions and celery. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the paprika and oregano; stir well to combine.
- Whisk together the beef broth, tomato paste, and Worcestershire Sauce in a measuring cup. Add to the vegetable mixture; mix well. Add the diced tomatoes; mix well. Correct the seasonings. Return the meat to the pot, submerging it in the liquid. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and place it in the preheated 325°F oven. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart.
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings. (See Tips 5 and 6)
Video
Tips/Notes
- Choose meat that has minimal internal fat. Both round steak and top sirloin work well with this recipe.
- I like to use low-sodium beef broth. However, you could use regular beef broth and adjust the added salt to taste.
- I generally add about ½ to 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- If you don't have a needling device, you can use whatever device you normally use to pound meat.
- I like to serve Swiss steak over rice. However, you could also serve it with mashed potatoes or a baked potato. Swiss steak pairs well with a variety of side dishes such as green beans, steamed spinach, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, or a simple side salad.
- Leftovers reheat well. Place them in a pan over medium-low heat and cook until bubbly and the meat is fully heated, about 15 minutes.
Cindy Dennis says
This is the best Swiss Steak recipe I’ve had My Mom use to make the best Swiss Steak and I didn’t learn how she made it but this is really close and I want to say THANK YOU I did double my sauce as I had almost 3 pounds of steak and I added sliced carrots. I cooked it in the crockpot for for about 41/2 hours on high and it was tenderized at the meat counter So yummy
Chula King says
I'm so pleased that you liked the Swiss Steak! Adding sliced carrots sounds yummy. I'll have to try that!
Chula