This old-fashioned Swiss steak recipe takes budget-friendly round steak and cooks it low and slow in a rich tomato gravy until it’s completely fork-tender, for a delicious from-scratch dinner.
Need a side to go with it? My Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Crockpot Mashed Potatoes are perfect for soaking up all that tomato gravy.
Key Takeaways: Swiss Steak Recipe
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 90 minutes
- Total time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings
- Texture: Fork-tender braised round steak in a rich, slightly sweet tomato gravy.
- Difficulty: Easy. No special skills needed, just pounding, browning, and a long, slow bake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
As you know, I have a soft spot for old cookbooks. I found the cookbook I found this recipe in years ago at an antique store, and it’s been one of my luckiest finds yet. This Swiss steak recipe was tucked in among the beef dishes, and the second I made it, I understood why it earned a spot in someone’s kitchen decades ago.
It’s not a fussy recipe, just a patient one. The oven does most of the work after you brown the steak on the stovetop, and let it braise for an hour and a half. It’s and easy to make kid-friendly recipe perfect for a regular oven, an electric skillet, or a slow cooker. The leftovers are delicious too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Dry mustard, salt, pepper, and flour: This is your seasoned dredge for the steak.
- Round steak, cut into 4 oz slices: An economical cut that turns tender with a good pounding and a long, slow braise. If you’d rather save a little on the meat, buy a round roast and slice it yourself.
- Oil: I use avocado oil, but olive oil or shortening both work well for browning.
- Sliced onion and diced carrots: For kids (or picky eaters) who don’t love the texture, dice them very fine instead. You’ll still get all the flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar: This pair gives the tomato gravy its depth and a touch of sweetness to balance the acidity.
- Crushed tomatoes : My preference for this recipe, though diced tomatoes work as a substitution if that’s what you have on hand.
How to Make Swiss Steak
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 300˚ F. In a small flat bowl or plate, mix together the dry mustard, salt, pepper and flour. Set aside.
Step 2: Coat each slice of round steak in the flour mixture. Pound with a meat mallet until about ½ inch thick, a sheet of plastic wrap over the meat keeps less messy. No mallet? Puncture the meat all over with a fork first, then pound it with a rolling pin. Re-coat the meat in the flour mixture until it’s all used up.
Step 3: Heat the oil in your skillet over medium-high heat. Brown each slice of steak until golden, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, and set the browned pieces aside. I usually need to add a little more oil partway through to keep getting that good golden color.
Step 4: Add about ¼ cup of the sliced onion and ¼ cup of the crushed tomatoes to the bottom of the skillet, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan. That’s where a lot of the flavor is. Layer the browned steak back in, then add the remaining ingredients on top in order. Cover and bake for 90 minutes, or until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Serve hot.
Recipe Tips:
- Cover the meat with plastic wrap before pounding. It keeps flour and juices from splattering everywhere.
- Dip the steak in the flour mixture twice. Once before pounding, and again afterward, until all the flour mixture is used up. That double coat is what gives the gravy its body.
- Don’t be afraid to add a splash more oil while browning if the pan looks dry. You want each slice to get properly golden, not just gray.
- If your family is picky about texture the way mine is, dice the onion and carrot very fine rather than leaving them in slices or chunks.
FAQ
Toughness usually comes down to two things, not tenderizing the meat enough before cooking, or not cooking it low and slow enough afterward. Pounding the steak thin (and giving it a good coat of flour) breaks down the muscle fibers, and the slow 300°F braise finishes the job. The bake time gives tougher cuts like round steak enough time to become fork-tender.
No. If you don’t have one, puncture the meat all over with a fork, then pound it with a rolling pin. It won’t look quite as uniform, but it’ll get the job done.
Round steak is classic here because it’s affordable and holds up well to a long braise. A round roast, sliced by hand, is a great substitute.
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Swiss Steak Recipe
Equipment
- large heavy bottom stockpot
- meat mallet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ Cup all purpose flour
- 3 lb round steak cut into 4 oz slices
- 3 Tablespoons oil I used avocado oil, you could also use olive oil or shortening
- 1 ½ Cups sliced onion
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 21 oz can of crushed tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small flat bowl or plate, mix together the dry mustard, salt, pepper, and flour. Set aside.
- Coat the Steak: Coat each slice of round steak in the flour mixture. Pound with a meat mallet until ½ inch thick. (No mallet? Puncture the meat with a fork, then pound with a rolling pin.) Re-coat the meat until all the flour mixture is gone.
- Brown the Steak: Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Brown each slice of steak in the oil until golden brown, removing each piece as it finishes and continuing until all slices are browned.
- Assemble: Add about ¼ cup of onion slices and ¼ cup of crushed tomatoes to the bottom of the skillet, scraping the bottom to release the browned bits. Add the steak, then the remaining ingredients, in order.
- Bake: Cover and bake at 300°F for 90 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Serve hot.
Notes
- Use plastic wrap to cover the meat when pounding for less mess.
- Dice the onion and carrot very fine if your family is picky about texture.
- Works in an electric skillet, or as a slow cooker recipe (2–3 hours on high after breading).
- Diced tomatoes can substitute for crushed tomatoes.
- A round roast, sliced by hand, can substitute for pre-cut round steak to save on cost.
