Cube steak with mushroom gravy is a hearty and inexpensive family dinner featuring tender seasoned cubed steak smothered in a luxurious brown gravy.
Reach for that cast iron pan, dust off some memories of grandma's kitchen, and step back in time with this old-fashioned dish brimming with flavor. It is hard to find a more unpretentious meal to serve at dinner time than cooking this easy cube steak recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Vegetable Oil - Olive oil or canola oil are both great cooking oils, otherwise, butter can be used.
- Beef Cube Steaks - You can also purchase a sirloin steak from the grocery store and tenderize it yourself with a meat mallet.
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Beef Broth - I like low sodium broth for this recipe because it gives me more control over the salt content. Beef stock is also an equally good substitution.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Fresh Mushrooms - Sliced white button mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms are both great.
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter
What is Cube Steak
Cube steak is a very affordable cut of beef from the top round or top sirloin. Similar in size to hamburger patties,
How to Cook Cubed Steak
Cube steaks hold the middle ground for tenderness. They are not an exceptionally tough cut of beef, but they still can benefit from longer cooking times to tenderize them a bit more.
There are recipes, such as the popular 'chicken fried steak' which cooks cubed steak in a skillet for a short period of time, however, for this cube steak with mushroom gravy recipe, I found the best way to be when the steak is dredged in a seasoned flour mixture and simmers in beef broth for a nice long time. After two hours it transforms into a deliciously tender cube steak, and very flavorful. The flour mixture, in particular, holds the flavor of the seasonings close to the meat, for a noticeable improvement in flavor when testing this recipe.
Begin by mixing together the flour, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a shallow dish or small bowl and dredge the cube steak in this seasoning mixture, ensuring you fully coat steaks in the flour mixture. Next, add cooking oil to a large skillet and set over medium heat on the stove top. Once shimmering, add the cube steaks to the hot oil and brown steaks on each side.
Now that the steaks have been seared, add the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sliced mushrooms to the skillet with the steaks. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat and cook steaks for two hours. After two hours the steaks can be removed and the remaining liquid and mushrooms should be separated out with a strainer. Reserve the liquid in a bowl.
Making the Best Mushroom Gravy
The starring feature of this easy recipe is the mushroom gravy. The base of this savory gravy is a delicous brown gravy. Mushrooms are simmered in the liquid, infusing their flavor throughout, and added to the finished gravy.
The key to any great gravy is the roux. A roux is a mixture of flour and fat that is whisked together over low heat in a skillet to remove the flour taste. Melt butter in a skillet and whisk in flour, but be careful to keep stirring and not to have the heat too high or the roux will burn. If it burns, there is no saving it, scrape out the roux and start again with fresh butter and flour.
The reserved liquid should be added back to the cooked roux. Add additional beef broth to equal two cups total. The liquid is best added in small amounts at a time to ensure it fully incorporates into the gravy. Once all of the liquid has been added place steak back into the frying pan and continue to simmer until the gravy has thickened. Then serve this hearty home-style dinner immediately.
How to Prevent Lumpy Gravy
When the roux has finished cooking liquid is added to form the gravy. If too much liquid is added, it will not incorporate into the roux fully and lumps will form. It is best to work a few splashes at a time, stirring them into the roux before more is added. Your patience will be rewarded with silky smooth and deliciously rich gravy.
What to Serve with Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy
When serving cube steak with mushroom gravy there is one side dish that stands head and shoulders above the rest: fluffy mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are perfect for soaking up all of the extra luxurious gravy coating your plate. I enjoy mashed potatoes with any of my recipes calling for brown gravy, such as my beef tips and gravy recipe or boneless eye of round roast.
A side of roasted green beans for a green vegetable or Parmesan roasted carrots would each be a perfect pairing.
Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
Cube Steaks
- ¼ cup Cooking Oil
- 3-4 cuts Cube Steak (1-2 pounds)
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- ½ cup Flour
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- 2 cups low-sodium Beef Broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1 tablespoon low sodium Soy Sauce
- 8 oz fresh Mushrooms (sliced)
Gravy
- ¼ cup Flour
- ¼ cup Butter
- 1-2 cups low sodium beef broth (as needed)
- Salt as needed
Instructions
- Place flour, paprika, onion, and garlic powder in a dish and mix to combine.
- Season cube steaks with salt and pepper on both sides and dredge in flour mixture.
- Heat oil in a large 12" skillet on medium heat. Once oil is shimmering add cube steaks and brown on each side.*
- Once cubed steaks have browned add low sodium beef broth, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and sliced mushrooms. Cover and simmer on low for two hours.**
- After two hours, remove cube steaks from the skillet and set aside. Pour remaining liquid and mushrooms through a strainer to separate, reserving the liquid in a bowl.
- Prepare the gravy by melting butter in the skillet, once melted sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine to form a roux. Continue whisking to prevent flour from burning until the mixture begins to darken slightly (2-4 minutes).
- Measure the reserved liquid previously set aside from simmering cubed steaks. Add additional low sodium beef broth to the reserved liquid so the total liquid equals 2 cups.***
- A little at a time add the liquid to the flour/butter mixture, whisking to incorporate before more is added. Adding too much at once will create lumpy gravy.
- Once all of the liquid has been incorporated, return cube steaks and mushrooms to the skillet. Simmer as needed to thicken the gravy and taste for salt and pepper, add more as needed.
- Serve cube steaks topped with mushrooms and gravy.
Ronald Stewart
Amazing!!!!! So easy to make and well WORTH the wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely keeping the recipe for the future....
Zandra Ti
This turned out delicious! Only thing I added was minced garlic to the mushrooms. Definitely a keeper!
Marcia Calabro
I just made this tonight...SUCH a big hot, it came out fantastic!!! My new go to
Rose Marie Klavon
This recipe was tops. Could I put in slow cooker for the equivalent of the two hours? Keep up the good work on recipes.
Fox Valley Foodie
Simmering on the stovetop is best, but you could use the slow cooker as well, but you may have to adjust the time because slow cooker tend to come to temperature more slowly.
Lisa
Soooooo good! Thanks for the easy, tasty recipe! Great with mashed potatoes and carrots. Definitely making this again!
Peter Finch
The recipe looks good. I will try it today. I think I will use egg noodles instead of mashed potatoes.
David
This recipe for cubed steak with mushroom gravy is spot on and so worth the time it takes to simmer. Tender and tasty!
CJ
I made this recipe last night for dinner and it was excellent. I was nervous about the gravy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Thank you!