These Salisbury Steak Meatballs with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes are a classic and a true comfort food. An incredibly delicious and easy dinner recipe!
Nothing screams comfort food to me more than meatballs and I would go as far as considering myself a meatball expert. Salisbury steak meatballs rank right near the top of my favorite meatballs of all time. I mean that number 1 spot will always go to my Romanian meatballs but these are a close 2nd!
What is salisbury steak?
Salisbury steak is a ‘steak’ made from ground beef and served with a gravy or brown sauce. It’s amazing what you get when you mix some ground beef with some delicious condiments! So essentially it’s shaped to resemble a steak and it’s usually served atop mashed potatoes or noodles. It’s not the most glamorous dish but I think I’ve turned this American dish into a work of edible art!
Ingredients
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Meatballs
- Beef – We want lean ground beef for this salisbury steak meatball recipe. If you use regular ground be sure to drain the fat.
- Breadcrumbs – I used panko but you can substitute it for any breadcrumbs you have on hand.
- Egg – The binder in our meatballs. If you’re egg free you can use 1/4 cup of ricotta per egg.
- Condiments – Ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and coarse grain mustard.
- Seasoning – We’re using seasoning salt and pepper today, regular salt can be substituted.
- Spices – Just onion powder today.
- Olive oil – To fry our meatballs. Neutral vegetable oil can also be used.
Gravy
- Butter – Unsalted as we want to control the sodium in our dish.
- Onion – An onion that cooks down well such as white or yellow should be used.
- Condiments – Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
- Broth – I used beef broth today but feel free to substitute chicken. Look for no sodium or low sodium.
- Cornstarch – This will thicken up our gravy for our salisbury steak meatballs.
- Seasoning – Seasoning salt again.
- Parsley – For garnish.
Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes – Peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces.
- Butter – Unsalted again as we want to control our sodium.
- Milk – Skim milk is what I used today but feel free to use what you have on hand.
- Cream cheese – I used light cream cheese to make these mashed potatoes truly creamy and divine.
- Seasoning – Salt and white pepper. White pepper has a different flavor profile than black and is what I always use for mashed potatoes.
How to make salisbury steak meatballs
Meatballs
- Form meatballs: Add all the meatball ingredients (excluding the olive oil) to a large bowl and mix well, use your hands. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. You should get about 40 meatballs.
- Cook the meatballs: Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium to high heat. Add meatballs and cook. You will have to fry them in at least a couple batches. Cook the meatballs on all sides and add more oil if needed. Remove meatballs from skillet and set aside.
Gravy
- Combine the gravy: To the same skillet add butter and melt. Add onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. In a bowl add the cornstarch and beef broth and whisk.
- Cook the gravy: Add broth and remaining gravy ingredients to skillet, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, sauce should thicken. If the sauce is too thick add a bit more beef broth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Combine the gravy and salisbury steak meatballs: When the gravy is done add the meatballs back to the skillet and toss them around so they’re covered in the gravy. Garnish with parsley.
Mashed potatoes
- Prepare the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them in 1 inch cubes. Boil them on medium heat until potatoes are tender, for about 20 minutes.
- Combine the mashed potatoes: Drain potatoes and in a medium bowl, add the potatoes, milk, butter, cream cheese and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher mash the potatoes until desired consistency. You may also use a hand mixer if you wish. Add additional milk as necessary.
- Finish the dish and serve: Spoon the mashed potatoes onto a plate and top with the salisbury steak meatballs and gravy, top with additional parsley and enjoy!
Other Cooking Options
Oven
I fried my meatballs but if you want to go the healthier route with this recipe, you could bake the meatballs, I bake meatballs all the time and they turn out great. To bake meatballs, coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, or use a baking rack. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Slow cooker
Form your gravy first, then your meatballs. Hold onto some cut onions and use those to line the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the meatballs on top and pour the gravy over top. Cook on LOW for 3 – 4 hours before serving over mashed potatoes.
Pressure cooker
Brown the meatballs with butter on the saute setting. Remove your meatballs once browned and deglaze your pressure cooker with the beef broth. Add the rest of your gravy ingredients (save the cornstarch) and place the meatballs back in. Cook on manual HIGH for 4 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, should take around 10 minutes before removing the lid. Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce and serve over mashed potatoes once thick.
Some tips
- To prevent your meatballs from crumbling and falling apart, do not overcrowd your meatballs while frying them. Leave about 1/2 inch of space in between. It’s best to do it in a couple batches.
- If you still have crumbling issues, it could be an issue with the binders. So either not enough egg or too much breadcrumbs. If your eggs are too small, add another egg, that should help bind the meatballs better.
- If you’re still having trouble with your meatballs, try referencing this page to trouble shoot what exactly is going wrong.
Storing leftovers
Meatballs
They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Gravy
Gravy will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for up 3 months. pull the gravy from the freezer the day before you’d like to use it to allow it to thaw fully before reheating on the stove.
Mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes will last for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge and up to 10 months frozen. Allow to thaw in the fridge the night before and reheat in the microwave.
More delicious meatball recipes to try:
- Chimichurri Meatballs
- Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs
- Dutch Meatballs
- Stout Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
- Indonesian Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
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Salisbury Steak Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 1 1/2 pound ground beef lean
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs I used Panko
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup mustard coarse grain
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoon olive oil for frying
For Gravy
- 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup beef broth or chicken broth, low sodium or no sodium added
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- parsley for garnish
For Mashed Potatoes
- 5 large potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 4 tablespoon butter unsalted, 1/2 stick
- 1/4 cup skim milk add more if needed
- 1/4 cup cream cheese light
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Add all the meatball ingredients (excluding the olive oil) to a large bowl and mix well, use your hands. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. You should get about 40 meatballs.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium to high heat. Add meatballs and cook. If you’re using a large skillet all meatballs should fit in one batch otherwise, you might have to fry them in a couple batches. Cook the meatballs on all sides, add more oil if needed. Remove meatballs from skillet and set aside.
- To the same skillet add butter and melt. Add onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. In a bowl add the cornstarch and beef broth and whisk. Add broth and remaining gravy ingredients to skillet, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, sauce should thicken. If the sauce is too thick add a bit more beef broth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- When the gravy is done add the meatballs back to the skillet and toss them around so they’re covered in the gravy. Garnish with parsley.
For Mashed Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut them in 1 inch cubes. Boil them on medium heat until potatoes are tender, for about 20 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and in a medium bowl, add the potatoes, milk, butter, cream cheese and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher mash the potatoes until desired consistency. You may also use a hand mixer if you wish. Add additional milk as necessary.
- Serve meatballs over mashed potatoes.
Recipe Notes
- To prevent your meatballs from crumbling and falling apart, do not overcrowd your meatballs while cooking them. Leave about 1/2 inch of space in between. It’s best to do it in a couple batches. It can also be an issue with the binding, so either not enough egg or too much breadcrumbs, if your eggs are too small, add another egg, that should help bind the meatballs better.
- They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Gravy will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for up 3 months. pull the gravy from the freezer the day before you’d like to use it to allow it to thaw fully before reheating on the stove.
- Mashed potatoes will last for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge and up to 10 months frozen. Allow to thaw in the fridge the night before and reheat in the microwave.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
- Recipe originally shared June, 2015.
Great recipe! Everyone loved it. I served the meatballs on top of GF noodles along with McCormick’s GF brown gravy, the veggie, roasted carrots, peppers, and cherry tomatoes.
I loved this recipe so much
This is a meal that would fall in the comfort foods category. I had frozen uncooked meatballs already so I didn’t use this meatball recipe, but mine was similar. Will make again!
Is the ketchup a big part of the recipe and could it be substituted with something like sriracha? I’ve never been a fan of ketchup but if omitting it compromises on the overall flavor then I’ll keep it in.
Hi Mina! You can totally replace it with sriracha, the ketchup will add a bit of sweetness to the sauce too, so if you want you could add a bit of brown sugar along with the sriracha. It’ll be great!
My family and I loved this recipe! Even though I may have put a little to much cornstarch in the grave, it was still delicious!!
My husband raved over these meatballs!! He is a major Salisbury steak fan but recently had a lot of oral surgery, so they were easy for him to eat. I think this is his new favorite. Thank you!!
My pleasure, so glad to hear this. 🙂
I’m hoping this is not a duplicate question. Have you tried making these in the crock pot or instant pot without browning them first? TIA
Browning them helps hold everything together and give them a much better flavor. I wouldn’t recommend skipping that step! You can brown them right in an IP if you’d like.
I’ve made this recipe quite a few times now, so I thought I’d leave a review. It’s aaesome. Simple to make, my family loves it! Just good comfort food. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s so great to hear, we’re happy you love these meatballs!
This was a yummy dish that was a fun variation of Salisbury steak. Easy and good. Thanks for sharing.
I just wandered on to your site, thank goodness! I am going to make this recipe for dinner tonight. I try to fix something different and I do believe this is what I was looking for.Thanks for the site.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but absolutely plan on it. Your recipes are always so good. My question is: someone asked about using a slow cooker. If I did, I would brown them first, but how long would they cook in slow cooker? Thanks.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours and they’ll come out perfect 🙂
I haven’t tried it yet but I already know its amazingly delicious 😍 the photo says it all 🤤
I hope you do try it!
Made this tonight with my 9 year old daughter for tomorrow nights supper. House smells amazing. I’m going to let the gravy sit as is but then strain out the onions tomorrow- “onion” is a bad word to both my kids! I MAY have sampled tonight… so so good. Thanks for the great recipe!
Great recipe – very nice flavor, easy to make, and everyone loved it! Would recommend spraying baking racks if baking the meatballs – they stuck a bit. Also, would highly recommend doubling [or tripling] the gravy – it was delicious and we definitely needed more!
Love it!
Yes!