Swiss Steak Recipe (Smothered Steak)
Published September 15, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious, easy-to-make Swiss steak recipe with slow-braised beef in tomatoes and vegetables is the ultimate comfort food. You will be blown away by the simplicity of this dish and the amazing flavors it has.
I don’t eat meat too often these days, but if I do, I make sure it’s loaded with flavor. If you’re similar to me, check out my Steak au Poivre or Salisbury Steak.
Swiss Steak
Swiss steak is an English dish consisting of sliced beef that is tenderized using a mallet or a Swissing tool that is then coated in flour and browned before braising with tomatoes, stock, onions, celery, and carrots. This dish is also sometimes called smothered steak.
You will occasionally see variations of this recipe as it relates to the braising liquid. Some people add in the mushrooms or bell peppers, while others use additional root vegetables. Lastly, there are some recipes calling for dry herbs such as oregano or thyme. I believe if you are still to the basics of this recipe and utilizing fundamental cooking techniques, there’s no need to add anything additional.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef – The two classic cuts of beef to use are round or chuck steak. I used top round.
- Stock – You will need some beef stock for braising.
- Onions – Feel free to use yellow, white, or sweet onions in this recipe.
- Celery – A few ribs of celery are traditionally used in the braising sauce.
- Carrots – Some large slices of carrots add an incredible amount of flavor to the dish.
- Tomatoes – I used canned, hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes in this Swiss steak. However, you can use canned diced, or large diced fresh tomatoes.
- Garlic – A few garlic cloves will add a lot of flavor to this.
- Flour – Some all-purpose flour is used to coat the steaks before searing.
- Parsley – I used some finely minced Italian flat-leaf parsley for garnish in this Swiss steak.
- Fat – You can use olive oil, avocado oil, clarified butter, or beef tallow to sear the beef and sauté the vegetables in.
- Seasoning – I used coarse salt, fresh cracked pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
How to Make Swiss Steak
Start by cutting the steak into 4 individual pieces that are roughly 8 ounces each. If you want smaller pieces of steak, cut each 8-ounce piece in half again so that there are 8 4-ounce pieces.
Place the swissed steaks into a plastic zip bag and pound using a mallet until it is about a ¼” to ½” thick.
Set the steak on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and generously season on both sides with salt and pepper.
In the meantime, prepare the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic.
In a wide shallow bowl or a 9” cake tin, mix together the flour and salt.
Dredge the steak on both sides in the flour and place them back on the sheet tray with parchment paper.
Next, head the oil in a large 6-quart rondeau or sauce pot over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
Add the steak, turn the heat to medium, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until well browned on both sides. You may need to do this in batches.
Set the steak to the side on a plate, and then add the onions to the pot and lightly caramelize over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes while occasionally stirring.
Once browned, add in the celery and carrots and sauté for medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until they begin to lightly brown.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds or until fragrant. Season with vegetables with salt.
Deglaze with beef stock and add in the hand-crushed, whole-peeled tomatoes.
Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
Add back in the steak, cover the pot, and cook over low heat for 2 to 2 hours and 15 minutes or until steak is fork tender.
Garnish with finely minced parsley and serve.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten once it is finished cooking. However, you can keep it warm over very low simmering heat for up to 1 hour before serving.
How to Store: Cover and store the Swiss steak in the sauce in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can cover it and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired number of steaks to a rondeau or saucepot along with some of the sauce and cover and heat over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until warm.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Other vegetables you can add to the recipe are parsnips, turnips, celeriac root, mushrooms, or bell peppers.
- The other option is cooking it in the oven at 325° for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- You can skip the beef tenderizing by purchasing cubed steak from your butcher or grocery store.
- You can add in the juice from the canned tomatoes, but I did not.
More Steak Recipes
Video
Swiss Steak Recipe (Smothered Steak)
Ingredients
- 2 pound top round steak
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 peeled thickly sliced yellow onions
- 5 thickly sliced ribs of celery
- 1 large peeled cut in half thickly sliced carrot
- 4 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, no juice
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by cutting the steak into 4 individual pieces that are roughly 8 ounces each. If you want smaller pieces of steak, cut each 8-ounce piece in half again so there are 8 4-ounce pieces.
- Place the swissed steaks into a plastic zip bag and pound using a mallet until it is about a ¼” to ½” thick.
- Set the steak on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and generously season on both sides with salt and pepper.
- In the meantime, prepare the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic.
- In a wide shallow bowl or a 9” cake tin, mix together the flour and salt.
- Dredge the steak on both sides in the flour and place them back on the sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Next, head the oil in a large 6-quart rondeau or sauce pot over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
- Add the steak, turn the heat down to medium, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until well browned on both sides. You may need to do this in batches.
- Set the steak to the side on a plate, and then add the onions to the pot and lightly caramelize over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes while occasionally stirring.
- Once browned, add in the celery and carrots and sauté for medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until they begin to lightly brown.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds or until fragrant-season with vegetables with salt.
- Deglaze with beef stock and add in the hand-crushed whole peeled tomatoes.
- Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Add back in the steak, cover the pot, and cook over low heat for 2 to 2 hours and 15 minutes or until steak is fork tender.
- Garnish with optional finely minced parsley and serve.
Made this for the first time , with Venison Cube steak . It cuts off alot of the cooking time , and I added mini mushrooms l, served over basmati rice .. wow! So so good !
Thank you for giving it a shot!
Love your style, Billy. I have picked up many cooking techniques with your videos!
Plus, I appreciate your tips to keep the kitchen tidy while cooking!
Thank you kindly!
Same here! My hubs has given me the most compliments on my cooking style and skills I’ve learned . I’ve become more confident and a lot more experimental with food . 🥰
Chef, wonderful recipe, my mom used to make a close facsimile. Suggestion, can you set up your recipes such that when one wants to share with others or to their own email the “subject” or “name of the recipe” auto populates in the subject field? Cheers!
It does if you click right above the recipe where it says “save this recipe”
Love this recipe. Had a couple spare carrots and celery ribs and some cube steaks my dad gave me when he cleaned out his deep freeze. Super simple and hits way above its weight class.
Many thanks!
Had a bunch of cubed steak in the freezer and found this recipe while researching ways to use it up. Loved it, I’ll keep this one in my back pocket
Excellent!
So so good…..as you often say Chef…..DANG DELICIOUS!