Swiss Steak

Swiss steak takes a cheap and tough cut of beef like round or sirloin steak (cube or minute), which is then braised in stewed tomatoes and other vegetables.

There is nothing like some good old comfort food! Don’t get me wrong, I do love fine dining and making fancy dishes and international cuisine. There are times though, that what I am truly craving, is some down home country cooking. Comfort food provides such a feeling of warmth and coziness.

So, if you are like me, and you crave comfort food from time to time, then you may want to remember this recipe for swiss steak. I remember that my mom used to make this and I was always excited to come home from school and the aroma was throughout the house.

Swiss steak takes a cheap and tough cut of beef like round or sirloin steak (cube or minute), which is then braised in stewed tomatoes and other vegetables.

Swiss steak is a method of preparing steak. Usually the steak is the cheaper cuts of beef, often round or sirloin. Pound the steak with a meat tenderizer to create a tender, cut with your fork, piece of meat. It is also possible to use cube steak/minute steak in this recipe, which is a cut of beef that has been tenderized with an electric tenderizer. They are available at many grocery stores and are perfect for swiss steak.

What is Braising?

The cooking technique for swiss steak is braising. The first step of braising is to sear a cut of meat in a skillet. Then, place the meat in a roaster or casserole dish and  bake in the oven. Usually the meat braises and simmers in a mixture of juices, broth or other sauce. This technique allows cheap and tough cuts of meat to be moist and tender.

To make swiss steak, lightly coat the tenderized steak in flour and then fry in some oil to sear the outside and create a crust with the flour. Then braise the steak in stewed tomatoes and other vegetables. This dish is tender and delicious!

If you are not using cube steak or minute steak, pound the meat with a meat tenderizer and dredge in the seasoned flour. Cook in the oil for just a few minutes per side.

Create stewing mix by frying the onions, peppers and celery until tender. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover the meat with the stewing mixture in a casserole dish or roasting pan.

Swiss Steak

Swiss steak takes a cheap and tough cut of beef like round or sirloin steak (cube or minute), which is then braised in stewed tomatoes and other vegetables.
4.89 out of 5
18 reviews
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Swiss steak takes a cheap and tough cut of beef like round or sirloin steak (cube or minute), which is then braised in stewed tomatoes and other vegetables.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of steak (round, sirloin, cube, minute)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 onions , sliced
  • 2 peppers , diced
  • 2 celery stalks , sliced
  • 2 cans of diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 can tomato paste

Instructions

  • If you are using steak that has not been tenderized, pound it on both sides with a meat tenderizer.
  • Mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a shallow bowl. Dredge the steak in the flour mixture until coated all over.
  • Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the steak and cook about 4 minutes per side. The flour should brown and create a crust around the steak. If there are more pieces of steak than will fit in the skillet, cook them in multiple batches. After the steak has cook about 4 minutes per side, remove them from the skillet and let them rest on a plate.
  • The skillet will have a buildup of browned flour and other seasonings. This has incredible flavour that should not be wasted. Add 1/2 cup of water and stir to pull the bits off the skillet.
  • Add the garlic, onions, peppers and celery to the skillet and cook until beginning to soften, about 7 minutes.
  • Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a boil.
  • Add a third of the tomato mixture to the bottom of a casserole dish or roasting pan. Then add the steak and top it with the remaining tomato mixture.
  • Cover the casserole dish and bake in a 325F oven for 2 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.

Categories

Swiss steak takes a cheap and tough cut of beef like round or sirloin steak (cube or minute), which is then braised in stewed tomatoes and other vegetables.

Did you try this recipe?

Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. Or, take a picture to share on Instagram and tag me @theblackpeppercorn.

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Recipe Rating




32 comments

  • 5 stars
    Great recipe to use for that old fashion swiss steak taste. Pretty much the same recipe I have used for years except I use sirloin or a London broil cut of meat and add sliced carrots and a bay leaf. If you are a first time maker of swiss steak I highly recommend this recipe!!!

    • Reply
    • Thanks for your kind words! You are totally right that this is an old fashioned recipe. I have made this for years and learned it from my mom, who made it when I was a kid. So good!!

      • Reply
  • Exactly how I make mine, except I add fresh cut corn off the cob in mine & diced carrots, along with all you added! I’m always asked to make it for friends! I also use stewed tomatoes & tomato paste. I season the tomato sauce too, not just the flour.

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    That’s exactly how my mother-in-law makes it and I’ve made it like that for years she showed me and my mom showed me I like it with mashed potatoes on the side with some green beans with onions bacon my mom would always make that green beans but if I don’t have fresh then I open two cans of green beans We love it

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    This is my go-to recipe for Swiss Steak year after year. Delicious, thank you!

    • Reply
    • So glad you like it. We do to and I was actually planning on making it again next week!

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I made this for dinner tonight and served it over spaghetti. I knew that after reading the ingredients, that it would be delicious. IT WAS!!! Made it just as written except I deglazed the pan with red wine instead of water. (I had a bottle open from the night before) and had some mushrooms that I had to use up, so I threw those in with the other veggies.
    The flavors were so good and the house smelled heavenly. The meat was fork tender.
    I had a large high sided, oven safe sauté pan and did the entire dish in it. I love one pan meals.
    Thank you for such a wonderful dish. I think next time I make it, I’ll try it over Mashed Potatoes. (Although I’m not sure my hubby would want me to change a thing)

    • Reply
  • Tomato paste comes in a lot of different sizes which did you use?

    • Reply
  • 4 stars
    You might try leaving out the tomato paste as the tomato taste is quite strong.

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Making this tonight. I’ll let you all know how it turns out. ?

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I fixed this recipe for dinner last night and my husband and grandkids LOVED it. We served it over mashed potatoes and it was a big hit. This reminds me of the comfort food we had as a kid. Thanks so much for posting it.

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    When I was a kid some 60+ years ago, this was a frequent offering in the school cafeteria. Back then the lunch ladies actually cooked the meals, and at my school the food was really good. Swiss steak, made with extra sauce that was ladled over the mashed potatoes, was hit with all of us. This recipe comes close to what I remember.

    • Reply
    • Yes! Wish kids could still have the experience of real home cooked food in school cafeterias.

      • Reply
  • 4 stars
    Hits the spot! I make it easier. I buy cubed steaks and dredge them and sear them in an electric skillet. I remove the meat and add a little broth or water AND red wine to scrape the bits up. I add 1/2 can of stewed tomatoes–that already have onion, peppers and celery in the can. Add the meat, and the rest of the tomatoes on top. I usually add a little minced garlic too. 325-350 for 2 hours works fine. Serve with mashed taters and make sure you have enough “gravy”!

    • Reply
  • you just can’t go wrong with comfort food! my husband + i would both love this dish, especially him as his mom makes something similar. we’d probably serve it over buttered egg noodles. yum!

    • Reply
  • Hi Steve…first of all , thank you so much for stopping by and for the support.
    This Swiss beef looks wonderful, indeed in the category of comfort food. I can imagine how tasty is the mashed potato with the sauce on it.
    Hope you are having a wonderful week 🙂

    • Reply
  • This looks so delicious. What a great way to cook cube steak. And having it with mashed potatoes would hit the spot. You’re so right about this being comfort food.

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  • I’m all for comfort food. 🙂 This looks great. 🙂

    • Reply
  • You seriously stirred up some memories for me. This was one of my dad’s fave things to eat. This looks fantastic. Thanks for the memory!

    • Reply
  • My favorite part of this is that big helping of mashed potatoes! 🙂 I really appreciate this post, I don’t have a good Swiss steak recipe in my database, and don’t think I’ve ever made it. I’m pinning it, which is my new way of bookmarking.

    • Reply
  • After seeing this I am reminded of what my mom forgot when preparing cube steak. We just got the meat ( tough panfried) with no topping growing up. I used to hate this cut of meat. Now that I am older and have seen how this is to be prepared, I like it a lot better. Tender meat and a delicious topping does make all the difference! Your plating and preparation here does reflect the sought after qualities of this dish. Well done!

    • Reply
  • Comfort food 101…love it.

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  • Interesting – I’ve never had this, though I grew up in Germany. It does sound delicious, though!

    • Reply
    • It is interesting that the name swiss steak does not mean that it came from Switzerland. In fact, the name does not refer to Switzerland, but instead to the process of “swissing”, which refers to fabric or other materials being pounded or run through rollers in order to soften it. (that is from wikipedia) 🙂

      • Reply

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