This Easy Swiss Steak Recipe features thin cuts of round steak simmered in a peppery tomato beef sauce until tender. Your family will love this classic dinner!
So, I was going through the mountain of old family recipes that my parents sent over, and I came across my mom's vintage recipe for Swiss Steak. Have you ever had it? We ate this a couple of time a month when I was growing up, but for some reason, I never made it for my own family.
Except for the occasional chuck roast, I mostly use ground beef because we pretty much mostly live off of quick and easy dinners. But with round steak, you have to let it cook low and slow. My mom used to make Swiss Steak in the electric skillet and let it simmer for a couple of hours. The result was delicious!
I like the idea of making some retro recipes for my kids so that they can experience the same dinners I grew up on -- total food nerd moment here. So, I made Swiss Steak twice in the last week.
The first time, I followed my mom's recipe closely, but not quite exactly. I dredged the meat in corn starch instead of flour, and I used red and yellow peppers instead of green. I also adjusted the spices to add some garlic. My family enjoyed it, but I wanted to tweak the recipe a little.
The next time I made Swiss Steak, I mixed in some beef broth with the crushed tomatoes. And, I also let the steak simmer for almost 3 hours instead of almost two. And this, friends, made a huge difference!
The sauce from the second recipe was more like a gravy instead of tomato sauce, although both versions are definitely good. And, letting the Swiss Steak simmer longer made the meat tender enough to cut with a fork. So if you have time, you want to let the meat hang out as long as you possibly can.
New! You can make Swiss steak in the Instant Pot!
If you don't want to make Swiss steak on the stove or electric skillet, try Instant Pot Swiss Steak!
How to Make this Easy Swiss Steak Recipe
Easy Swiss Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bottom round steak, trimmed and cut into large squares
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup celery, finely chopped
- ½ cup red and yellow bell peppers, diced
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup crushed tomato puree
- 1 cup organic low sodium beef stock
Instructions
- Season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and lightly dust with cornstarch on both sides
- Add olive oil to Dutch oven or large skillet, and brown meat on both sides over medium high heat
- Stir in peppers, onions and celery
- Pour crushed tomatoes and beef broth over meat, stir, cover, and let simmer on medium low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally
- Serve over cooked rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles, or with side of vegetables
Notes
Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.
Nutrition
This easy Swiss Steak recipe does require some extra prep time, but you can make things easier by chopping your peppers, onions and celery in advance. I always try to keep a stash in the freezer to make weeknight meals as easy as possible. Once you have the round steak simmering on the stove, you just let it go until you're ready to eat.
My family loved this Swiss Steak! I wasn't sure if they would, since it's a little bit different, but they ate it all up. My little guy even asked for seconds!
If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Happy Cooking,
Kara says
Made this tonight exactly as written and it was absolutely wonderful! Meat was tender and sauce was delicious.
We served it over mashed cauliflower and it’s definitely going to be on our regular rotation. Thank you!
Dee says
So glad you liked it, Kara! Thanks so much!
Jules says
This recipe is sooooo delicious! Just made it tonight for me and my fiance and he loved it too. Definitely going to make it a lot more. Great job! ❤🤤
Dee says
That's wonderful, Jules! I'm so glad you both liked it -- Thanks! 🙂
Janet Wallace says
love this recipe
Jessica Robinson says
I made this for a large group with lots of children and everyone loved It!
Dee says
Awesome, Jessica! So glad everyone liked it! 🙂
Chris says
I'm a Cajun, and this sounds great! Making it tonight. The flour will make a roux and thicken the gravy, just like we like it in South Louisiana! Thanks!
Dee says
Thank, Chris! I hope you like it!
Mikael says
Lookin great, gonna try this asap! ????????????
Pam says
Can I double the amount of tomato purée and beef broth so that I have more gravy?
Dee says
Absolutely! The more gravy, the better. 🙂
Nancy k says
Mom used to make SwissSteak over mashed potatoes, sometimes Rice.
Is it just my region, or has anyone else not seen a Round Steak at their local grocers? Why not? Would Chuck Roast work? I'd love to make this again.
Dee says
Hi, Nancy. I think some people make this with cube steak, but I'm not sure a thicker cut like chuck would work. I found the round steak at Fry's (Kroger), so maybe a store with a butcher shop would have it.
Amy says
Could you cook this in a crock pot instead of stove top? Open flame for 3 hours is a little unnerving to me.
Dee says
I would brown them on the stove first, but you should be able to let them simmer in the Crock-Pot after that. An electric skillet works well, too!
Shirley Wood says
Oh how you brought back the memories. My Mother cooked round steak quite a bit. I don't know how in the world she was able to make it so tender. I enjoy making my Mom's recipes too. This sounds delicious.
Pat says
I always pounded the steak before I dipped it in flour. I cooked it in an electric skillet with tomato sauce, and veggies for several hours. My kids keep asking for it. Time to bring back some memories.
Dee says
That's almost exactly how my mom made it in her electric skillet! 🙂
Helen S. says
Do you think I could use flank steak and shorten the cooking time? I rarely see round steak for sale where I live in Canada. Thanks.
Dee says
Hi Helen. I think some people do use flank steak instead of round steak, so if you shortened the cooking time, it should work. 🙂
Sandi G says
This is pure yummy comfort food 🙂
Patty says
My Mom used to make it with mashed potatoes and we used the sauce with gravy. I haven't had this in years but I think it will be a wonderful meal for next week. Thanks for sharing.
Dee says
This would be so good over mashed potatoes! Now I want to make it again just so I can have it over potatoes! 🙂
Amanda says
Yum! I have tried different versions of swiss steak and can never seem to recreate my mom's recipe(even though she has given me the instructions). Trying your tonight!!
Dee says
I hope you like it! Really, I think we can never quite top our moms' recipes! 😉
Michelle says
It looks like the perfect comfort food dish!!
Sabrina says
This is a perfect recipe for my kids! They're going to love it!
cathy @ noble pig says
One of my favorites from childhood.
Michelle Goth says
I can honestly say that I've never had swiss steak before. It looks and sounds delicious! Aren't family recipes just the best?
Rickie says
I'm going to try to make delicious