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Salisbury Steak Meatballs are savory, tender, and plate perfectly with some fluffy mashed potatoes! These easy to make meatballs have everything you love about classic salisbury steak in deliciously bite sized portions.
I won’t lie… I was totally that kid in the cafeteria that never complained about the salisbury steak. While I still have that love for the classic all American dish, I’ve definitely created better recipes for it than what the lunch lady handed me all those years ago!
With that being said, turning classic salisbury steak into meatballs might just be my greatest stroke of genius yet. These beef meatballs are loaded with all of the rich savory flavors of the traditional dish and have the same great consistency! Plus, they’re served with an insanely good gravy that’ll have you licking the plate.
While you could probably serve these meatballs with toothpicks and call it an appetizer, I think it’s a bit of a crime to enjoy salisbury steak without mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes are what you need to really soak up every last bit of that savory gravy, and trust me – you do NOT want any of that stuff going to waste!
What You’ll Need
For the meatballs, you’ll need:
- Egg – It can be cold or room temp.
- Onions – Make sure they are very finely diced! Yellow or white both work.
- Garlic – Use fresh, not pre-minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Ketchup – Any brand will do the trick.
- Dijon Mustard – Do NOT substitute this with plain yellow mustard.
- Worcestershire Sauce – No salisbury steak would ever be complete without this!
- Salt – Just a sprinkle.
- Black Pepper – Freshly ground yields the most flavor.
- Parsley – It should be dried, not fresh.
- Ground Beef – I used a pound of 85/15 ground beef.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – These help to create the best structure for the meatballs.
- Olive Oil – In a pinch, avocado oil may be used instead.
Here’s what you’ll need for the gravy:
- Butter – Unsalted works best!
- Brown Mushrooms – Make sure you clean them prior to slicing.
- Flour – All-purpose is what you’ll need.
- Dijon Mustard
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Beef Broth – Any brand should work here.
How to Make Salisbury Steak Meatballs
For more detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post!
Make the meat mixture. Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl.
Cook the meatballs. Once they’ve all been rolled, preheat a skillet with oil. Cook the meatballs in batches until they’re browned and cooked all the way through.
Make the gravy. With the meatballs out of the pan, sauté the mushrooms in melted butter. Stir in the flour. Then stir in the Dijon and Worcestershire. After that, whisk in the beef broth 1 cup at a time.
Cook the meatballs more. Once the gravy has thickened, add the meatballs back to the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, then let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Enjoy! Serve these meatballs with mashed potatoes and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Common Questions:
Can I use another type of meat? Given the name, it’s safe to say that salisbury steak in any form is best made with beef! However, you could always try using ground pork, turkey, or even a plant based substitute if preferred.
Are these meatballs gluten free? Because of the panko breadcrumbs in the meatballs and the flour in the gravy, this is not a gluten free recipe. However, you could always try using gluten free substitutes for these ingredients!
Storage Instructions:
In an airtight container in the fridge, these meatballs will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Check out more of my favorite meatball recipes!
- Swedish Meatballs
- One Pot Sticky Asian Meatballs
- Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs
- Moroccan Turkey Meatballs
Salisbury Steak Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- ½ cup (80 g) finely diced onions
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 pound (454 g) 85/15 ground beef
- ⅔ cup (40 g) panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the gravy:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces (227 g) brown mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups (710 ml) beef broth
Instructions
- Whisk the egg in a large bowl then add the onions, garlic, ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and parsley and stir to combine.
- Add the ground beef and breadcrumbs and gently stir but do not overmix.
- Form 18-25 balls from the meat mixture then heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add half of the meatballs to the pan and gently stir to prevent burning and cook for about 5 minutes or until all sides have turned a dark brown color.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and repeat the cooking process with the remaining half of the meatballs.
- Once all the meatballs have been cooked, make the gravy by adding the butter to the pan along with the mushrooms and stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have reduced significantly.
- Add the flour and stir and cook just until the flour starts to turn a dark brown color.
- Stir in the Dijon and Worcestershire sauce then pour in the beef broth 1 cup at a time, whisking between each addition.
- Continuously whisk over medium heat until the gravy starts to thicken then add the meatballs back to the gravy, reduce the heat to low medium then cover with a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve over mashed potatoes and garnish with freshly minced parsley if desired.
I don’t like Dijon mustard.Can I use the regular kind?
you can; it shouldn’t affect taste too much but it might slightly
So delicious! This was the first time I made this dish and I doubled it and it turned out perfectly. Tasted just like Salisbury steak and the recipe was easy to follow and it was quick to make which is a plus! Definitely going to add this to my menu rotations!