Easy Chopped Steak Recipe with Mushrooms and Onions

Chopped steak, hamburg steak, Salisbury steak, or whatever else you may call this German-inspired dish has a well-earned a spot in the annals of American comfort food. 

What is a Chopped Steak?

The name chopped steak comes from its origins in using hand-chopped beef for the meat. Nowadays, it is far more common to use ground (minced) beef for a chopped steak recipe. That said, chopped steak is essentially a hamburger with no bun. Many recipes for chopped steak will also add binders like egg, or fillers like onion and breadcrumb, making the meat much more like flat meatballs or meatloaf than a hamburger. 

My Approach to Chopped Steak

I’ll be using a meatball or meatloaf style approach to my chopped steak recipe. This will make the texture a little more tender and give me some additional flavors to work with. If you don’t have breadcrumbs or eggs on hand you can leave them out and make this as a hamburger if you want.  

What Makes a Good Chopped Steak

Good chopped steak needs two things: tender meat and delicious gravy. I’ll be going over processes and tips for both in this chopped steak recipe.

Developing a Pan Sauce for Your Chopped Steak

I’m going to be making what is known as a pan sauce for my chopped steak recipe. I make a pan sauce by dissolving all the flavors and bits left over from cooking the meat with stock, and adding ingredients like onions and mushrooms. I’ll also be braising my chopped steak in the pan sauce to finish it. This will allow more flavor to penetrate the steak, as well as keep it juicy.

What Pairs with Chopped Steak?

There are a few ways to eat your chopped steak. I personally prefer the Asian style, which is over rice. Another way is to have your chopped steak with mashed potatoes, which is what I grew up with. Recently, I have experienced an open-faced chopped steak sandwich, and that was amazing!

To sum it up, pairing your chopped steak with some sort of carb works well. You can also add a vegetable side dish to this as well, such as broccoli or green beans.