Easy Swiss Steak

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/12/24
Tested by
Victoria Heydt
Victoria Heydt
Tested by Victoria Heydt
Victoria Heydt is a food photographer, stylist, and the Editorial Operations Director for The Spruce Eats. An Institute of Culinary Education grad, she also develops and tests recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 14 mins
Total: 2 hrs 34 mins
Servings: 6 servings

This classic Swiss steak with silky tomato sauce is comfort food at its best. The secret is buying less expensive cuts of steak, tenderizing them before cooking, and then letting them simmer slowly in a juicy sauce of tomatoes and onions.

Although you might think Swiss steak comes from Switzerland, in reality, the name comes from the "swissing" technique for tenderizing meat. Tough cuts of beef, like bottom round, top round, and chuck, go through a mechanical tenderizer, or a swissing machine, and come out the other end with cube-shaped indentations (hence it's other name, cube steak).

A plate of Swiss steak served with steamed green beans, mashed potatoes, and sparkling water

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

For a classic Swiss steak meal, serve with green beans and mashed potatoes. It also goes great with roasted vegetables and corn on the cob or on top of rice.

What to Use If You Can't Find Swissed Steaks

Our recipe calls for beef chuck steak or bottom round, which is easily found at most grocery stores. If you do find swissed steaks, use those in this recipe and skip the tenderizing step.

If you don't have a meat tenderizer or don't want to do this step yourself, ask your butcher to do it for you. They might even have the machine and can provide you with beautifully tenderized steaks.

What Is the Difference Between Salisbury Steak and Swiss Steak?

A Salisbury steak is made from ground beef that's formed into a patty, and Swiss steak is actually steak. Additionally, Salisbury steak usually has a gravy that consists of beef broth, and Swiss steak is known for being cooked with tomatoes and onions.

Tips for Making Swiss Steak Recipe

  • How to fix the sauce - If the remaining sauce is too thin, place the pan over medium heat. Combine 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of cold water and stir the mixture into the sauce until no lumps remain. Simmer the sauce until well thickened.
  • Make it gluten free - These swiss steaks are coated with flour before cooking, which helps create a crust on the meat and also thickens the tomato sauce. If there are any guests with wheat allergies, simply skip the flour and reduce the sauce as much as possible before serving, so it's nicely thick. Alternatively, you can use a cornstarch slurry at the end to obtain a thicker texture in your sauce.
  • Hands off - For a totally hands-off experience, make this in the slow cooker.
What You'll Need to Make this Swiss Steak Recipe
Aliglow Meat Tenderizer Hammer
A Meat Tenderizer
Amazon Lodge EC6D43 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6-Quart, Island Spice Red
A Heavy Dutch Oven
OXO Good Grips Brushed Stainless Steel Turner
A Slotted Spatula

"It does take some time to prep and brown the steak, but then you just combine everything in the Dutch oven and throw it into the oven for an hour and a half to cook. I would recommend wearing an apron when tenderizing the meat, as the flour goes a bit everywhere." —Victoria Heydt

Old-Fashioned Swiss Steak Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck steak, or bottom round, excess fat trimmed

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed

  • 2 medium onions, quartered and sliced

  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained and chopped

For Thickening the Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, as needed

  • 1 tablespoon water, as needed

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 F/165 C.

    Ingredients to make Swiss Steak

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

  2. Season 2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck steak or bottom round meat with 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add a good amount of flour on a cutting board and place the steak on it. Sprinkle more flour over the meat and pound it with a meat hammer to tenderize. Continue to turn, flour, and pound until most of the flour is used and the steak is nice and flat and feels spongy to the touch. Set aside.

    A large, flattened piece of beef lightly coated with flour, on a cutting board with a meat tenderizer

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

  3. Heat a large, heavy ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the pan. 

    When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add 2 medium onions, sliced. Cook, constantly stirring until the onions are translucent and lightly browned, for about 10 minutes. Remove the onions to a dish with a slotted spoon.

    A large dutch oven with sliced onions cooking in oil

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

  4. Cut the steak into 6 pieces and place them in the hot oil. If your pan isn't big enough, work in batches until all steaks are brown on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side, and there is no pink showing. If needed, use the remaining tablespoon of oil between each batch.

    A dutch oven with four three pieces of steak cooking, next to a plate with three pieces of cooked steak

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

  5. Place the onion on top of the steaks, add 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, chopped, and cover the pan. Place the pot in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the steaks are tender

    A dutch oven with cooked steaks layered with cooked sliced onions and diced canned tomatoes

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

  6. Remove the steaks, tomatoes, and onions to a hot serving platter. Pour the sauce over the steaks and serve.

    A plate of swiss steak topped with onion-tomato sauce

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Feeling Adventurous? Try this:

Here are a few additional ingredients you can add to the recipe, or substitutions that will also make a wonderful dish:

  • Use canned stewed tomatoes instead of the regular canned tomatoes.
  • Add 1 cup of sliced celery to the onions when browning, and then add the tomatoes.
  • Add 1 minced clove of garlic to the onions just before adding the tomatoes.
  • Season the sauce with a dash of oregano and a teaspoon of celery flakes.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste along with the tomatoes if you'd rather not thicken it with flour.
  • Add 1/2 cup of tomato juice or low-sodium beef broth when making the final sauce if you'd like a thinner and juicier consistency.