Smothered Round Steak and Gravy
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This smothered Round Steak and gravy recipe is just what you need for a comforting, savory, quick, and easy meal! In just 20 minutes, you can have tender steak smothered in a rich, flavorful gravy cooked in one pan with minimal cleanup.
Rounds steaks like this or my eye of round steak recipes are the number one cut of beef that I hear all too often getting a bad rep. Unfortunately, it is primarily due to incorrect cooking procedures, which can lead to tough and chewy meat.
However, once you learn how to cook round steaks correctly, they are very delicious.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! This round steak is one of my favorites! Seriously, it is just as delicious as my butter garlic ribeye.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This smothered round steak recipe is ready in just 20 minutes. It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you need a satisfying meal quickly.
- Minimal cleanup is required, as everything is cooked in one pan, making it a hassle-free and easy meal to prepare.
- The steak is smothered in a savory gravy, ensuring every bite is tender, juicy, and packed with rich flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter: This will add richness to the gravy, help brown the steak, and create a deep flavor base.
- Onions: As they cook down in the butter, they will soften and caramelize to create a deep, sweet, and savory flavor that forms the backbone of the gravy.
- Beef Broth: This will serve as the base of the gravy and give it a meaty, savory foundation.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This will give your smothered round steak an umami kick with a touch of sweetness and saltiness to enhance the flavor of the beef.
There Are Two Ways to Cook a Round Steak
One of my favorite ways to cook round steaks is slow cooking them in the dutch oven.
But if you don’t have time for that, no worries, you can quickly make the perfect round steaks recipe on the stove in less than 30 minutes, and it will still turn out tender.
And hey, if you like the idea of cooking a meal in under 30 minutes, you will surely love this elk steak recipe!
Smothered Round Steak and Gravy Recipe
Step 1: Heat your cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, then add butter. Once the butter is melted, sear round steaks on each side for about one minute. Basically, we want a nice sear to develop but have not totally cooked the steak just yet. Remove steaks from the skillet and set them aside.
Step 2: Reduce heat to medium; add more butter to the skillet. Once melted, add sliced onions and mushrooms. Sautee until soft, and then add in salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
Step 3: Sprinkle vegetables with two tablespoons of flour. Stir to coat. Slowly pour in broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, stirring constantly until it thickens.
Step 4: Place the round steaks in the gravy and let them simmer until they are cooked through. It takes about 10-15 minutes.
Pro Tip: I like to add a sprig of rosemary to the skillet, which adds so much delicious flavor. It’s not necessary, though!
Expert Tips
- Have a piping hot skillet. A hot skillet is essential in creating that nice sear to lock in the delicious flavor!
- Pat dry the steaks before searing. Excess moisture can result in the steak steaming instead of searing, so it’s important to really dry it off before beginning.
- Prevent burning. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring to prevent burning.
- Use an instant thermometer. Internal temperature can make the difference between a tender, juicy steak and a tough, dry steak.
Frequently asked questions
I’ve already alluded to this above, but essentially, in order to cook round steaks quickly, they’ll need some liquid to simmer in to keep them tender.
We do that by making a gravy with simple kitchen ingredients like butter, flour, broth, and spices.
Round steaks are a cut of steak that comes from the rear leg of a cow. If you have ever had venison steak, the texture is very similar.
The round steak is typically divided into different cuts, such as the top round and the bottom round steak. It is also an inexpensive cut of meat, perfect for budget-friendly meals.
Most of the time, round steaks will come tenderized. However, if it doesn’t come tenderized, all you have to do is give it a few good whacks with a meat mallet.
This will soften the fibers, making it easier to chew and digest. But to answer the question, no, you don’t have to tenderize the meat.
A combination of lean meat and heavy use makes the round steak one of the tougher cuts of beef.
Serving Suggestions
You will love how easy and filling this recipe is just on its own, but if you want to stretch this meal a little further, I love it with any of the following sides.
Oh, and one more thing: we love gravy. We make a lot of steaks in gravy; even our moose chops are finished in gravy.
Now that that’s out of the way, if you are a red sauce fan and have more round steaks in the freezer, you’ll have to try this round steak pizzaiola recipe!
My Favorite Budget-Friendly Steaks
So I have had a lot of people ask what my favorite low-cost steaks are. I’m not about to write a post just for that, so you are going to get it right here.
At the top of the list, round steaks are going to be the cheapest cut. That may not be the case in every area, but here in the Midwest, they don’t get much cheaper.
Other cuts that may fall into the “budget-friendly steaks” include:
- Skirt steak, which makes great skirt steak fajitas
- Chuck steaks
- Flat iron steaks
- Chuck eye steaks
- Sirloin steaks (also on the list of most tender steaks!)
- Salisbury steak (does that even count?)
Wrapping up
For a delicious and easy dinner, smothered steak is the perfect one-dish meal that the whole family will love.
Give it a try now, and let us know what you think in the comments! If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to leave a review.
Once you’ve had your fill of smothered steak, why not give one of these recipes a go next?
Related Recipes
- How to cook venison backstrap
- Cast iron burgers
- Dutch oven stuffed peppers
- Venison tenderloin medallions
- Fried liver and onions
- Venison burgers
If you tried this Round Steak and Gravy Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Round Steak and Gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 round steaks about 8 oz each
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ onion sliced
- 6 baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large, 12" cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, then add the steaks to sear for 2 minutes, flipping once.
- Remove steaks from the skillet and reduce heat to medium.
- Saute the onions and mushrooms in the remaining butter until soft.
- Add salt, pepper and garlic, stir in flour, and slowly add the bone broth.
- Bring the gravy to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, stirring constantly until it thickens.
- Add steaks back in, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
Notes
- Make sure your skillet is piping hot before adding the steaks.
- Wait to add the butter until the skillet is hot. Adding it too early can cause the butter to burn.
- Pat the steak dry before searing so a nice crust develops.
- Don’t clean the skillet before sauteing your vegetables. The little brown bits from the steak add so much flavor!
- Use an instant thermometer to ensure your steaks are cooked through!
- According to the USDA, round steaks must be cooked to a minimum temperature of 145°F.
This round steak is so tender with great flavor!
I just made this last night. Delicious!
This is my go to recipe on busy weeknights!
Needed something quick and this was COMPLETELY YUMMY and as quick as advertised. Husband agrees. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Will try this tonight