Swiss steak is a classic comfort food type recipe. It is one of those recipe though that is often forgotten about in today’s modern and more gourmet type recipes.
I grew up eating swiss steak often. It was inexpensive to make and we all enjoyed it, so my mom made it quite a bit.
My mom always kept her swiss steak pretty simple and so do I. A lot of people add things like carrots and celery to theirs, but I like to keep it basic. Feel free to add whatever you like to this basic recipe.
Slow cooked swiss steak is great because it cooks low and slow all day which helps tenderize the meat and gives it a lot of flavor.
Now I am curious, how many of you grew up eating swiss steak like I did? And do any of you cook it now?
Slow Cooked Swiss Steak
An old fashioned swiss steak recipe made in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour or gluten free flour blend
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds round steak, cut into chunks or strips
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a shallow dish combine flour, salt, and pepper.
- Dredge steak in flour mixture until coated on both sides.
- Place in slow cooker along with the onions.
- Add diced tomatoes and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until tender.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 261Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 267mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 29g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
oh I had no idea I could do this in the crockpot! lol ~ I love swiss steak. This brings back memories of my childhood when I used to go bike riding with a friend and then over to his house for dinner. His Mom always made Swiss Steak and I remember trying to get my Mom to make it too lol. Thanks for sharing this way to prepare it! (I add red and green peppers to the onions and tomato as well)
I think you could pretty easily adapt most swiss steaks for the crock pot. I love how it turns out cooked low and slow.
I grew up eating what my mom called swiss steak but it was different.
She put round steak, onion, potatoes and carrots in the preassure cooker
and cooked till done. server seperate not mixed like stew, it has a taste of its
own doesn’t taste like stew. I also eat it like your
recipe like them both. So easy and a good home cooked dinner.
Judi
My favorite meal in the whole world! My grandmother did hers in the oven and my mom made it in her electric fry pan. I cook mine in the oven with onions, peppers, garlic, and stewed tomatoes. I always serve with mashed potatoes. My family loves swiss steak. I will have to try in slow cooker, especially for summer time.
I love how it turns out in the slow cooker and yes it is great for the warm weather months when you do not want to use your oven.
YES! My mom fixed it pretty much exactly this way when I was growing up, and I still make this once every few months also. SOOOOOO good and easy!
I have never made this. About how many servings does this make? I might have to double and adapt this for my large family. I might have to reduce the meat to about 2#’s after I double it, just to me more economical. Thanks for the recipe!
I would say 6 servings. We have enough for my family of 5 plus some leftover for my husband’s lunch. I think this is a meal you could easily add more tomatoes or even other ingredients so you could stretch it out. Since you serve it with rice or noodles you could use more rice, less meat mixture for each serving as well. I hope you enjoy it!
This is what my family called Swiss steak, but when I married my husband his family had a different recipe. His family’s was not tomato based, it has a cream of mushroom gravy. No tomatoes.
That is interesting. We ate a dish like that that was cream based and mushrooms, but it was not called swiss steak. It is interesting how that can vary so much with each family.
Lynn,
Thanks for the brain nudge. My grandmother used to make this when I was little. She use a cut of meat which was called in Indiana…swiss steak. What a concept. It was just an extra thick round steak used for slow cooking on top of the stove or in the oven. She would flour, salt and pepper it on both sides and then proceed to pound the heck out of it with the side of a dinner plate. Flour flying everywhere. She would brown it in lard (that tells you how old I am), add diced onion & celery, and then pour a quart of home canned tomatoes over the top. Cooked it slow & low and the meat came out fall off the fork tender. She would add some extra flour to the pan sauce to make gravy and served it over mashed potatoes. Skip a bunch of years and right now I have my own version in the crock pot. Peeled some potatoes for the bottom, dropped in a small chuck roast (no round steak), added salt, pepper, celery salt, garlic powder, dehydrated onion, some beef bouillon cubes, a large can of tomatoes and a little water. Can’t wait till the aroma starts to flow thru the house. What a treat for dinner tonight.
I am glad you enjoyed this and that it reminded you of your grandmother. There are so many different versions of swiss steak, but they are all that down home comfort food type meal that everyone loves. Your grandmothers version sounds delicious! And I hope you enjoy your slow cooker version.
I did grow up eating Swiss Steak , my step mom put carrots in ours. I didn’t like it much as a young girl but now that I am grown I do find myself wanting it more and more. I haven’t made it too much because my husband said his mom made it often therefore he doesn’t care for it. Thank you for sharing your recipe, I will be making this one day this week 🙂
The biggest difference between this and what my mother made, is that she always served it with a little bit of Swiss cheese added to the top of the meat right before serving.
That sounds really good! I will have to try that next time.
I grew up in Southern Indiana and my mom did not like meat much. She liked bacon and pork chops and that’s about it. She did make other meat, but they weren’t just meat; they had to be part of a larger dish, like a casserole. She made swiss steak a lot, in the skillet with sliced onions and tomatoes. She loved green peppers (she and my grandmother called them “mangoes”) but I don’t remember if she put them in swiss steak or not. She may have. I remember the meat was always tough.
Worcestershire sauce is not GF
According to the Lea and Perrins website in the US it is gluten free, so I have always thought it was. https://www.leaperrins.com/products/the-original-worcestershire-sauce.aspx
I made this for tonights dinner and it was so awful….my dogs wouldn’t eat it either. Wasted steak. Are you sure you didn’t leave something out?
I haven’t had Swiss Steak since my youth.. I forgot how simple and delicious this dish is.. I used Cubed Steak , it’s what I had on hand.. it was so tender and very flavorful!!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it!
Do you drain the tomatoes?
No I don’t drain the tomatoes. I hope that helps and that you enjoy it. Sorry it took so long for me to respond I have been out of town and am just now catching up.
I grew up on Swiss Steak and I LOVE it and make if often. We didn’t use flour or Worchestire and didn’t cut it up before cooking. Otherwise, it’s identical to yours! Yum yum!!