Creamy Cube Steak
I made this recipe on one of those months when every trip to the grocery store was annoying. You know what I mean. You go into the store with something simple in mind, and somehow come out wondering why basic ingredients suddenly cost so much. That’s when cube steak started turning up in my cart more often because it was still the cheapest thing on the block.
The problem was later though. Cube steak can go tough on you fast if you rush it and to be honest, I made a few bad ones before this one came along. Dry meat, thin gravy, disappointing dinners – all part of the process, apparently.
One afternoon, mostly out of laziness, I dumped cube steak into the slow cooker with cream soup, onion soup mix and sour cream because that’s what I had sitting around. I expected nothing. But a few hours later the smell coming from the kitchen completely changed my mind. Rich onion gravy, slow-cooked beef, creamy sauce bubbling around the edges — the whole house smelled like the kind of dinner that somebody’s grandmother would serve with mashed potatoes and sweet tea.
By dinnertime the steak was so tender I barely needed a knife. The gravy turned into this creamy savory sauce that soaked perfectly into potatoes, bread, basically anything in reach. The gravy, honestly, itself was something to appreciate.
Now I make this recipe on busy days when I don’t want to stand over the stove for an hour. I make everything in the morning, put it in the slow cooker for dinner, and by the time the evening rolls around, the kitchen smells warm and cozy, and I’ve done very little. Plus, leftovers are ridiculously good the next day spooned over toast at lunchtime. Not fancy. Still very good.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The slow cooker does most of the work for you.
The gravy is rich, creamy and really savory.
Cube steak becomes so tender after cooking for hours.
The ingredients are still simple and cheap.
It tastes like old school comfort food in the best way possible.
Ingredients:
2 lbs cubed steak
1 can mushroom soup (cream of)
1 package onion soup mix
1 c. sour cream
Directions
Step 1: Put Steaks In
Add the cube steak to the slow cooker.
If necessary, overlap the pieces slightly. No need to make it perfect.
Step 2: Make the sauce
Take a bowl and mix:
Mushroom Soup (Cream of)
onion soup mix sour cream
The mixture looks thick and a little weird at first but it smooths out while cooking.
Step 3: Finish the steak
Spread cube steaks with the creamy mixture.
Try to cover everything evenly so the meat stays tender while cooking.
Step 4: Cook slow and low
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours.
The cube steak should be tender enough to be forked, and the gravy should be rich and creamy around the edges.
Towards the end your kitchen will smell awesome.
Notes From The Little Kitchen
This recipe is great served with mashed potatoes. Absolutely not.
Egg noodles are nice, too.
Add sliced mushrooms or onions for a little extra flavor.
A little black pepper on top just before serving is really good.
Final conclusion
This recipe isn’t going to win any fancy cooking competitions and to be honest that is part of the reason I like it. It is warm, comforting, simple and reliable, the sort of dinner people really want after a long day. And recipes that get people scraping extra gravy onto their plates are usually ones that deserve a permanent spot in the rotation.
