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A forkful of Swiss steak lifted above the plate, tomato gravy clinging to the tender beef over the noodles and peas.
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Swiss Steak Recipe with Round Steak

Round steak braised low in a fire-roasted tomato gravy until a fork slides straight through it. You get clean slices and a gravy thick enough to coat egg noodles, from the cheapest thing in the case.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 373kcal
Author: Brittany Lauren

Ingredients

For the Steaks

  • 2–2½ lbs top or bottom round steak, sliced ½–¾ inch thick
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

For the Braise

  • 2 tablespoons oil (we use avocado oil)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced
  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 2 celery stalks sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
  • 1½ cups beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • bay leaf
  • Flat leaf parsley Garnish

Instructions

Prep the steaks

  • Pat the steaks dry. Pound them with a meat mallet until ½ inch thick. Season all over with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 325°F and adjust the rack to the middle-low position.
    Four seasoned round steak portions laid out on a wooden cutting board with a meat mallet, ready to be pounded even.

Dredge

  • Mix the flour, paprika, and garlic powder. Dredge the steaks in the flour mixture and shake off excess flour.
    A round steak dredged in seasoned flour in a shallow bowl, coated on both sides before it goes into the pan.

Brown the steaks

  • Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven or high-walled cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear steaks in batches until deep golden on both sides. Set aside.
    The round steak seared to a deep brown crust in the cast iron skillet, ready to come out while the vegetables cook.

Cook the vegetables

  • Add 1 more tablespoon of the oil if needed, and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook 6–8 minutes until soft and beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
    Carrots, celery and onion softened and browning at the edges in the beef drippings left in the cast iron skillet.

Build the tomato base.

  • Stir in the tomato paste. Cook until it darkens slightly, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in beef broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom with a wooden spoon.
    The tomato paste cooked into the vegetables until it darkens to deep rust, the step that builds the gravy's backbone.

Add tomatoes and seasonings.

  • Stir in the fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire, and bay leaf.
    Crushed tomatoes and a bay leaf stirred into the vegetables in the cast iron skillet, building the braising gravy.

Return the steaks.

  • Nestle the steaks back into the pot, submerging them halfway.
    Four seared round steaks nestled back into the tomato gravy with carrots, celery and a bay leaf, ready for the oven.

Braise in the oven

  • Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bake for 1¾–2½ hours, until the steaks reach 195–205°F internal temperature and can be cut with a fork but do not fall apart or shred.

Finish the gravy

  • Remove steaks. Simmer the sauce uncovered over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes if it needs to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve

  • Spoon the tomato gravy over the steaks. Garnish with minced fresh parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice and green beans or peas.
    The finished Swiss steak in its cast iron skillet, surrounded by carrots, tomatoes, peas, egg noodles and fresh parsley.

Notes

  • Ask for round steak at the butcher counter, not cube steak. Cube steak comes through the machine pre-tenderized and goes to shreds in a braise this long.
  • Pull at temperature, not by look. Round steak looks done around 180°F and isn't. It needs 195–205°F for the collagen to let go.
  • Leftovers reheat well in the gravy, covered, in a low oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 971mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3764IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 5mg