These French onion Salisbury steaks are flavorful ground chuck steaks covered in a sweet onion, garlic, and red wine sauce, with crunchy cheesy toasts for dipping.
Nothing is better on a cold winter night than a warm, hearty, comforting meal for dinner that can feed the hungriest of crowds.
This french onion Salisbury steak takes traditional Salisbury steaks and combines them with all of the delicious flavors of french onion soup–red wine, sweet caramelized onions, thyme–and serves them up with a side of crunchy, garlic butter cheese toasts for dunking into that delicious, savory broth.
It’s also easily scalable, so this protein-packed recipe can be easily adjusted whether you’re feeding 2 people or 10.
Trust me, if you’re a fan of classic Salisbury steak, you will love this french onion twist!
Craving even more French onion? Try my French Onion Soup, French Onion Chicken Meatballs, or my French Onion Dip.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for french onion Salisbury steak
Salisbury steak ingredients:
- Ground chuck – Ground chuck is full of beefy flavor and has a good amount of fat, perfect for Salisbury steaks.
- Herbs – Parsley and scallion give the Salisbury steaks a burst of freshness and flavor,
- Kosher salt and black pepper – Salt and pepper are essential seasonings to help bring out all of the flavors.
- All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour helps thicken the sauce for our steaks.
French onion sauce ingredients:
- Olive oil – Olive oil is our fat of choice for this dish, to help cook down the onions.
- Sweet onions – Sweet onions will get soft, cook down, and caramelize beautifully for our sauce.
- Sugar – Sugar will add a slight sweetness to our sauce.
- Garlic – A classic addition that will add earthiness to our dish.
- Tomato paste – Tomato paste will help thicken the sauce and also give a rich tomato flavor.
- Beef stock – Feel free to use homemade or your favorite store-bought variety.
- Dry red wine – Be sure to use a favorite wine that you would drink, because the flavors will concentrate in the sauce.
- Dried thyme leaves – Thyme is herbaceous and slightly lemony.
- Parmesan cheese – Parmesan cheese adds a rich, salty bite to our sauce.
Cheese toast ingredients:
- Sliced french bread – Most major grocery store bakeries carry delicious freshly baked french bread.
- Butter – This will help our flavors stick to the bread and add moisture.
- Garlic – Garlic will add an earthy flavor to the cheese toasts.
- Cheeses – I’ve used a combination of swiss and parmesan cheese for these toasts.
What is a Salisbury steak?
Salisbury steak is an American midwestern creation that came from the late 19th century.
It’s a meat patty made from ground beef and seasonings, that is formed into the shape of a steak, or a small individual loaf shape, often served up with some kind of gravy or sauce.
Alcohol-free
If you or your guests can’t have wine, no worries! Simply omit the red wine and add more beef stock.
Side dishes
I’ve decided to serve up these french onion Salisbury steaks with cheese toasts, to mimic the tops of french onion soups, but here are some other sides that you could serve up as well:
- Mashed potatoes
- Mashed cauliflower
- Baked beans
- Simple green side salad
- Biscuits or rolls
Storage and leftovers
Any leftover french onion Salisbury steak can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply place in a microwave-safe dish and cover loosely with a damp paper towel, and heat for 2-3 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
More comforting meals
- Love lentils? Try my Healthy French Lentil Soup
- Craving something hearty but not heavy? Try my Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- Need something smooth and satisfying? Try my Instant Pot Zucchini Soup
- Want some pasta? Try my Butternut Squash Sausage Pasta
French Onion Salisbury Steak
Ingredients
For Salisbury steak:
- 1-1/4 pound ground chuck
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley minced
- 2 tablespoon scallion minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
For onions and sauce:
- 2 cups sliced sweet onions
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese shredded
For cheese toast:
- 4 slices French bread or baguette – cut diagonally 1/2 inch thick
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- Pinch of paprika
- 1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
For Salisbury steak:
- Combine ground chuck, parsley, scallion, salt, and pepper.
- Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape each into 1-inch thick oval patties.
- Place 2 tablespoons flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour.
- Reserve 1 teaspoon of flour.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add patties and saute for 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan.
For onions and sauce:
- Add onions and sugar to the pan, and saute for 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and tomato paste and saute for 1 minute, or until the paste begins to brown.
- Sprinkle onions with reserved flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in broth and wine, then add the salt and thyme.
- Return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
For the Cheese Toasts:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place bread on a baking sheet.
- Combine butter, garlic, and paprika and spread on one side of each slice of bread.
- Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter.
- Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly 10-15 minutes.
For serving:
- Serve the Salisbury steak with the cheese toast and top with onions and sauce. This is great served over mashed potatoes.