Ultimate Comfort: Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
Imagine sinking your teeth into incredibly tender, fall-apart beef drenched in a rich, savory gravy. That’s exactly what you get with this Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Creamy Mushroom Gravy recipe. It’s a true set-it-and-forget-it meal that promises maximum flavor with minimal effort, making it perfect for busy weeknights or a comforting Sunday dinner. This beloved classic transforms humble cube steak into a gourmet experience, all thanks to the magic of slow cooking.
By combining simple pantry staples like condensed cream of mushroom soup and a packet of Lipton onion soup mix with tenderized cube steak and a bit of water, you create a deeply flavorful, perfectly seasoned gravy that infuses the meat as it slow cooks to perfection throughout the day. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a gravy so delicious, you’ll want to pour it over everything on your plate. Get ready to add this effortless, crowd-pleasing meal to your regular rotation!
Why This Slow Cooker Cube Steak Recipe is a Must-Try
There are countless reasons to adore this easy Crock Pot Cube Steak recipe, especially if you’re seeking a hearty, home-cooked meal without the fuss. It’s not just simple; it’s a flavor powerhouse. The low and slow cooking method is unparalleled for tenderizing tougher cuts of meat, turning ordinary cube steak into a succulent, fork-tender delight that practically falls apart.
The combination of cream of mushroom soup and Lipton onion soup mix creates a gravy that is rich, deeply savory, and incredibly comforting. This isn’t just any gravy; it’s a perfectly seasoned sauce that eliminates the need for complex spice blends or lengthy simmering. It coats every piece of steak, ensuring each bite is bursting with flavor. This recipe embodies comfort food at its finest, offering a satisfying and delicious experience that feels gourmet but is surprisingly easy to achieve.
Whether you’re new to slow cooking or a seasoned pro, this recipe will quickly become a cherished favorite. It’s ideal for meal prepping, feeding a crowd, or simply enjoying a warm, satisfying dish after a long day. Its versatility means it pairs beautifully with a range of side dishes, making it adaptable to whatever you have on hand.
Video Guide: Crafting Your Perfect Cube Steak
For a visual walkthrough of this incredibly simple recipe, check out our step-by-step video. It demonstrates just how effortless it is to combine the ingredients and prepare your slow cooker for a day of delicious cooking. Watch how quickly you can assemble this hearty meal, ensuring you get perfect results every time.
Time Commitment for This Easy Crockpot Recipe
One of the most appealing aspects of this Crock Pot Cube Steak recipe is the minimal hands-on time it demands. You’ll only need about **five minutes of active prep** to gather your ingredients and get everything into the slow cooker. This makes it an ideal choice for busy mornings before work or school, or for those days when you simply don’t have much time for cooking.
Once prepped, the slow cooker takes over. The cooking time for this Crock Pot Cube Steak recipe is approximately **6-8 hours on low heat**. This extended, gentle cooking is key to achieving that incredibly tender, fall-apart texture that cube steak is famous for when prepared correctly. While the cook time is long, your involvement during this period is zero, allowing you to go about your day and return to a delicious, home-cooked meal ready to serve.
Essential Ingredients for Tender Slow Cooker Cube Steak
This recipe shines because of its reliance on simple, readily available ingredients that come together to create a profoundly flavorful dish. You don’t need exotic spices or fancy techniques; just a few pantry staples transform into a hearty meal.
- Cube Steak: This tenderized cut of beef is the star, known for its ability to become incredibly tender with slow cooking.
- Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup: The foundation of our rich and creamy gravy, providing a savory, umami-packed base.
- Lipton Onion Soup Mix: This packet is a secret weapon, adding a burst of savory onion flavor and depth to the gravy without any chopping or sautéing.
- Water: Used to thin out the condensed soup and create the perfect consistency for the luscious gravy.
- Salt and Pepper: Essential seasonings to enhance the overall flavor profile of the dish to your preference.
Each ingredient plays a crucial role in developing the signature taste and texture of this beloved comfort food. For precise measurements, please refer to the recipe card below.
Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Your Crock Pot Cube Steak
Making this tender and flavorful slow cooker cube steak is incredibly straightforward. With just a few simple steps, you’ll have a mouth-watering meal cooking itself while you go about your day. Follow these instructions for perfect results every time.
First, begin by combining the star ingredients of your rich gravy: the condensed cream of mushroom soup, the entire packet of Lipton onion soup mix, and the specified amount of water directly into your slow cooker. It’s important to mix these components thoroughly with a whisk or spoon until you achieve a smooth, well-blended sauce, ensuring there are no dry lumps of soup mix (refer to the left image). Once your gravy base is perfectly mixed, carefully add the cube steak pieces. Gently stir and arrange them so they are fully submerged and covered by the savory gravy (as shown in the right image). This ensures the meat absorbs all the wonderful flavors as it cooks and becomes incredibly tender.
With the cube steak nestled in its flavorful bath, place the lid on your slow cooker and set it to the ‘low’ setting. Allow it to cook undisturbed for 6-8 hours. The magic of slow cooking at a low temperature is that it gradually breaks down the tougher fibers of the cube steak, transforming it into incredibly tender meat that will practically shred with a fork. You’ll know it’s perfectly done when the beef is wonderfully soft and easily falls apart.
Once the cube steak is tender to your liking, remove the lid. Now is the time to taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste, ensuring the flavors are perfectly balanced. If you wish to add a touch of freshness and color, garnish with fresh parsley (though this is optional and not included in the basic recipe). This succulent slow cooker cube steak is best served with its incredible mushroom gravy poured generously over a hearty carb. Classic pairings include creamy mashed potatoes, broad egg noodles, or fluffy white rice. These sides are perfect for soaking up every last drop of that delicious, savory sauce!
Mastering Your Slow Cooker: Achieving Consistent Results
Understanding your slow cooker is paramount to consistently achieving perfect results with any recipe, including this Crock Pot Cube Steak. It’s important to remember that not all slow cookers are created equal; various factors such as brand, model, size, and even how full the pot is can significantly influence cooking times and temperatures.
For instance, a larger 6-quart slow cooker will typically cook food much faster than a smaller 3- or 4-quart model, even if both are set to the same temperature. Furthermore, the actual temperature output of slow cookers can vary considerably, meaning the ‘low’ setting on one appliance might be hotter than the ‘low’ setting on another. If you’re consistently getting unexpected results, you can use a simple method to test your slow cooker’s temperature to better understand its performance.
The key takeaway is that slow cooking, unlike precise oven baking, requires a bit of intuition and adaptation. There’s no single universal cooking time that applies flawlessly across all slow cookers. Always monitor your dish towards the end of the recommended cooking window, checking for desired tenderness and doneness.
For my own cooking, I rely on a 6-quart crockpot. This size is incredibly versatile, perfectly accommodating most family-sized recipes without being too cumbersome. I particularly appreciate its straightforward functionality, allowing me to easily select cooking times on either high or low settings. A standout feature is its automatic transition to a “keep warm” function once the cooking cycle is complete, which provides great flexibility and peace of mind, knowing my meal will stay warm until we’re ready to eat.
Frequently Asked Questions About Slow Cooker Cube Steak
What is cube steak?
Cube steak is a specific cut of beef, typically derived from less tender cuts like top round or top sirloin. Its distinguishing feature is the small, cube-shaped indentations on its surface, which are created by mechanically pounding or tenderizing the meat with a meat mallet. This process helps to break down muscle fibers, making the steak more receptive to tenderizing during cooking. While commonly bought pre-tenderized, you can also make your own cube steak from tougher red meats like venison or elk using a meat tenderizer.
The initial tenderizing process, combined with the long, slow cooking in a crockpot, ensures that cube steak becomes wonderfully fall-apart tender, making it perfect for absorbing rich gravies and sauces.
Is cube steak the same thing as Salisbury steak?
No, cube steak and Salisbury steak are distinct dishes. Cube steak is a genuine beef steak that has been mechanically tenderized. Salisbury steak, on the other hand, is not a steak in the traditional sense. It’s a patty made from seasoned ground beef, often mixed with other ingredients like breadcrumbs and eggs, then typically pan-fried or baked and served with a rich beef gravy. While both are comforting beef dishes, their core composition is quite different.
How do you cook cube steak so it’s not tough?
The secret to cooking cube steak so it’s not tough lies in the method: low and slow. Long, gentle cooking at lower temperatures, particularly in a slow cooker or Crock Pot, is the most effective way to tenderize this cut of beef. This method allows the connective tissues in the meat to break down over several hours, resulting in a remarkably tender texture that practically falls apart with a fork. This Crock Pot recipe is designed precisely for this purpose, guaranteeing a tender, succulent steak every time, eliminating any worries about a chewy or tough result.
Should cube steak be rinsed before cooking?
No, it is generally not recommended to rinse raw cube steak or any raw meat before cooking, especially when using a slow cooker. Rinsing raw meat can actually spread bacteria from the meat to your sink, countertops, and other kitchen surfaces through splashing water, increasing the risk of cross-contamination. The heat from cooking will effectively kill any surface bacteria, making rinsing an unnecessary and potentially risky step.
Can I add fresh mushrooms to Crock Pot Cube Steak with Mushroom Soup?
Absolutely! Adding fresh mushrooms is a fantastic way to enhance the earthy flavors of the mushroom gravy and add more texture to your slow cooker cube steak. Sliced button (white) mushrooms or cremini mushrooms work wonderfully. You have a couple of options: you can either sauté them lightly in a pan before adding them to the slow cooker to give them a deeper, more caramelized flavor, or simply add them directly to the crock pot along with the other ingredients. They will cook down beautifully and meld with the savory gravy.
Can I double this cube steak recipe?
Yes, you can easily double this Crock Pot Cube Steak recipe to feed a larger family or for meal prepping. The best approach is to simply double the amount of cube steak while keeping the quantities of the other ingredients, particularly the soups and water, largely the same or only increasing them slightly if you prefer a very generous amount of gravy. The existing amounts of condensed cream of mushroom soup and Lipton onion soup mix create a surprisingly rich and ample gravy that can comfortably coat a larger quantity of meat without needing to be fully doubled, preventing an overly thick or diluted sauce. Ensure your slow cooker is large enough to accommodate the increased volume of meat.
Is Crock Pot Cube Steak gluten-free?
While the cube steak itself is naturally gluten-free, gluten can often be a hidden ingredient in processed foods like condensed soups and dry soup mixes. Many standard brands of cream of mushroom soup and Lipton onion soup mix contain wheat or other gluten-containing ingredients. However, there are increasingly many excellent gluten-free varieties available in most grocery stores for both condensed cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mixes. Always check the labels carefully to ensure they are certified gluten-free. Alternatively, for those who prefer to avoid processed ingredients, you can find recipes online to make your own gluten-free versions of these soup bases. The remaining ingredients, such as water, salt, and pepper, are naturally gluten-free.
What should I serve with Crock Pot Cube Steak?
The rich, savory mushroom gravy from this slow cooker cube steak recipe practically begs for a hearty carb to soak up all its deliciousness. Classic choices include creamy mashed potatoes, broad and tender egg noodles, or fluffy white rice. These act as the perfect canvas for the luscious sauce and tender beef. To complete the meal, I highly recommend adding a simple, fresh vegetable side. Steamed broccoli florets, vibrant fresh peas, crisp seasoned green beans, or lightly sautéed sugar snap peas would all provide a delightful contrast in texture and flavor, adding a touch of freshness to this comforting dish. A fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette would also be a wonderful complement.
Full Recipe Card
Crock Pot Cube Steak with Mushroom Soup
Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
Ingredients
- 1 pound cube steak
- 21 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
- ¾ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
In your slow cooker, combine 21 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix, and ¾ cup water. Whisk well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and smooth.
-
Carefully place 1 pound cube steak into the slow cooker. Gently stir and arrange the steak pieces to ensure they are fully coated and submerged in the gravy mixture.
-
Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on the LOW setting for 6-8 hours, or until the cube steak is exceptionally tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.
-
Once cooked, taste the gravy and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the tender cube steak and rich gravy generously over hot mashed potatoes, egg noodles, fluffy rice, or even as a satisfying open-faced sandwich on toasted bread.
Nutrition per serving
Share
Pin