This Old Fashioned Swiss Steak is made with tenderized round steak, and it’s slow cooked in a delicious tomatoey sauce. It totally defines comfort food and it’s a great meal to fix over the weekend when you have some time to spend in the kitchen.

Swiss Steak.

Swiss Steak is one of those comforting recipes we remember from our childhood. It’s slow cooked to tender and delicious perfection, and it’s great served over mashed potatoes with a vegetable on the side.

You might remember as a kid, watching your mom get out the meat mallet and beat the round steak. Did you ever wonder why? Well, round steak is the most common steak used to make Swiss Steak. Back in the day, it was an inexpensive cut of steak, when trying to feed a family. The drawback? It’s was also a tough cut of steak. That’s why our moms used a meat mallet to beat and try to tenderize the meat.

The name Swiss doesn’t mean the recipe originated in Switzerland. The Swiss name comes from the technique of “swissing”, meaning to tenderize meat. When you buy round steak that is already tenderized, it has been ran through a mechanical tenderizing machine. I have never seen it already tenderized in my grocery store. I’m sure most butchers would tenderize it for you.

This recipe for Swiss Steak, starts on the stovetop, then it’s finished in the oven where it gets slow cooked in a tomatoey sauce until perfectly tender and delicious.

How to prep the round steak

  1. Pour the flour onto a large plate. Using a fork, mix in the salt & pepper. Set aside.
  2. Cut the round steak into serving pieces. Dredge each piece of meat into the flour, using your finger tips to press it into the flour.
  3. Place each piece on a cutting board. Using a meat mallet, pound the steak, until the steak is about 1/2 inch thick. Make sure to flip it over and pound each side. Keep pounding until the meat is more tender, adding more flour if the meat becomes sticky.
Swiss Steak.

Stovetop Instructions

  1. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to a large dutch oven, (or a large oven proof skillet with a secure lid). Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Using a slotted metal spoon or spatula, remove the onions, peppers, and garlic and transfer them to a small bowl while you brown the meat.
  2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the dutch oven. Add the floured meat in batches to the dutch oven, over medium heat. Brown the meat on each side. Cover the meat with the onion/pepper mixture. Add the tomatoes, water, sugar, and salt & pepper to taste. 
Swiss Steak.

Oven Instructions

  1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Move the top oven rack down one notch, to ensure your dutch oven will fit without being too high. I place mine right above the bottom rack.
  2. Place the lid securely on the dutch oven, and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat and transfer to serving plates. Spoon the tomato mixture over the meat. 

Can I fix Swiss steak in a crockpot?

Yes, once you’ve done the stovetop portion of the recipe, you can transfer everything to a crockpot and cook on low for a few hours until the meat is very tender.

What’s the difference between Swiss and Salisbury steak?

Swiss steak is made from a regular cut of round steak. It’s tenderized and cooked with a tomato and onion sauce. Salisbury steak is ground beef that has been formed into patties. It’s usually prepared with a brown gravy over it. Both are excellent served over mashed potatoes.

I’ll be honest, it does take some time to prep Swiss steak. However, once it’s prepped you simply place it in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Then all you have to do while it’s in the oven is cook some potatoes and another vegetable. If you don’t want to serve it over mashed potatoes, it’s also great served over rice or noodles.

I love comfort foods like this, and don’t worry this makes enough to feed the whole family! 🙂

Swiss Steak.

If you like comfort foods like this, you might also like…

Hamburger Steaks with Onion Gravy

Chicken with No-Fail Flat Dumplings

Chicken & Fluffy Dumplings with Gravy

Slow Cooker Beef and Homemade Egg Noodles

If you make this recipe please rate it, and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love getting your feedback. 🙂

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Swiss Steak.

Old Fashioned Swiss Steak

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Cindy @mycountrytable
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

This delicious Swiss Steak is tenderized and slow cooked in the oven in a delicious tomatoey sauce. It’s great served over rice or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds beef round steak, no more than 1-inch thick
  • 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic from a jar
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Pour the flour onto a large plate. Using a fork, mix in the salt & pepper. Set aside.
  2. Cut the round steak into serving pieces. Dredge each piece of meat into the flour, using your finger tips to press it into the flour. Then place each piece on a cutting board. Using a meat mallet, pound the steak, until the steak is about 1/2 inch thick. Make sure to flip it over and pound each side. Keep pounding until the meat is more tender, adding more flour if the meat becomes sticky.
  3. Stop and preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Move the top oven rack down one notch, to ensure your dutch oven will fit without being too high. I place mine right above the bottom rack.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to a large dutch oven, (or a large oven proof skillet with a secure lid). Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Using a slotted metal spoon or spatula, remove the onions, peppers, and garlic and transfer them to a small bowl while you brown the meat.
  5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the dutch oven. Add the floured meat in batches to the dutch oven, over medium heat. Brown the meat on each side. Cover the meat with the onion/pepper mixture. Ad the tomatoes, water, sugar, and salt & pepper to taste. 
  6. Place the lid securely on the pot and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat and transfer to serving plates. Spoon the tomato mixture over the meat. 
  7. If you make mashed potatoes, pour some over them too. Mashed potatoes are excellent with this Swiss steak. 
  8. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 1833
  • Sugar: 33.1 g
  • Sodium: 5695.5 mg
  • Fat: 79.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 52.6 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 108.6 g
  • Fiber: 12.7 g
  • Protein: 172.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 415.8 mg