Make this classic recipe for Swiss steak in the slow cooker with round steak, tomatoes and peppers which makes the best savory sauce!
This old fashioned recipe is still wonderful to make today! You can also make Salisbury steak which has a different sauce but still has a vintage vibe.
If you’ve never heard of swiss steak, it is a recipe that has been around for decades. Some recipes call for “swissing” the steak (tenderizing with a mallet), but if you are cooking it in the slow cooker that is not necessary.
My recipe below is a mix of a few different recipes I found in my vintage recipe collection. I decided to thicken the sauce by dredging the meat with flour. It adds a nice touch to the sauce which many slow cooker recipes don’t have.
How to make swiss steak.
- You will need round
steaks, if you can’t find them you can use a top round roast or a bottom round roast. - Cut that roast into thick slices.
- Make a dredge for the meat by adding flour, salt
and pepper to a large plate. Coat the meat on both sides and transfer to a plate. Save the excess flour from the plate and you will add it to the slow cooker later. - In a large skillet set to medium-high heat add enough oil to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, brown the steaks on both sides, you may have to do this in two batches, be sure to add more oil to the pan for the second batch. No need to cook these through, just brown them.
- Add beef consumme to the hot pan and deglaze it but using a spatula and scraping up any brown bits.
- Add the browned steaks to the slow cooker, sprinkle over any remaining flour. Add the beef consumme from the pan over the steaks.
- Add diced tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic and worcesterchire sauce to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.
Can I use a different cut of meat?
Yes, just about any cut of beef will work in this! Try one of these cuts if you can find the round roast or steaks:
- Cube steak
- Chuck roast (leave whole, shred after cooking and degrease the sauce by laying paper towels over).
- Cubed stew meat
Can I add mushrooms?
Mushrooms are a great addition to this recipe! Add 1-2 cups at the beginning of the cooking time.
Other versions of swiss steak:
- Swiss Steak with Brown Gravy – by Tastes of Lizzy T
- Creamy Swiss Steak – Taste of Home
- Instant Pot Swiss Steak – by Savory Tooth
What to serve with Swiss Steak?
- Mashed potatoes or steamed rice
- Steamed vegetables or green salad
- Rolls or garlic bread
Have more beef? Try one of these beef recipes next:
- Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef
- Slow Cooker Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
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Slow Cooker Swiss Steak
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker – 4 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 2.5 lbs. round steaks or bottom or top round roast cut into thick steaks (2-4 pounds will work fine in this recipe)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 4 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 10.5 oz. Campbell's beef consomme or beef broth
- 29 oz. petite diced tomatoes (two 14.5 oz. cans) do not drain
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Instructions:
- On a large plate add the flour and salt and pepper. Mix this together.
- Dredge each steak in this mixture on both sides, transfer to another plate. Save any excess flour mixture, you will add this to the slow cooker with the meat later.
- Set a large skillet to medium high heat. Add enough oil to coat the pan. Brown the steaks on both sides, no need to cook through. You may have to cook the meat in two batches if your pan is too small, add more oil inbewteen batches. Add the browned steaks to the slow cooker. Sprinkle over any excess flour from the plate.
- Deglaze the pan that you browned the meat in with by adding the beef consomme and scrapping up any brown bits. Add to the slow cooker on top of the beef.
- Add the remaining ingredients, stir.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours with out opening the lid during the cooking time.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Cube steak
- Chuck roast (leave whole, shred at the end and degrease the sauce by laying paper towels over the sauce and discarding).
- Stew meat
- Over mashed potatoes or steamed rice
- Green salad or steamed veggies on the side
- Garlic bread or dinner rolls
Made this exactly as written. Extreme miss on flavor. Would definitely make some changes next time.
The best, we added a pre cooked, Cajun style long grain pre cooked rice in the last hour. Gave an extra flavor. I think I’ll try a teaspoon of paprika in the flour next time.
I tried this recipe and it was very good and definitely going into the dinner rotation. I did add 8oz of fresh mushrooms to the pot and it was delicious!!!
Very good and easy used beef broth and used 1 can tomato sauce and 1 can diced tomato, omitted green pepper.
Great with mashed potatoes!
Great recipe. Lots of juice leftover.
Love this recipe! It is just like the one my sweet MIL used to make. However, she used to simmer her sauce on the stove ALL day. So much easier in a crockpot.
Absolutely delicious. Love Swiss steak. I do sometimes put a can of Ro Tel with diced tomatoes and green chili’s. Just to add a bit of a twang.
Delicious. I did add celery and a mixture of diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes
Thank you SO much for this recipe!! my mom used to make it and I had totally forgotten about it! SO Excited to try it again!!!
Do you have a recipe for Vegetable Lasagna ?
We made this tonight and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! It reminds me of my mom’s. I used cube steak and the beef broth. My husband said he has never had cubed steak this tender before.
This will become a staple dish in this household.
Thank You
I’m 76 years old now and grew up with my Mom’s Swiss Steak which I introduced to my son many years ago. I still make it for myself and he makes it for his family, Mom’s recipe differs in several ways: she used stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, no bell peppers, AND the biggest difference is that she added a jar of pimiento olives with a little of the brine. IMO, the olives add so much to the flavor.
That sounds great
I tried to make him try to make it this week
I haven’t made this yet, but I can tell from the ingredients this will be a very tasty dinner.
I do have a slow cooker, but can this be done on the stove top?
Sometimes we go to Tahoe and stay in a cabin. If I don’t have to pack my slow cooker that would be a bonus for me.
My mother still makes it in her 1970 wedding cookware… she braises it in the oven.
That’s always been the way I’ve known it to be made. I guess that shows my age 😉
My Mom always cooked this low and slow on the stove top. She would cook it for 2 to 3 hours. This recipe nails the way she cooked her.
You could bake it in the oven on 350 for 1 hour and probably 30 more minutes just check it and make sure it doesn’t burn.