This classic family favorite is an easy, hands-off meal that cooks in the slow cooker all day long. To start, beef round steak gets dredged lightly in salt, pepper and flour, then layered in a slow cooker with tomato sauce, onions and celery. The beef round steak—which can sometimes be on the tougher side—gets cooked at a low temperature for multiple hours to achieve a tender, juicy texture that falls apart with a knife and fork. Slow-cooker Swiss steak is an easy way to have a nourishing, low-maintenance dinner on the table that the whole family will love.
Whether you serve it with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, some buttery egg noodles or sandwiched between crusty pieces of garlic bread, this Swiss steak slow-cooker recipe is a hearty classic you’ll want to make over and over again.
Ingredients for Slow-Cooker Swiss Steak
- Beef round steak: This versatile cut of meat tastes best when it’s cooked low and slow, which makes it an ideal option for the slow cooker.
- Flour: Flour acts as a seasoned coating for the steak, which will help thicken the juices that get released to create an easy, hands-off gravy.
- Onion: Diced onion is an easy way to add deep, earthy flavor to any savory dish. By letting them cook slowly in the Crock pot, the onions turn translucent.
- Celery: Slightly sweet and pleasantly juicy, celery marries with the onion in this dish to add aromatic, complex flavor.
- Canned tomato sauce: Canned tomato sauce is juicy and pleasantly acidic, so it works as a great braising liquid in this recipe. The acidity in the tomatoes helps cut through the richness of the beef, and it combines nicely with the onions and celery to create a thick and flavorful sauce.
Directions
Step 1: Dredge the steak in seasoned flour
In a bowl or shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add the steak and flip until it’s completely coated, then be sure to shake off any excess.
Step 2: Slow-cook the steak
Place the onion in a greased 3-quart slow cooker. Top with the steak, celery and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours or until meat is tender.
Slow-Cooker Swiss Steak Variations
- Pile it on a sandwich: Although this meal is delicious when served alongside a heaping pile of mashed potatoes or creamy egg noodles, it’s also impressive when piled on top of a sandwich. Choose from a crusty baguette, loaf of Italian bread, or slice of garlic bread—the steak and sauce make the perfect filling for a hearty sandwich.
- Brown the beef ahead of time: Browning the beef before placing it in the slow cooker helps create a caramelized crust that helps lock in flavor and juices. This is an extra step that can be done right before everything gets piled into the slow cooker.
- Add peppers for some heat: If you like spicy foods with earthy flavor, try adding some sliced or diced peppers to this recipe. Choose bell peppers for a milder flavor, or poblanos and jalapenos for more heat.
How to Store Slow-Cooker Swiss Steak
To store slow-cooker Swiss steak, first allow everything to come to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer the meat and sauce to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. By storing the meat with the sauce it helps keep everything moist and prevents the steak from drying out. When ready to reheat, transfer to an oven-safe dish and reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Can you make slow-cooker Swiss steak ahead of time?
While you can certainly make this recipe a day in advance, we recommend preparing it as close as possible to the time you’ll be serving it. Because it cooks in the slow cooker all day long, you can set up the ingredients in the morning and set the machine to be ready at your desired dining time.
Slow-Cooker Swiss Steak Tips
Can you put raw steak in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can! Adding raw steak to the slow cooker with a bit of braising liquid (like the tomato sauce in this recipe) will allow the meat to break down and become more tender as it cooks. The slow cooker is a fantastic gadget for cooking tougher cuts of meat in a way that lets them cook low and slow.
What is the best cut of beef for slow-cooker Swiss steak?
As the name implies, slow cookers allow meat to cook low and slow, which is particularly helpful with tougher cuts of meat. Round steaks come from the part of a cow that doesn’t have a ton of fat or marbling within it, so the meat itself can be tough to cut through. Slow-cooking meat at a low temperature helps it become more flavorful, tender and juicy.
How can you prevent steak from drying out in the slow cooker?
Don’t overcook it! Be mindful that while slow cookers can be set for up to 10 hours, that amount of time isn’t necessarily suitable for all cuts of meat. Set your slow cooker to the timeframe outlined in this recipe (six to eight hours) for perfectly tender, juicy steak that isn’t too dry. Additionally, cooking meat with some type of braising liquid is a great way to prevent it from drying out. You can use vegetable stock, beef stock, tomato sauce or even beer—whatever type of liquid pairs best with the type of meat you’re cooking and the flavors you’re trying to achieve.
