There are a lot of days when I have to help on the farm. By time I get in the house I’m tired and hungry. Thanks goodness for slow cookers! There’s nothing like coming home to the smell of Cube Steak simmering away in a divine mushroom sauce!
I come from several generations of farm women. My grandma used to work right along with my grandpa. She was and amazing truck driver, cattle worker, bookkeeper, bread baker and canner, among other things. I always thought it was so cool that she could go outside in her grubbies and work then come home and get dolled up for some occasion. I hope I’m like that! I love to go outside and help the boys on the farm. But I also like to get dressed up, once in a while, and feel somewhat pretty.
I will always remember the meals we used to have at grandma’s house. She always served bread and sliced cheese….at every meal! What a good lady! How different her life would have been if she would have had owned a slow cooker. My family survives because I own a slow cooker. There are many days when I am working and don’t have an extra minute to think about dinner. When my boys walk through the door after doing their chores, they are HUNGRY! Trust me, something like chicken salad sandwiches is not going to satisfy them.
They want something hearty, something to warm them up. Slow Cooker Cube Steaks smothered in mushroom sauce is one of those recipes that farm women have been passing down over the years. Comfort food like that hits the spot every time. The longer it cooks the more tender the cube steak gets, until it is falling apart. The mushroom sauce could be eaten alone with a spoon.
A recipe that gets better the longer it cooks, with no attention from me, is the kind of recipe I need. It allows me to satisfy my boys never ending hunger and still get my work done! By the way, I don’t go outside and help unless the weather is nice! Yes, I am a fair weather worker and I can get away with it because I have endless farm jobs to do in the house!
What is your go to recipe on those extra busy days?
- 2 pounds cube steaks
- ¼ c. flour
- salt and pepper
- 1 envelope Lipton's onion soup mix
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can milk
- splash of Kitchen Bouquet (I mostly use it for added color, I usually add about a tsp.)
- 1 tsp. dry thyme
- 1 c. sliced mushrooms
- parsley
- fettuccini noodles or hot cooked rice
- Lay cube steaks flat on a cutting board. Sprinkle one side with flour, salt and pepper. Pound meat with a meat tenderizer, or a knife. Flip steaks and repeat on the other side.
- Mix dry onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, milk, Kitchen Bouquet and thyme together.
- Put a single layer of steak in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then pour mushroom sauce on top. Sprinkle sliced mushrooms over sauce.
- Repeat with remaining layers of steak, sauce and mushrooms.
- Cook in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Serve over cooked noodles or rice.
I am pretty sure Grandma Berrett would have a loved a slow cooker. I am kind of surprised she didn’t invent one.
I’m sure in her own way she did invent something that worked similarly to a slow cooker! She was a master of making new inventions!
Hello from TN – found you while pinning something and browsed your blog – it is GREAT – I have never been to Idaho but maybe someday will get to visit your state. I enjoy cooking and pets and photography – are you on Instagram? I follow a couple of dairy farms on IG who post a lot of cute cow pics and pics of farm life and scenery. I really enjoy those. I will be back when I have more time to browse your recipes. I do have a question on Crock Pot recipes – what recipe is your very FAVORITE for a slow cooker? I am going to try this one for sure. I will make sure to follow you on Pinterest and look forward to reading more on your blog. Thanks Kathy (@volkathy on IG and Pinterest)
Thanks for the sweet words, Kathy! I hope you get a chance to visit Idaho some day! I am on instagram at https://instagram.com/amyengberson/. I would love to have you follow me!
When the recipe calls for one can of milk what is that exactly? And how many ounces please?
I can see how that was confusing Allison. I fill the soup can full of milk one time! Using the soup can instead of a measuring cup makes less dirty dishes and I love that!
There is something about kitchen bouquet in the directions but not in the ingredients???
Sorry Holly! Kitchen Bouquet is a liquid in a brown bottle and has a yellow lid. I don’t really think it adds much flavor to the dish, but I love it for the rich brown color it adds. You could leave it out if you didn’t have any. I add a splash, probably about a Tablespoon!
HOWDY! Farm Girl so glad I found your post, like you my first LOVE IS GOD & my Family I’m a work in progress lol! First time trying your recipes ( roast) it’s in the crock pot now will holler back, love coming home from early Sunday service & Walla dinner is ready! Take care Family is Truly a Blessing!
I think we are all a work in progress and try our hardest to be a little bit better every day! I just have to remember to be patient with myself. I hope you enjoyed your roast as almost much as you do your family!
Also keep the recipes coming!
This was fabulous! I have never had cubed steak so tender! I have to admit that I omitted the Kitchen Bouquet & parsley, & it was still the best. I was skeptical serving my family a mushroom-based meal, even though I love them. But there was never a complaint! I will be making this again soon!
Yay! Cube steak is a tough cut of meat, but with a few tricks it can be super tender! Glad your family loved it!
So you don’t brown the meat and flour before putting in crock pot?
No, I don’t brown the meat first. I know it sounds a little crazy but it works great and I love not having to do that extra step1 Enjoy!
The recipe was great. Enjoying now for Sunday dinner.
Yay! Glad you loved it!
Making this again tonight! My hubby loves cube steak,I not so much,until we tried this! Very good easy too. Now everyone is happy,thanks
Oh yay! We always have plenty of cube steak in the freezer. It’s not my favorite cut of meat either but I love it in this dish!
I’ve been making this for years without the crockpot. My husband just asked if we could have some, but with it being in the 100s outside I really didn’t want to heat up the house. Never even thought about cooking this in the crock. He will be so happy to have it for dinner and I will love cooler less messy kitchen. Thanks!!
Yay for crockpots! They are the best for all the comfort food I want to make in the winter and they are just right for cooking dinner in the summer without heating the house up! I need to make this recipe again!
Amy,
Your recipe for slow cooker cube sreak sounds delicious. I’ll be trying it soon.
Toni
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe Toni! This is one of our family favorites!
My go to recipe on busy days is Salsa Chicken in the slow cooker, because the only required ingredients are both in the name! 6 hours on low, and then all you have to do is shred the chicken to use in tacos, burritos, etc. with your favorite toppings.
That’s one of my favorite recipes too! We make pork chops the same way! Yum!
Hi Amy! This sounds delicious! If I cut the recipe in half, how long would you recommend I cook for?? Thanks, Annie
Hi Annie! I would cook this for the same amount of time because the cube steak needs to cook for quite awhile to tenderize it regardless of how many steaks are in the slow cooker! Trust me, your house is about to smell divine!
One can of milk? Wish it was a little more specific?? I’m not much of a cook so I need to know EXACTLY what I need.
Oh goodness, that does need clarification! After adding the soup I use that same soup can and fill it up with milk (I’m all about eliminating dirty dishes)! I can’t wait for you to try these! It’s such a comforting meal!
Thank you dear! I’m making this for my husband tonight & I’m sure we are both going to love it! Thank you for the great recipe!!!
Hello! What if I wanted to cook this in the oven? What would you recommend? The same amount of time at??…..250? 300?
Thanks pal!
Hi Katie! I actually haven’t ever cooked this in my oven because the slow cooker is so forgiving when it comes to time and is such a hands off way to make sure dinner is ready when my family is ready for it. The other reason I like the slow cooker is because cube steak is a tougher cut of meat and needs plenty of time to cook so it can tenderize as it cooks. With that having been said, if I was cooking it in the oven I think I would cook it at 350 degrees for about and hour. It might not be as tender as if you cooked it in the slow cooker though. Good luck!
I definitely will make this. But am confused you say 1 can of milk. Did you mean a cup of milk or a whole can of evaporated milk. Please reply. Thanks
I see that someone else asked the same question & I read your reply. Just fill the empty soup can with milk. Got it
I used this recipe in my Instant Pot. It was very flavorful. I added a few more mushrooms and high pressured for 10 minutes. Very good recipe!
Dianne from FL
I love that you made it in the pressure cooker! It makes the whole process so much faster!
Every one loved it. And it was soooooo tender. Thank you for sharing.
That’s my favorite part about this recipe! The cube steaks come out fork tender!
I just put this in the crock pot! My concern is the milk, it doesn’t cuddle?
Good question Sharon! I always use evaporated milk and I haven’t ever had a problem with it curdling! I can’t wait for you to try it!
Thank you for your efforts:)
Thank you for this recipe,my kids love it.
Keep them coming, thanks again…
Aren’t simple recipes like this one the best? I’m glad your whole family enjoys it! Thanks for stopping by!
What is can of milk???
Hi Damon! I use the empty can from the cream of mushroom soup to measure “one can of milk”. It’s just the right amount of milk and it’s one less dish to wash than if I used a measuring cup! Hope that helps!
I am once again (4th time) using your recipe for my favorite cube steaks, though I use a beef bouillon in place of Kitchen Bouquet. Always a winner, and a wonderful meal for the next day to boot for the 2 of us.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you love this cube steak recipe as much as we do! You can’t go wrong with a super hearty dinner like this, especially when it’s this easy! Using beef bullion is a great substitute!
Can the steaks be prepared the night before then put in the slow cooker in the morning?
I actually completely prepare the entire recipe the night before. After you have everything in the slow cooker, put it in the fridge until the morning. All that’s left is taking it out of the fridge and popping it on the slow cooker base! It’s the easiest meal ever! Enjoy!
Hi Amy! This sounds delicious! If I cut the recipe in half, how long would you recommend I cook for?? Thanks, Nha Phong
I’d still cook it for the same amount of time as if I was making the whole recipe. This particular cut of meat needs to be cooked for a long time to allow the connective tissue to break down. It’s worth the wait because they are fork tender when they are finished!
Could you put the meat in frozen and cook all day?
I’ve never tried making this recipe with frozen cube steaks. I like tenderizing the steaks before cooking them, and that wouldn’t be possible if the steaks were frozen. So for that reason, I’d recommend thawing them first. Enjoy!
Sound delicious and your picture make me think “I have to taste it right now”. I will try this next week definitely!
I can’t wait for you to them! It’s such a comforting meal!
I made your cube steak recipe tonight. It was absolutely delicious. I didn’t beat the meat or dredge it in flour. Also, I added about a tbsp. Of minced garlic. It was very tender. Thank you.
Oh yum! Garlic is always a fantastic addition! These steaks are so tender and yummy! I’m glad you enjoyed them as much as we do!
I putted on my noodle and it was delicious. I’ll have a new sauce for my favorite food
Yes! This cube steak is amazing over rice, pasta, and potatoes! My husband is always excited when we serve it over pasta though! Enjoy!
I like dishes with beef, I’ll try your recipe. Thanks for a nice post and photos even you were busy with farm work.
We could be soul sisters! I’m in love with beef! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! It’s always busy, but it’s a great way of life!
After 7 hrs on low thecube steak was red in the middle! Yuck! Tender yes red yes. Will not be using this recipe anytime soon.
You already mentioned that your steaks weren’t cooked through. There is no way they wouldn’t have been cooked all the way through unless something was wrong with the slow cooker. Was it on a warm setting? Does it typically take this long to cook food in your slow cooker? Did it lose power for part of the time? Were the steaks frozen before adding to the slow cooker? All of those could be factors in them not cooking through.
I was very disappointed. After 7 hours in crock pot the cube steaks were raw in the middle. No there is nothing wrong with my crock pot. Won’t be making this again anytime soon. 🙁
Wow! Seven hours is long enough to cook a whole roast. I’m wondering if your slow cooker was set to warm? Seven hours on the low setting should have been long enough to have cooked the steak through. Did the power go out during the cooking time? Were the steaks frozen when you added them to the slow cooker? Having raw steaks after that long of a cooking time doesn’t make sense.
Hello from Kingston Ontario. Going to try this dish tonight.
Sounds delicious
Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe! It’s one of my boys favorites!
I made this ready for crock pot last night. Turned on when we went to bed in WARM. Cooked all night and all day while at work. Tonight it is amazing. Only thing I would do next time is add onions. (I love onions)
Thank you for sharing
Pauline from Kingston Ontario
Great idea! There’s not much better than coming home to a home cooked meal that’s in the slow cooker waiting for you! And onions, yes to the onions!
Great dish for get energy back after a hard working. I haven’t tried slow cooker, but your post will help much. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! It’s a great meal for fueling back up after a long day at work! Visit agian soon!
Great to know this. By using slow cooker, I can save time to do other things. The recipe is nice too. I will try to see how it works. Thanks a lot.
Aren’t slow cookers one of the best inventions ever? It’s so handy to throw everything in there and come home to a hearty meal! In fact, I have this very recipe in my slow cooker right now! Enjoy!
Great idea! They look really attractive. Best of all, the recipe is great, it makes it easy to do it. Thank you for sharing
So looking forward to eating this tonight~! I was reading through the comments and noticed a lot of folks asking about how much milk is in a can of milk. The Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup can says 10.5 oz, so when using that can (after soup has been emptied from it), filling it with milk should come out to a little over 1 cup. I prefer using organic condensed soups and those typically come in 11 oz boxes. The consistency is pretty spot on mixed with the soup. Although, I wished I had read through the comments before preparing this … because I wasn’t even thinking about using evaporated milk. Maybe that’s why some folks were asking about how much milk … they can buy similar size can of the evaporated milk? Just a thought.
Thanks for the insights! I didn’t realize organic soups were different sizes than traditional soups. I love adding milk to the emptied soup can because creates less dirty dishes than if I use a measuring cup! I also don’t think the amount of milk in this recipe needs to be exact. I actually have this recipe in my slow cooker right now and I’m planning on updating this post soon! I’ll have to clarify instructions!