Pan-seared Cube Steak with onions & tomatoes
This is also known as “Swiss Steak.”
Here is the problem:
There are a million recipes out on the interweb for “Swiss Steak” and the few I have prepared have been bland.
I love really flavorful food.
After much trial, I am pleased to give you this incredible rendition of “Swiss Steak.”
We have my personal foodie crush, Alton Brown to thank. He, once again, rescued me from everyday, average food.
This is not a clone of Alton’s recipe but was inspired by him.
These steaks are swimming in a heavenly sauce. It is slightly sweet, heavily seasoned and so good I eat it with a spoon.
I prefer to serve this over a pile of spaghetti squash.
This is one of those dinners that will make you thinner. It doesn’t matter how much of this I eat, I get on the scale the next morning and I weigh less somehow.
CUBE STEAK OR ROUND STEAK
This recipe is made with cube steak. Round steak will work just as well, and some people use the terms interchangeably, however, there is a difference. Cube steaks are flattened and tenderized by a meat tenderizer. This makes cubed indentations in the meat, which is where it gets its name.
Round/ cube steak gets a bad rap. The meat is from the back end of the cow and can be tough and tasteless depending on how the round is being used or prepared. When I have my beef processed, I like to turn as much of the “round” meat as possible into ‘cube steak.’
These beautiful little cutlets are tenderized and sliced thin, They simply melt in your mouth and are a quick easy dinner any night.
Grass-fed beef is perfect for this dish (the long cooking time will tenderize the meat). AND this is particularly waist-trimming when served over a bed of spaghetti squash instead of rice or pasta.
Oh, and there is a ridiculous amount of onions packed into this dish. Onions (and garlic) are packed with powerful flavonoids which have a natural antibiotic effect (source).
Mmmm. Onions.
This meal is so healthy: grass-fed beef, homegrown tomatoes, zillions of onion slices, fresh garlic, AND it is served over squash!
It is so satisfying and full flavored, you’ll never know you’re eating healthy.
Grab 2 huge onions and 4 stalks of celery and slice them up. Next, mince the garlic and set the veggies aside.
Begin by rinsing the steaks and patting them dry. Season both sides with salt & pepper.
Heat up a cast iron skillet & add some lard (or your favorite cooking fat).
Fry the steaks until lightly browned on both sides (2 minutes per side). Move to the crock pot as you finish frying them.
Once all the steaks are browned, add a little more fat to the skillet (if needed) and toss in the onions and celery.
Cook until beginning to brown.
Add the minced garlic, tomato juice, whole tomatoes, paprika, Worcestershire, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
To thicken the sauce (optional) stir 2 tablespoons of flour into 1/4 cup of water. Whisk the flour/ water paste into the sauce.
The flour mixture will thicken everything nicely.
Pour tomato & onion mixture into the crockpot with the steaks.
Set crockpot to cook on high for 4-8 hours.
Or cook covered (dutch oven) in a 325-degree oven for 2-3 hours.
The longer this cooks – the better.
Juices from steaks will seep into the sauce as it cooks.
After cooking, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings if needed.
Serve over spaghetti squash, rice or pasta.
Enjoy!
XO,
Cj
| Servings |
servings
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- 2 lbs round steak
- Salt to season steaks
- pepper
- 2 onions large - sliced
- 4 ribs celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz) I use home canned
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz) I use home canned
- 1 tsp Salt more to taste
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or cane sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp worchestershire
- 2 tbsp Flour (optional) stirred into 1/4 cup water to thicken
Ingredients
|
|
Grab 2 huge onions and 4 stalks of celery and slice them up. Next, mince the garlic and set the veggies aside.
Rinse the steaks and pat them dry. Season both sides with salt & pepper.
Heat up a cast iron skillet & add some lard (or your favorite cooking fat). Fry the steaks until lightly browned on both sides (2 minutes per side). Move to the crock pot as you finish frying them.
Once all the steaks are browned, add a little more fat to the skillet (if needed) and toss in the onions and celery. Cook until beginning to brown. Add the minced garlic, tomato juice, whole tomatoes, paprika, Worcestershire, maple syrup, salt, and pepper to the pan with the onions and celery.
To thicken the sauce (optional) stir 2 tablespoons of flour into 1/4 cup of water and whisk in the paste.
Pour tomato & onion mixture into the crockpot with the steaks.
Set crockpot to cook on high for 4-8 hours.
Or cook covered (dutch oven) in a 325-degree oven for 2-3 hours.
Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve over spaghetti squash, rice or pasta.
