This steak and mushrooms dinner comes together quickly and it’s absolutely delicious. In this recipe, thick sirloin steaks are pan fried until golden and cooked to your liking. Then the pan juices are used as a base to make a flavorful homemade mushroom gravy.
Making a mushroom sauce is an easy way to add something special to steak, chicken and pork. We always start with the drippings left in the pan after searing the meat. Then we cook the mushrooms and make a roux (a combination of butter/fat and flour that’s used as a thickener). For these steaks we made a rich, deep brown gravy by using beef broth. But in this chicken and mushrooms recipe and these mushroom pork chops we used chicken broth instead. The gravy is a little lighter, but still full of flavor!
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What kind of beef to use?
We’re going with thick cut sirloin steak for this dish. They’re tender and work perfectly with the mushrooms. Since the steaks are going to be covered with flavorful gravy we can use an affordable cut and save the pricey beef to serve solo.
Tips to make great mushroom gravy
- Don’t slice the mushrooms too thin or they won’t hold up to the cooking and stirring.
- Do not wash or wipe the skillet after cooking the meat. We want the delicious pan juices left behind to build our gravy.
- Cook the flour for a few minutes to cook-out the raw flour taste.
- Stir frequently and briskly when adding the broth. Move around the entire pan making small circles and gently scraping bits off the bottom. Stir until the butter and flour mixture (roux) dissolves completely.
Side dish suggestions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Canola Oil, or use your favorite oil with a high smoke point
- 2 – 2½ pounds Top Sirloin Steak, fat trimmed – 4 thick cut pieces, ours were ¾-1 inch thick, they were two large pieces and we cut each in half
- 2 teaspoons Salt, plus more for the gravy, if needed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
- 16 ounces White Button Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Medium Onion, sliced into roughly ⅛ – ¼ inch pieces (we used a yellow onion)
- 3 tablespoon Butter
- 3 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
- 3 cups Beef Broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Prep work
Things move quickly with this recipe, so it’s best to have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go before starting. I like using nesting bowls to hold the prepped ingredients. Having everything organized and ready to go takes the stress out of cooking!
- Remove the steaks from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking to get the chill out. You’ll get a better sear on the outside if they’re not refrigerator cold.
- Make a seasoning mix for the steaks. Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth or paper towel, or quickly run them under cold water and use your fingers to gently remove any soil. Then, pat them gently with a kitchen or paper towel to dry. Slice the mushrooms, but take care not to slice them too thin or they won’t hold up during cooking. We want nice hearty mushroom pieces.
- Peel and slice the onions into roughly ⅛ – ¼ inch pieces. If you want them to almost dissolve in the gravy then slice them really thin.
- Trim any thick fat from around the steaks. Pat them dry with paper towels and season on both sides with the prepared seasoning mix.
- Gather and measure out the butter, flour, beef broth and Worcestershire sauce.
Alright, now we’re ready to cook!
Cook the steaks
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the steaks. Arrange them so they are not overlapping. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until seared (there should be a nice brown crust on the surface). Turn and cook another 4-5 until they are seared and browned on both sides. Continue to cook the steaks, turning occasionally until they reach the desired doneness.
As a reference we cooked the steaks for 5 minutes, turned and cooked another 5 minutes then added one more minute. Our thicker steaks were a nice medium and the thinner pieces were medium-well. This is after they rested. Keep in mind that the temperature of the meat will rise a few degrees after it’s removed from the heat.
Remove the skillet from the heat and remove the steak and place on a plate or pan. Keep warm. You can do this by loosely covering the plate with aluminum foil, basically just set it on top. You can also place the plate in the microwave or oven. The meat will stay warm away from drafts (this is what I do).
Cook’s note: The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steak and how you like it. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure the steak is up to temperature and gauge the cooking time. Here’s a basic guide for internal temperature of steak. Please note that the USDA recommends that beef be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
- Rare: 120 – 125° F – The entire center of the steak will be completely red with only the outside edges cooked
- Medium Rare: 125 – 135° F – The inside will go from red to pink with the outside edges cooked.
- Medium: 135 – 145° F – The center will be pink (not red) and will have a larger cooked outside edge
- Medium Well: 145 – 155° F – The center will have only a touch of pink
- Well Done: over 155° F – There will be no pink whatsoever
How to make mushroom gravy
Do not wash the skillet. Let it cool a bit, then place it back over medium heat. Add the butter.
When the butter is melted and foaming add the onions and mushrooms. Cook them for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften.
Stir occasionally while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the skillet. The mushrooms and the onions will release a good amount of liquid this will serve to deglaze the pan. Let most of it cook out before adding the flour.
Still on medium heat – sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, stirring well to combine. Cook the flour for 2-3 minutes to get the raw flour taste out, stir almost constantly.
Next, slowly add the beef broth to the mushroom mixture while stirring and gently scrapping the bits off the bottom of the pan.
Once the broth is completely incorporated with the mixture, add the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mushroom sauce to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook the gravy for 10 minutes. Uncover the skillet and cook an additional 5 minutes until the gravy thickens. Stir occasionally and keep the sauce at a simmer, raise or lower the heat just a bit, as needed.
Taste the mushroom sauce and add salt if needed. Don’t add additional salt to the gravy until the end. The steak seasoning and the beef broth contain a good amount already. Also, as the gravy simmers, thickens and reduces it will concentrate. We can always add once it’s done. As a reference, we added ¼ teaspoon to ours.
Finally, add the steaks back to the skillet. Turn to coat with the sauce. Lower the heat to low, cover and let them sit in the gravy for a minute or two until warmed through. Serve with your side dish of choice and enjoy!
What if my gravy is not thickening?
If the gravy is not thickening, uncover the pan and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached. Keep in mind that gravy thickens as it cools, you don’t want to take it too far.
What if my gravy is too thick?
If your gravy is too thick, add more broth. That’s an easy fix! Add a little bit of broth at a time while stirring until the gravy reaches the desired consistency and heats through.
You may also like these recipes:
Steak and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Canola Oil or use your favorite oil with a high smoke point
- 2 – 2½ pounds Top Sirloin Steak fat trimmed – 4 thick cut pieces, ours were ¾ – 1 inch thick
- 2 teaspoons Salt plus more for the gravy, if needed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
- 16 ounces White Button Mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 Medium Onion sliced into roughly ⅛ – ¼ inch pieces (we used a yellow onion)
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- 3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 3 cups Beef Broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- Remove the steaks from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking to get the chill out.
- Make a seasoning mix for the steaks. Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Trim any thick fat from around the steaks. Pat them dry with paper towels and season on both sides with the prepared seasoning mix.
Cook the steaks
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the steaks. Arrange them so they are not overlapping. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until seared.
- Turn and cook another 4 – 5 until they are seared and browned on both sides. Continue to cook the steaks, turning occasionally until they reach the desired doneness.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and remove the steaks, place them on a plate or pan. Keep warm by tenting and/or placing the plate away from drafts.
Make the mushroom gravy
- Do not wash the skillet. Let it cool a bit, then place it over medium heat and add the butter.
- When the butter is melted and foaming add the onions and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften. Stir occasionally while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- When most of the liquid has cooked out, sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms. Stir well to combine. Cook the flour for 2-3 minutes, stir almost constantly.
- Slowly add the beef broth to the mushroom mixture while stirring and gently scrapping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring until the broth is incorporated and the sauce is smooth.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mushroom sauce to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook the gravy for 10 minutes. Uncover the skillet and cook an additional 5 minutes until the gravy thickens. Stir occasionally and keep the sauce at a simmer, raise or lower the heat just a bit, as needed.
- Taste the mushroom sauce and add salt if needed. As a reference, we added ¼ teaspoon to ours.
- Add the steaks back to the skillet. Turn to coat with the sauce. Lower the heat to low, cover and let them sit in the gravy for a minute or two until warmed through.
- Serve with your side dish of choice.
Video
Notes
- Don’t slice the mushrooms too thin or they won’t hold up to the cooking and stirring.
- The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steak and how you like it. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure the steak is up to temperature and gauge the cooking time.
- If the gravy is not thickening, uncover the pan and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached. If your gravy is too thick, add more broth. Add a little bit at a time while stirring until the gravy reaches the desired consistency and is heated through.
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