Lightened Up Salisbury Steak

For a very, very long time, I have been on the look out for a GREAT Salisbury Steak recipe.  I've tried many, but none ever came close to what I think Salisbury steak should taste like.  Salisbury steak is a bit of nostalgia from my childhood, and well, don't laugh, but what I think it should mimic is the Salisbury Steaks from tv dinners.  There...hahah...I said it.  My mom was a single working mother and the truth is, as kids we ate a lot of tv dinners...you know the ones, in the divided up metal trays.  ( I am probably dating myself here, because obviously the metal trays were used during the pre-microwave years when we had to heat everything in the oven!) 

Today, I rarely succumb to processed foods.  But you can't take away those childhood memories that give us comfort..and yes, Salisbury steak dinners in the tv trays really is just that for me.  Although I will venture to guess, that the tv dinners of yesteryears probably weren't all that bad for you...they tended to rely on real ingredients unlike so many processed foods today. 

When I saw a recipe for Salisbury Steaks on My Bizzy Kitchen last week, and I saw that Biz raved about it, I knew I had to give it a try.  Her pictures made my mouth water! I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed by yet another recipe that produced a glorified hamburger with gravy on top that was tough.  What I was looking for was a super tender beef patty with the distinct flavor I remembered from my childhood.  And guess what?  THIS IS THE RECIPE THAT DOES THAT!! 

I did adjust her recipe just a tad.  I used bread moistened with milk for the binder, added in shallots and left out the dijon mustard ( I actually just forgot to add it)...but I was really happy with the end result.   I also added finely chopped mushrooms to the meat to help keep it moist, tender and bring down the fat and calories of the final product.  The prepared horseradish sauce I used was Woeber's Reserve Smoky Horseradish Sauce.  I decided to use a ground sirloin with 10% fat as well.  I did this because I was bulking it up with the mushrooms anyway and the little extra fat helped keep the patties moist. 

While Biz made a gravy from a packet, I used Campell's Mushroom Gravy in a can.  1/4 cup serving is 1 point+. 

Don't forget to make a little divot in the center of the shaped patty to help keep it from puffing up while cooking.

This recipe is a keeper, especially if you were ever a fan of those Swanson TV dinners of the 70's!  The only thing this meal was missing was a little mini dessert!  lol

Lightened Up Salisbury Steak

adapted from MyBizzyKitchen

Printable Recipe

Servings - 6   Serving Size - 1 patty w/ 1/4 cup gravy   Points Plus per Serving - 4 Points+ for patty plus 1 Points+ for gravy

Nutrition Information for patty:   Calories - 174.1,   Total Fat - 8.7g,   Carb. - 4.5g,   Protein - 18.5g,   Fiber - 0.4g

1 pound ground sirloin ( 90/10)

8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms, divided ( I buy them pre sliced cuz I'm lazy like that!)

2 slices of white bread ( I used Wonder Smart White)

1/4 cup skim milk

1 TBS dried shallots

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp prepared horseradish sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

dash garlic powder

salt and pepper, as you like

2 cans of Campbell's Mushroom Gravy

1.  In a food processor, take 4 oz. of the mushrooms and finely chop.  Set aside.  Set aside the other 4 oz. of sliced mushrooms for the gravy.  

2.  In a large bowl, tear up the white bread slices ( you can leave the crust on ) into small pieces.  Add in the dried shallots and pour the milk over all.  Allow to sit for about 5 minutes or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk.  With a fork, mush the wet bread to form a paste.  

3.  Add in the ground sirloin, egg, horseradish sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper and reserved finely chopped mushrooms.  Mix together.  Form into 6 patties, leaving a little indent in the center to prevent puffing when cooking.  

4.  Heat a large nonstick skillet that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray on high heat.  When hot, add in patties, but don't overcrowd the pan.  ( I cooked three at a time in two batches)  You want a nice brown crust on the outside.  Cook patties without disturbing them on one side, until the bottoms have a nice brown crust.  Flip and continue cooking all the way through.  ( Keep patties from first batch in warm oven while second batch is cooking)  

5.  In a med saucepan, saute the remaining sliced mushrooms over med heat with cooking spray.  When soft, add in the cans of gravy and heat through.  

6. Serve patties with gravy.  Mashed potatoes and peas make a great accompaniment!  

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It's really funny how certain foods just bring back so many memories from our past...especially those from our childhood.  My whole family really enjoyed these Salisbury Steaks and you just can't beat the stats for home cooked beef comfort meal!  

The patties were super tender and had a nice flavor to them.  I will definitely be making this dinner for us again! 

How about you?  Do you have any foods or meals from your childhood that just scream comfort?