This juicy French onion cube steak and gravy features tender steak smothered with caramelized onions and melted Gruyere cheese. Perfect for a comforting and affordable meal, this one-skillet dish is easy to make and packed with flavor!
Why I Love This Flavorful Cube Steak Recipe
Every once in a while, I outdo myself… and this is certainly one of those times. I took a nice and cheap cut of meat and dressed it up with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese and rich french onion gravy to make the most incredible entree that won’t break the bank! This tender and juicy cube steak and gravy is absolutely perfect served over a bed of my best mashed potatoes for a filling and comforting home cooked meal.
- Fancy, but easy: This French onion steak and gravy dinner tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, but it’s really easy to make in a few simple steps.
- Packed with flavor: This tender, savory, melt-in-your-mouth cube steak is smothered in a rich caramelized onion gravy and topped with melty gruyere cheese. So good, it tastes like it’s from a restaurant!
- Budget friendly: Made with simple budget-friendly ingredients and an affordable cube steak, this comfort food dinner promises not to bust your grocery budget.
Check out more of my favorite easy beef dinner recipes like slow cooker Italian beef sandwiches, easy salisbury steak recipe and this tender smothered cube steak.
Key Ingredients
Sweet onions cooked in butter are the foundation of most classic French dishes. Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for French onion cube steak and gravy. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Cube Steak: Don’t swap it for ground beef patties because they’re not the same!
- Cornstarch: You can use more flour or tapioca starch if you need to.
- Yellow Onions: White onions also work just fine, but I prefer using yellow onions as they are a little sweeter. You can also use shallots, but will need a large amount of them!
- Onion Soup Mix: Do NOT swap this with canned soup! You need the dry powder mix.
- Gruyere Cheese: Feel free to use Swiss cheese, mozzarella, or even Gouda instead.
What Is Cube Steak?
Cube steak is a tenderized cut that comes from the top round or sirloin parts of the cow. It’s flattened out with a meat mallet for an even, quicker cooking time, which is why it’s also referred to as “minute steak.” A beefy flavor helps it shine through the variety of sauces it can be cooked with, just don’t overcook the steaks because they will get tough.
How To Make Cube Steak and Gravy
Dredging and pan frying the steaks makes them perfect for soaking up all the beefy onion gravy, but also helps thicken the sauce. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Season: Whisk the seasonings in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the steaks on all sides.
- Coat: Mix the flour and cornstarch in a separate bowl. Coat the steaks on both sides in the flour mixture completely. Set them aside.
- Brown the steaks: Add the butter and oil to a large skillet. Cook the steaks until golden brown on both sides. Remove them from the heat and set aside.
- Caramelize the onions: Add the onions and more butter to the skillet. Stir occasionally and cook until tender, fragrant, and slightly caramelized.
- Make the gravy: Pour broth and Worcestershire in. Gently scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spatula. Stir in the onion soup mix, then return the steaks to the skillet and smother them with the onion gravy.
- Melt cheese: Top each cube steak with a slice of cheese. Place the skillet in a preheated broiler just until the cheese melts, about a minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Cook’s Tips & Variations
- Set it out: Set the steaks on the counter 20 minutes before cooking. This brings them down to room temperature and ensures even cooking. Cold meat will seize up when it hits the pan.
- Rub in seasonings: Cube steak has lots of little nooks and crannies. To make sure that your smothered cube steaks are sufficiently seasoned, use your fingers to press the seasonings into the steaks. Do the same with the flour!
- Re-coat it: To make sure the steaks have a thick flour coating before searing, re-coat them in the flour mixture right before cooking to make sure you lock in more juices.
- Cut thin slices: The thinner the slices of onion, the faster they’ll caramelize in the skillet. Don’t worry if they’re thick slices, you’ll still be able to caramelize them, but it will take longer.
- Make it creamy: Stir 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream, or half-and-half, into the sauce to make it ultra rich and creamy.
What To Serve With French Onion Cube Steak and Gravy
- Salad: Add a light side salad, like this refreshing cucumber salad that is easily prepped ahead.
- Starchy Sides: Serve it with garlic mashed potatoes or this creamy parmesan garlic rice. You also can’t go wrong with roasted sweet potatoes. Don’t forget the garlic bread is great for soaking up all the gravy!
- Veggie Sides: Smoky green beans with bacon are a favorite around our house, but roasted broccoli or sautéed mushrooms are both great pairings as well.
Yield: 4 Servings
French Onion Cube Steak
This tender and juicy French onion cube steak and gravy is smothered with caramelized onions and topped with melted Gruyere cheese for a comforting easy dinner. Serve it with mashed potatoes and watch it disappear!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cube steak
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (1 oz) package Lipton onion soup mix
- 4 slices gruyere cheese, or Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Season the steaks with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Rub the seasonings into the meat.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour and cornstarch together. Flour the steaks coating both sides and rubbing the flour into the meat. Set the steaks aside, but leave them laying in the extra flour. Right before frying, I like to press the cube steaks into the the flour once again.
- In a large oven-proof skillet, heat the 4 tablespoons of butter and oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, carefully add the cube steaks and cook on each side for about 6 to 8 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the steaks to a plate and cover to keep warm. To keep the steaks from sticking to the pan, I move them around a little, but do not lift them until fully browned. Moving the cube steaks slightly helps them not to stick and also helps to keep the breading on. Try not to flip them often as that will cause the breading to come off easier.
- In the same skillet add the reserved tablespoon of butter and the onions. Reduce the heat to low (medium-low) and cook the onions, stirring occasionally. Cook the onions until they are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Do not cover the onions while they cook.
- Heat the broiler to high. Deglaze the skillet by adding the broth and Worcestershire sauce to the onions, and using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the skillet. Add in the dry onion soup mix, stirring until combined and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add the steaks back to the skillet and cover each steak with onions. Place the gruyere cheese on top of each steak. Place the skillet under the broiler and melt the cheese, for about 1 minute. Watch closely as this happens quickly! When the cheese is melted and starts to brown, remove the skillet immediately. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Storage: While best served fresh, the leftovers will still be tasty! Transfer cooled leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Store it (without cheese) in freezer bags in serving-size portions. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Top it with cheese and reheat as usual.
Reheat: Sprinkle it with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon water and microwave it in 30-second increments until warm. Or bake in a casserole dish in oven at 350°F, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until warmed through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 830kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 59g, Fat: 52g, Saturated Fat: 25g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 20g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 232mg, Sodium: 1826mg, Potassium: 1083mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 715IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 387mg, Iron: 5mg
