Unfortunately, when it comes to steak, the humble round steak is frequently overlooked. However, while not as fancy as a NY strip or filet, this economical cut is a great option for everyday meals.
If you’re concerned about toughness, there are several ways to tenderize a round steak: pounding, slicing it against the grain to break down the muscle fiber, marinating, and cooking it slowly and on low heat are all excellent ways to create a tender, luscious meat that’s bursting with flavor!
Do you want to improve your culinary skills? Here are 14 tenderized round steak recipes that are simple, healthy, and so delicious that everyone will want them in seconds!
Why Do You Tenderize Steak?
Round steak is lean and comes from the animal’s hind legs/rump. If not cooked properly, it can be tough.
Tenderizing the meat before cooking helps to break down the tough connective fibers. This, along with low and slow cooking, will help tenderize this inexpensive cut of meat.
Pounding round steak with a meat mallet or tenderizer is one of the simplest ways to tenderize it. Make use of the textured side (the smooth side is used for flattening). The small spikes help to break down the meat’s fibers and connective tissues, making it tenderer.
How to Make Tender Round Steak
This meal comes together quickly in a covered Dutch oven or skillet.
- Make the meat tender (see tips above).
- Remove steaks from the pan after browning in oil.
- Cook mushrooms and onions in butter, then add all ingredients, except cornstarch, to pan with steaks.
- Slow cook in the oven, covered. When the steaks are tender, remove them and thicken the broth to make gravy.
Kitchen Tip: If your meat is not tender, it will most likely require MORE cooking time. Cooking tougher cuts of meat slowly and slowly breaks down the tissues, resulting in tender meat.
15 Best tenderized round steak recipes You should try
1. Fried Chicken Steak
This classic fried steak recipe starts with tenderized round steak that is pan-fried to create a perfectly crispy, extra-crunchy crust before being smothered in a creamy homestyle gravy made with flour, butter, oil, milk, and seasonings. For a complete dinner, pair this delectable dish with mashed potatoes or biscuits.
2: Country-Fried Steak Fingers in Lump-Free Cream Gravy
These melt-in-your-mouth steak fingers are smothered in heavenly creamy gravy and are perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This delicacy will be impossible to resist. If you’re making it for dinner, serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans to round out the meal.
3. Slow Cooker Swiss Steak
Tender round beef steaks are cooked in a rich tomato brown sauce made with diced or crushed tomatoes and beef broth in this recipe. The recipe also includes vegetables such as carrots, celery, onions, and peppers to create a hearty dish that is both flavorful and healthy. Serve it with garlic mashed potatoes or white rice for a complete meal.
4. Simple Pepper Steak
If you want a recipe that comes together quickly without sacrificing flavor, this pepper steak recipe is for you. Cook your beef in thin strips against the grain, along with some sweet bell peppers, in a deliciously rich pepper steak sauce. Serve with sliced green onions and sesame seeds on top of rice or pasta, or with a simple salad.
5: Quick Steak and Cheese Sandwiches
Looking for a quick lunch? This straightforward sandwich is ideal for chilly evenings. Cook tenderized round steak with peppers, onions, and Worcestershire sauce in a skillet. Assemble the sandwiches on hoagie rolls with Swiss cheese and broil until the cheese melts. This comfort food is so delicious that you’ll want to eat it every night of the week!
6. Fall-Apart Tender Swiss Steak
Tenderized round steak is coated in flour, salt, pepper, and parsley for this crock-pot dish. It’s browned with onions, peppers, and tomatoes before being baked to make the most delicious meal for everyone. Do you want to complete the meal? Serve it with cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
7. Round Steak with Mushrooms
Round steak slathered in a delectable, mouthwatering gravy made with Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and thyme leaves, with sautéed mushrooms and onions cooked in butter — served with mashed potatoes or noodles for an unforgettable meal. Remember to tenderize the steak with a meat mallet to make it fork-tender.
8. Round Steak with Beef Noodles
This simple take on the classic beef bourguignon calls for browning cubed round steak and then roasting it in the oven with sauteed onions and beef base for about an hour before adding flour and water gravy. This technique yields fork-tender steak that melts in your mouth. Serve it over egg noodles to soak up the delicious flavors, then top with sour cream for a mouthwatering meal.
9. Smothered Round Steak
Tenderized round steak is slow-cooked in the oven with mushrooms, onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, dry onion soup mix, and a variety of herbs and seasonings in this recipe. As a result, you get a luscious, fork-tender steak that’s bursting with flavor. Serve it with mashed potatoes to make the ideal weeknight dinner.
10. Smothered Round Steak with Gravy
This steak recipe calls for searing tenderized round steak in butter before smothering it in a thick gravy of sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spices. This succulently juicy and tender dish will elevate your weeknight dinner to 5-star status. Serve with your preferred sides, such as mashed or fried potatoes, steamed vegetables, or steak fries.
11. Steak Fingers
Steak fingers are one of those dishes that will satisfy even the most discerning palates. Make them by seasoning thin strips of tenderized round steak with lemon pepper and salt, then dipping them in buttermilk, and flour, and browning them in a skillet. With ranch dressing, country gravy, or your favorite condiments, serve these crunchy steak fingers hot.
12. Swiss Steak
This recipe cooks tenderized, brown round steak with onion, garlic, and carrots in a flavorful yet lightly seasoned sauce made with beef broth, diced tomatoes, marjoram, paprika, thyme, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Serve it with the sauce on top of white rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes.
13. Tender Round Steak and Gravy
This delicious round steak recipe is made by browning floured and seasoned round steaks in oil, then adding onion and water and cooking for about 2 hours over low heat. Slow cooking round steak results in perfectly tender and flavorful meat with a delicious gravy. Serve with fresh greens or mashed potatoes.
14. The Ultimate Texas Chicken Fried Steak With Gravy
Don’t be fooled by the name; this recipe heavily relies on the tenderized round steak to produce an award-winning dish that you’ll want to make again and again! A creamy white gravy coats the browned fall-off-the-fork tender round steak. Garnish with fresh thyme for delectable flavors in every bite.
15. Beef Stroganoff in the Pressure Cooker
Beef stroganoff always reminds me of my father; he used to make it for us on special occasions, and we loved it.
This recipe makes stroganoff in record time, and the dish is just as creamy and delicious as the stovetop version.
The mushrooms add umami flavor, and the sour cream cuts the richness.
Don’t skip the browning step, which adds color and flavor to your steak.
What should you serve with beef stroganoff? There are numerous options for vegetables, rolls, and salad.
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