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Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Slow cooker Salisbury steak meatballs with tender 1.5-inch beef meatballs simmered in a rich mushroom-onion gravy. It’s a hands-off meal that finishes with a thickened slurry for a spoon-coating sauce over mashed potatoes.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For meatballs
  • 1.5 lb ground beef
  • 0.3333333333 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • salt and pepper Use to taste.
For gravy
  • 16 oz cremini mushrooms Sliced.
  • 1 onion Thinly sliced.
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup 1 can.
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water For slurry.
For serving
  • mashed potatoes
  • fresh parsley Optional garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Make the meatballs
  1. In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper, then mix just until evenly combined. Roll into 1.5-inch balls.
Brown and slow-cook
  1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs in batches. Place browned meatballs into the slow cooker.
  2. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, beef broth, cream of mushroom soup, Worcestershire, and Dijon mustard to the slow cooker. Stir around the meatballs so they’re coated in the liquid.
  3. Cover and cook on Low for 5–6 hours, or High for 3 hours, until the meatballs are cooked through and the gravy is bubbling at the edges.
Thicken the gravy and serve
  1. Whisk cornstarch with water to make a slurry, then stir it into the gravy. Cook on High for 20 minutes until thickened and glossy.
  2. Serve the Salisbury steak meatballs over mashed potatoes and spoon gravy over the top. Finish with fresh parsley.

Notes

For the richest gravy, stir gently once or twice during cooking so the mushroom-onion mixture stays suspended around the meatballs. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat in the microwave or in the slow cooker on Low until hot. Freezing is not recommended because cream of mushroom soup can break when reheated after thawing. For a lighter option, swap part of the breadcrumbs for finely ground oats and use low-sodium beef broth.