Transform Your Next Salisbury Steak Into A Beefy Pasta Dish

Salisbury steak, that poor, maligned dish, doesn't deserve the slings and arrows it often receives. Just because it was a staple of the baby boom generation — and a rather gray version of it haunted school lunches — doesn't mean there is anything inherently wrong with Salisbury steak, if done right. Think about it; the dish — which is distinct from hamburger steak — is a combination of savory ground beef patties with your choice of various aromatics, enriched with egg and breadcrumbs, and swimming in a sumptuous, mushroom-studded gravy. What's not to love? Tasting Table even has you covered with an easy recipe for Salisbury steak that is bursting with flavor.

Generally, folks tend to serve Salisbury beef patties and gravy with a simple starch, such as rice or mashed potatoes, that becomes a canvas for the main dish. But, if you want to really switch things up, then transform your Salisbury steak into a savory pasta dish. The idea is not as unusual as it might sound, considering the dish is already often served over egg noodles. However, the suggestion is to more fully incorporate the two; rather than just topping the egg noodles with the beef and gravy, treat the gravy as a sauce, and toss the noodles in it with a touch of cooking water to get them fully coated.

Of course, this is just the jumping-off point. How you serve the Salisbury steaks themselves offers up options for customization. They can be left as is, or broken up after cooking to form meatball-like chunks for the mushroom sauce. Alternatively, one could form the Salisbury steak mixture into meatballs and give them a deep sear in the pan before building the gravy and finishing them with a simmer.

Just as the Salisbury steak doesn't have to remain static, the sauce in this pasta can also be creatively toyed with. A luxurious option would be to make the gravy thicker and more velvety by pouring in a touch of cream. Pushing the richness factor even further, a finishing touch of grated parmesan would only further accentuate the savory elements of the beef and mushrooms. In another direction, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and piquant cracked black pepper would add acid and mild spice as a balance to the rich elements of the sauce and steaks.

Then there's really going for it by making a Salisbury steak-based pasta that moves so far afield its origins get murky. For example, the mushroom gravy could be turned into a French sauce chasseur — traditionally used with game meat — by adding crushed tomatoes, mirepoix, herbs, and a bit of wine. Switch out the ground beef for ground venison, and you have an inspired riff on Salisbury steak that defies expectations.