Slow Cooked Steak Diane Casserole - a great make-ahead meal, just the thing if you're feeding a crowd! I'll show you how you can cook in the oven, on the hob or in the slow cooker.
I suppose it’s classed as retro these days, but I love steak diane.
My kids still think retro is a little bit cool, as is ‘old-school’ and ‘vintage’. I love how using a certain word can evoke a certain feeling that would be completely different if another word with the same meaning was used.
If I show my daughter a jacket or shoes from 20 years ago and call them vintage, she wants them. But if I told her they were from ‘back in the day’ they’re considered musty, old and unfashionable.
So this is my retro steak diane, re-made in casserole format.
Hands up here, it hasn’t got the posh-ness of a beautiful fillet steak, but it’s got all the taste, it can be made ahead, and you can serve a crowd without having to re-mortgage your house to pay for the ingredients.
Here's what you'll need:
How to make it
(full instructions and quantities in the recipe card below)
- Brown chunks of braising beef that have been tossed in flour, salt and pepper in a large casserole pan over a high heat, with a good splash of oil.
- Add onion and cook for a few minutes to soften, then stir in minced garlic, tomato puree, brandy/whisky, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and mushrooms.
- Give everything a good stir, being sure to scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan (lots of flavour in those bits!). Bring to the boil then place a lid on the pan and place the pan in the oven to cook for 3 hours, until the beef is tender.
- At this point remove from the oven, stir in double/heavy cream and top with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkling of black pepper.
I love to serve it with mashed potatoes and green veg.
What to serve with Steak Diane Casserole
- Green Beans with Garlic and Parmesan
- Simple Butter Pepper Carrots
- Crispy Roast Potatoes
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Make in the Slow Cooker:
Once you've brought the casserole to the boil in step 6, transfer the contents to your slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours. This is the crockpot (<– affiliate link) I use. It has a searing function, so you can cook it all in the slow cooker without having to use a pan at all.
Make on the hob/stove top:
Instead of placing in the oven, you can cook this casserole over a very low heat on the hob/stovetop, with the lid on for 2-3 hours. Check the casserole and give it a stir a few times during cooking to prevent it from sticking. If it starts to look a little dry, you can add in a splash of water or stock
More Slow Cooked Recipes
Slow cooker and long oven/hob cooking recipes:
- Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Curry
- Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs with Rich Gravy
- Slow Cooked Hungarian Beef Goulash
- Traditional Lancashire Hotpot
- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom One Pan Casserole
- Beef and Guinness Stew with Crispy Onions
- Butter Chicken
Watch how to make it
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Slow Cooked Steak Diane Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1.5 kg (3.3lb) braising beef or casserole beef - (chopped into bitesizechunks)
- 3 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour - (you can use gluten free plain flour if required)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion - (peeled and chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic - (peeled and minced)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree/tomato paste
- 4 tbsp brandy or whisky
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Litre (4 ¼ cups) beef stock - (3 stock cubes plus water is fine, or use homemade stock or bouillon for gluten free)
- 300 g (10 ½ oz) chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced - (thickly sliced)
- 1 tbsp cornflour cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water, to make a slurry - (optional)
- 120 ml (½ cup) double (heavy) cream
- small bunch fresh parsley roughly chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F.
- Heat the oil in a large casserole pan over a high heat.
- Place the chopped beef in a bowl and sprinkle on the flour, salt and pepper. Toss everything together, then add the beef to to the casserole pan. Cook for 6-8 minutes, turning regularly until browned all over (you can do this in batches if you like, but I find it doesn't impact the look or taste for this recipe to cook it all in one go)
- Once the meat is browned, turn down the heat to medium and add the onion. Continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly until the onion starts to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato puree, cook for a further minute, then add the brandy/whisky, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and mushrooms.
- Stir everything together, being sure to scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil, stir again then place a lid on the pan and place the pan in the oven* to cook for 3 hours, until the beef is tender. Check a few times during the last hour of cooking to ensure casserole doesn't cook dry. Add good splash of boiling water or stock if it starts to look too dry.
- Once the meat is tender, remove from the oven. If you'd like to thicken the sauce a little, stir in the cornflour slurry.
- Add the cream and stir, then top with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkling of black pepper.
- Serve with mashed potato and green veg such as broccoli, green beans and kale
Video
✎ Notes
Make in the Slow Cooker:
If you're cooking in the slow cooker, you'll need to use less stock, as it won't evaporate as it does in the oven or on the hob/stove top.Reduce the stock by half to 500ml (a little over 2 cups).
Once you've brought the casserole to the boil in step 6, transfer the contents to your slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours. This is the crockpot (<– affiliate link) I use. It has a searing function, so you can cook it all in the slow cooker without having to use a pan at all.
Make on the hob/stove top:
Instead of placing in the oven, you can cook this casserole over a very low heat on the hob/stovetop, with the lid on for 2-3 hours. Check the casserole and give it a stir a few times during cooking to prevent it from sticking. If it starts to look a little dry, you can add in a splash of water or stockCan I make it ahead?
Yes, make the casserole, then cool, cover and refrigerate it. Reheat in a lidded dish in the oven at 160C/320F for 35-45 minutes until piping hot throughout. Stir once or twice during this time to ensure it heats evenly. You can reheat on the hob if you prefer, although you will need to be careful when stirring so you don't break down the tender chunks of beef too much. Reheat over a low-medium heat, stirring often until piping hot throughout - which should take 10-15 minutes.Can I freeze it?
Yes, cool, cover and freeze the casserole, then defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat as per the 'Can I make it ahead?' instructions above.Best cut of beef to use for Steak Diane Casserole:
- Chuck steak (also called braising steak) – comes from the forequarter - consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm.
- It’s a tough but very flavorful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs long slow cooking to break down and become tender. This is the cut I always use for this casserole.
- Silverside (bottom round) – comes from the hindquarter – just above the back leg. This is a good alternative.
- It’s a leaner, inexpensive cut of meat with little marbling. The lack of fat means it doesn’t have as much flavour as chuck/braising steak, so make sure you use good quality stock to cook it in. It’s good for slow cooking, but must be cooked with moisture/liquid so doesn’t dry out and become tough.
Nutrition
This post was first published in October 2017. Updated in March 2020 with tips, video and step-by-step photos.
Equipment:
In order to make this Slow Cooked Steak Diane Casserole recipe you will need:
-
- A good Kitchen knife. I have recently bought this Dalstrong one and love it.
- Chopping Board
- Casserole pan
- Garlic Press
- Measuring Spoons
- A frying pan/skillet
- Wooden or Silicon Coated Spoons. We have just bought these and love them.
- Potato Ricer HINT: Using a potato ricer makes the smoothest mash potato you will every taste. I recommend getting one!
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Henry says
Hi Nicky,
Thanks for this great recepie which I cooked tonight and which the family loved.
Dan says
Fantastic recipe.
Add half teaspoon of Grey Poupon and Tblspn of dark brown sugar.
Diane MacLean says
Very tender, lots of gravy, needs to be thickened quite a bit but everyone enjoyed it
Helen says
Beautiful flavour and the steak was meltingly tender. Thank you for a great recipe.
Helen
Chrissie Mitchell says
This recipe is delicious. I made it in my slow cooker. It should be noted that if using a slow cooker you need to reduce the liquid ingredients, generally by half. I used 2 cups of stock, everything else as per the recipe, and there was still plenty of lovely thick, tasty sauce as a result. Will definitely make again.
PAT Moondance says
I used a cut up chuck roast, but I think it would work better with London Broil or something very low fat. I made this as directed and had a lot of fat/oil that i ended up removing before thickening with corn starch. I did not add any cream. It makes a lot of gravy and was excellent over mashed potatoes. I may reduce the amount of broth by at least a cup next time.
Tony Kavalieros says
very good presentation!!
Jim Chilluffo says
Excellent taste! I chose to pair with green veggies (peas, green beans, broccoli) and roasted small potatoes. Definitely doing mash next time. Thank you for sharing!!!
Marla says
What can I use in place of the heavy cream, needs to be dairy free?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Marla,
Silk do a dairy-free heavy cream. Or alternately you could add a splash of canned coconut milk or oat milk instead.
Dan says
Can be thickened with potato starch (Idahoan flakes) in case corn starch is a dietary problem.
Alan Smithee says
I can see that the number of servings is listed as 10. Any idea what a serving size is? 1 cup, 2 cups, etc.? Thanks.
Alan Smithee says
Turned out really well. It was a treat for my wife and I as I got to use mushrooms and onions as our picky eater wasn't home. As such I only used 2/3 of the meat but it still turned out great. Used the oven cooking method.
Lorene says
This recipe sounds good but I'd like to try it using a whole 500g boneless blade steak. Do you think this would work without changing the process?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Lorene, yes this should work. You may need to cook for a little longer (20-30 minutes extra) to ensure it's fall-apart tender. You may also need to top up with a splash of boiling water or stock towards the end if it looks a little dry.
Belle says
Loved cooking this. I added massel chicken stock as well as beef to give it a bit of depth. If you're really adventurous you can add a tablespoon of miso paste so yum!!!