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.
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
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1tbspcornflour cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water, to make a slurry - (optional)
120ml(1/2 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:
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
Can 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.
Nutritional information is per serving, not including the serving suggestions of mashed potatoes and green veg.
Potato RicerHINT: Using a potato ricer makes the smoothest mash potato you will every taste. I recommend getting one!
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Hi I’m Nicky
I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.
Love this recipy as I can cook up a lot and provide my kids and their families with a really yummy meal once a week. They all love it as well. A real hit good wholesome meal for them all.
I'm so thrilled with this recipe! Thank you for sharing. I used a London broil roast sliced very thin and made it without mushrooms and I added a can of tomatoes with green chile peppers. So tender and delicious. Hubby shared leftover at work and was asked for the recipe. We recorded the cooking for our YouTube channel, I'd like to link back to you if you don't mind.
Hey. I have never cooked with alcohol before. I tried one dish once with red wine but it didn’t taste nice. I would like to give Themis recipe a go but would like to know if I should buy whiskey or brandy. Which one is better? And any particular brands? I don’t drink much so I’m not sure what to get Thanx Bec
Can I do without alcohol? What should I replace the 4Tblsp liquid with??
Chris Corbishleysays
Hi Jill,
You can leave it out completely if you prefer. It will change the flavor of the sauce slightly but it should still be tasty.
Thanks
Chris
Kathsays
Just had to let you know, we had this at the weekend. Put it in the slow cooker, went out for a walk. The aroma when we arrived home was amazing and just what we needed after a few hours out walking. Delicious.
This looks delicious! I've been looking for a steak and mushroom pot pie recipe and I think this would make a great filling for a steak pot pie! I'm going to try it tomorrow and will let you know how it turns out!
Hi Dawn, there are 300g chestnut mushrooms in the ingredient list (I think they might be known as brown-cap mushrooms in the US?). They're added in in step 5.
I haven't had steak Dianne for years but remembered that I used to love it! I made this recipe yesterday exactly as is though I had to halve all the ingredients as there is only my wife & me - I gotta say this is amazing!!! I used the slow cooker as we needed to go out for the day, the smell when we came home.... wow!! - Even with the reduced ingredients there was enough left over to freeze for another couple of meals at least, and we both agreed we wont be leaving it too long before we have this again. Thanks so much for the recipe - sure winner in our house.
Barbara M says
Delish!
Linda OWen says
Lovely recipe, easy to make, really tasty and inexpensive too!
walter says
absolutely marvellous and a great twist on a Flemish traditional dish
Mickie says
This looks divine and I can hardly wait to try it, but what is a “hob”? I’m from Kansas and am not familiar with this term!😬
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Mickie,
A hob is a stove top or cooker top 🙂
Thanks
Chris
Theresa Parker says
Love this recipy as I can cook up a lot and provide my kids and their families with a really yummy meal once a week. They all love it as well. A real hit good wholesome meal for them all.
Rebecca L says
I'm so thrilled with this recipe! Thank you for sharing. I used a London broil roast sliced very thin and made it without mushrooms and I added a can of tomatoes with green chile peppers. So tender and delicious. Hubby shared leftover at work and was asked for the recipe. We recorded the cooking for our YouTube channel, I'd like to link back to you if you don't mind.
Rebecca says
Hey. I have never cooked with alcohol before. I tried one dish once with red wine but it didn’t taste nice. I would like to give Themis recipe a go but would like to know if I should buy whiskey or brandy. Which one is better? And any particular brands? I don’t drink much so I’m not sure what to get
Thanx
Bec
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Rebecca,
I would go with brandy over whiskey and a cheap one will be fine.
Thanks
Chris
JillC says
Can I do without alcohol? What should I replace the 4Tblsp liquid with??
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Jill,
You can leave it out completely if you prefer. It will change the flavor of the sauce slightly but it should still be tasty.
Thanks
Chris
Kath says
Just had to let you know, we had this at the weekend. Put it in the slow cooker, went out for a walk. The aroma when we arrived home was amazing and just what we needed after a few hours out walking. Delicious.
Theresa says
This looks delicious! I've been looking for a steak and mushroom pot pie recipe and I think this would make a great filling for a steak pot pie! I'm going to try it tomorrow and will let you know how it turns out!
Nicky Corbishley says
Sounds like a great pie filling to me! Hope you enjoyed it Theresa 😀
Dawn says
The photo has mushrooms but I don't see in the recipe.....
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Dawn, there are 300g chestnut mushrooms in the ingredient list (I think they might be known as brown-cap mushrooms in the US?). They're added in in step 5.
BJ Stark says
What types of beef are considered 'Braising or Casserole Beef"?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi BJ, I think chuck or blade cuts are the most common types. Skirt would work too.
Ken Pullen - London UK says
I haven't had steak Dianne for years but remembered that I used to love it! I made this recipe yesterday exactly as is though I had to halve all the ingredients as there is only my wife & me - I gotta say this is amazing!!! I used the slow cooker as we needed to go out for the day, the smell when we came home.... wow!! - Even with the reduced ingredients there was enough left over to freeze for another couple of meals at least, and we both agreed we wont be leaving it too long before we have this again. Thanks so much for the recipe - sure winner in our house.
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Ken, I'm SO pleased you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it went!
Cakes and Cupcakes says
Excellent Sis, I am making this for us this weekend and cant wait to eat it already - it looks delicious xx
Nicky Corbishley says
Woo hoo! Hope you enjoy it sis 🙂 See you on Sunday xx