Budget Baked Chuck Steak Dinner in Foil

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 07/18/20
Budget chuck steak dinner in foil recipe

The Spruce / Emily Baker
  • Total: 105 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 90 mins
  • Servings: 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
530 Calories
26g Fat
32g Carbs
42g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 530
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 11g 57%
Cholesterol 138mg 46%
Sodium 1263mg 55%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 6g 20%
Protein 42g
Calcium 86mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A thick, budget-friendly chuck steak or 7-bone steak makes a tender, delicious family meal using this easy oven method. Chuck steak comes from the shoulder and this particular cut of meat takes well to braising and marinating, and longer cooking in the oven, such as this recipe.

Chuck steak isn't quite the same as chuck roast, although they come from the same part of the cow. The roast can include part of the blade bone and is cut in either a cylindrical or oblong shape in which the grain runs in the same direction as the long side of the meat. Chuck steak is that exact piece of meat but cut into slices that are typically one to three inches thick—in other words, like a steak.

This recipe likely dates to the 1960s and been a popular way to cook this tougher but flavorful cut. The beef chuck is baked in a foil package along with potatoes, carrots, and celery, along with a surprise nostalgia ingredient: a package of dry onion soup mix for flavor.

The steak and vegetables are wrapped in foil, making a whole dinner in a package. Wrapping it in foil keeps everything moist and tender, making for a dinner that is baked to perfection until the steak is fall-apart tender.

Serve this easy budget steak dinner with freshly baked biscuits or crusty bread.

1:23

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Ingredients

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds chuck steak (about 1-inch thick)
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 3 carrots (halved lengthwise and cut into quarters)
  • 2 ribs celery (cut into sticks)
  • 3 medium potatoes (peeled and quartered)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

    Ingredients for budget chuck steak
    The Spruce / Emily Baker

  2. Tear off a 2- to 3-foot piece of 18-inch-wide heavy duty aluminum foil.

    Aluminium foil
    The Spruce / Emily Baker

  3. Place the steak in the center of the foil and sprinkle with onion soup mix.

    Marinade
    The Spruce / Emily Baker

  4. Cover the meat with the vegetables. Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt and paprika.

    Cover meat and vegetables
    The Spruce / Emily Baker 

  5. Fold foil over and seal it well to hold in the juices.

    Fold foil over
    The Spruce / Emily Baker

  6. Place the foil package in a large, shallow baking pan or roasting pan.

    Place package on tray
    The Spruce / Emily Baker

  7. Bake the steak and vegetables in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the chuck steak is very tender. Serve and enjoy.

    Bake chuck steak
    The Spruce / Emily Baker

Tip

  • Other root veggies take well to this preparation. Consider adding diced rutabaga, turnips, or parsnips to the package along with the potatoes and carrots. 
  • If you don't have onion soup mix on hand, try this homemade onion soup mix instead.

Helpful Links

How to Store and Reheat Chuck Steak

Steak and vegetables will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. The best part of this recipe is that it was cooked in foil, so that means you can simply store it and reheat it in foil, too. Keep the foil sealed so the food doesn't dry out and reheat for 15 minutes or so in a 350 F oven.