My sister makes this 4 ingredient classic for Sunday dinners and the meat is always so tender

Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch glass casserole dish with the oil or butter, or coat it with nonstick spray. Using glass helps you see the bubbling sauce and gives that classic Sunday-dinner presentation.

Pat the cube steaks dry with paper towels. If using round steak, slice it into 4 to 6 serving-size pieces and lightly tenderize with a meat mallet if it isn’t already. Season lightly with salt and black pepper if desired, keeping in mind the onion soup mix and canned soup both contain salt.

Lay the steaks in a single layer in the prepared glass casserole dish. If you need to slightly overlap them, that’s fine; they will braise in the sauce and still become tender.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and dry onion soup mix until smooth and well combined. This mixture will look quite thick, but it will loosen as it bakes and the meat releases juices.

Pour the sour cream mixture evenly over the steaks, using a spatula to spread it so all the meat is well coated. You want the steaks to be smothered in the sauce so they braise rather than dry out.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil. Place it on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the beef is very tender when pierced with a fork. Thinner cube steaks may be ready closer to 1 1/2 hours, while thicker round steak pieces may need the full 2 hours.

Carefully remove the foil, taking care to avoid the steam. Stir the gravy gently around the steaks to recombine any separated fat or juices. If the sauce looks a bit thin, return the uncovered dish to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken slightly; if it looks too thick, stir in a splash of hot water or beef broth until it reaches a pourable, creamy consistency.

Taste the gravy and adjust seasoning with a small pinch of salt and additional black pepper if needed. Serve the steaks hot, spooning plenty of the rich sour cream gravy over each portion directly from the glass casserole dish.

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