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This dinner recipe is quick, easy, and cheap, passed down from my grandma to my mom and now served to my own kids. I’ve been eating this simple but deliciously savory and filling meal my entire life, and this Depression-era recipe is surprisingly good, despite how easy and affordable it is to make!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Ground beef with gravy (or maybe you know it as hamburger gravy?) is one of those childhood-throwback, ultimate-comfort-food, transports-me-instantly kind of recipes. It was passed down from my grandmother to my mom, from my mom to me, and now I’m making it for my own kids. I mean, a giant bowl of meat-and-potatoes smothered with a rich, savory gravy? How could the whole family not like it?
- Not only is this recipe easy, satisfying, and delicious, it’s also super budget-friendly. With a couple of simple swaps, you can make it even easier and even more budget-friendly, too! Just use instant mashed potatoes instead of making your own, and use a can or two of store-bought beef gravy instead of making gravy from scratch. In fact, my mom pretty much always used canned gravy!
- Because ground beef and gravy is so basic and versatile, you can serve it with pretty much anything. A bed of creamy, fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes is a non-negotiable in my opinion, but you can replace them with rice, noodles, or mashed cauliflower if you want. Need a little green on your plate, too? Asparagus, broccoli, green beans, even Brussels sprouts will all compliment this dish really well.
Chef’s Tips
- Mushrooms would be a great addition to this ground beef and gravy dish, making it almost like a beef stroganoff of sorts. Just add the mushrooms, halved or diced, to the skillet when you add the onions and beef broth.
- If you keep your ground beef in the freezer and forget to take it out early enough to defrost, don’t worry. It can go in the skillet frozen and it’ll turn out just fine! Just flip the frozen ground beef over periodically and break it up as it thaws.
- Gravy’s pretty forgiving. Too thick? Add a little more broth. Not thick enough? Simmer a few minutes longer or add a touch more cornstarch. Make too much? Oh, who am I kidding. You can never make too much gravy.
Check Out These Delicious Dinners, Too
- Marry Me Chicken (Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce)
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- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
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- Southern Smothered Potatoes
Ground Beef and Gravy Over Mashed Potatoes
Quick, easy, and super budget-friendly, this satisfying recipe has been passed down through generations of my family. It's the epitome of comfort food!
servings
Equipment
- medium pot
- Small saucepan or small microwaveable bowl
- 2 whisks
- Potato masher or fork
- Small bowl
- Large skillet
- Large wooden spoon
Ingredients
For the Mashed Potatoes
- water
- 1 tablespoon salt more or less to taste
- 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces; or Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- ยฝ cup whole milk at room temperature
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the Ground Beef and Gravy
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ยผ cup beef broth low-sodium if desired
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ยฝ cups beef broth low-sodium if desired
- ยฝ cup chopped white onion approximately 1 small onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- ยผ-ยฝ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
For the Mashed Potatoes
- Fill medium pot with water, then add 1 tablespoon salt and stir to incorporate. Once incorporated, add 2 pounds russet potatoes and place pot on stovetop over medium-high heat.
- Once water begins to boil rapidly, set timer and boil potatoes 5 to 8 minutes, or until potatoes can be easily pierced with tines of fork.
- While potatoes boil, add 3 tablespoons butter and ยฝ cup whole milk to small saucepan. Place saucepan on stovetop over medium heat. Heat mixture, whisking occasionally, until butter is completely melted.
- When potatoes are fork-tender, carefully drain all liquid from pot, then place pot on cool stovetop burner.
- Use potato masher or fork to mash potatoes to desired consistency, then gradually stir in butter-milk mixture, making sure to incorporate all liquid into mashed potatoes.
- Once combined, season potatoes with ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir well to incorporate, then taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set potatoes aside until ready to serve.
For the Ground Beef and Gravy
- Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch and ยผ cup beef broth to small bowl. Whisk ingredients together until smooth and fully combined. Set aside.
- Heat large skillet over medium heat. When pan is warm, add 1 pound ground beef. Cook and crumble beef until no longer pink, then drain any liquid from pan and discard.
- Add 1 ยฝ cups beef broth, ยฝ cup chopped white onion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ยผ-ยฝ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to skillet with ground beef. Stir gently to incorporate ingredients, then simmer uncovered 5 to 10 minutes or until onion is tender.
- When onion has softened, slowly add cornstarch mixture to skillet, whisking gently until fully incorporated. Increase heat under skillet and bring mixture to boil. Once boiling, cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until liquid has thickened to form gravy.
To Serve
- Divide mashed potatoes evenly between serving bowls. Top bed of mashed potatoes with ground beef and gravy. Serve warm with extra gravy if desired.
- Ground Beef: For a lighter dish, use lean ground beef or even ground turkey or ground chicken. Turkey and chicken won’t have as much flavor but you can offset that with the broth and seasonings, or even add bouillon cubes.
- Mashed Potatoes: To make this recipe even easier, use instant mashed potatoes instead of homemade.
- Gravy:ย You can use 1-2 cans of beef gravy rather than making your own. That’s usually what my mom did!
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 507calProtein: 30gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 2883mgPotassium: 1460mgTotal Carbs: 49gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gNet Carbs: 46gVitamin A: 315IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Can’t wait to try this recipe ๐
Be sure to let us know how you like it once you do! ๐
Sounds good
Be sure to let us know if you try it! ๐
I would love to get this recipe but it’s not letting me subscribe for the hamburger over mashed potatoes thank you
Hi Patty! You do not have to subscribe to view the recipe- just scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the recipe card! I hope this helps!
iโve made this numerous times since iโve found it! i actually just finished making a batch! but i made a bit too much of the beef gravy, is it possible to freeze it, or if you think it would hold up well after unfrozen
Hi Madeline! You can definitely freeze beef gravy- just store it in a freezer safe container, then thaw it in the fridge overnight. I hope this helps! ๐
Thank you for this simple and wonderful recipe it came out great. My kids were happy, we were happy.
We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Mikeria!
this is an old time fav and I am making this as I type this review. my granny used to make
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Catherine! Thanks so much for sharing!
Had this in school as a child (old as dirt now). Just made the other night. Quick and easy dinner when everyone had to work late and came home hangry. ๐
We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Rose!
Thank you so much! I had a pound of ground beef that I wasnโt sure what to do with. Weโve exhausted the usuals. This was simple and the whole family ate it with praise for the chef! Chefs kiss! Thank you!
We’re so glad everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing, Nikki!