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This super rich and comforting ground beef and gravy over mashed potatoes 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 it’s so affordable to make!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why This Is The Perfect Cheap Family Dinner
- 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?
- 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!
- We’re thickening the gravy with a cornstarch slurry, rather than sprinkling the ground beef with flour which often leaves lumps in the gravy. The cornstarch means it stays super smooth, and it makes the dish naturally gluten-free!
What I Learned Testing This Recipe
- 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! (You just know I found this out one day when I forgot and just figured I should give it a go!) Just flip the frozen ground beef over periodically and break it up as it thaws.
- I’ve found that this gravy is 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.
- Don’t overmix your mashed potatoes or they’ll turn gluey. Once you add the butter-milk mixture, stir just until combined and smooth — overworking the potatoes breaks down the starches, creating a sticky, gummy texture instead of light and fluffy. If you want super smooth potatoes, use a potato ricer instead of a masher, but still mix gently once you add the liquid.
Ingredients
Potatoes – I like Russets for super smooth mashed potatoes, but you could also use Yukon golds. Red potatoes work too, though they’ll be a bit waxier.
Butter – Using unsalted butter in mashed potatoes will help you control the amount of salt, but honestly I find it doesn’t matter too much if I use salted or unsalted as long as I taste as I go along! Vegan butter works to make dairy-free mash.
Whole milk – For the richest, creamiest potatoes but you could also use half fat or skim. Plant milk paired with vegan butter is also needed to make the potatoes dairy-free!
Garlic powder – Adding a little garlic powder to the mash will instantly amp up the flavor without the need to make a garlic butter to fold into the mash or roast garlic to stir through the potatoes. That would be totally delicious though!
Cornstarch – Mixed with a little cold beef broth this makes a slurry to thicken the gravy without lumps.
Beef broth – Using low-sodium broth will help you control the amount of salt in the final dish. Obviously, this recipe is all about the beef, but if they’re out at the grocery store chicken broth would also work.
Ground beef – I usually use lean beef to keep things light, but honestly any type of ground beef will work.
White onion – Chopped. Brown onion will also work.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
Because ground beef and gravy are so basic and versatile, you can serve it with pretty much anything. A bed of creamy, fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes are a non-negotiable in my opinion, but you can replace them with rice, noodles, biscuits, thick cut toast or bread, 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.
Leftovers will keep for 3–4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To re-heat the beef and gravy, add a splash of beef broth or water as cornstarch-based gravies usually thickens in the fridge, and then either heat it through on the stovetop or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each blast. The potatoes are best re-heated on the stovetop with a splash of milk as leftover mashed potato usually dries out in the fridge.
The ground beef and gravy freezes beautifully for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers. Mashed potatoes don’t freeze as well (they can get grainy), so make those fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make both components ahead of time! The ground beef gravy actually tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld together. The mashed potatoes are best made fresh, but you can make them a few hours ahead and keep them warm in a slow cooker on the “warm” setting with a little extra butter and milk.
Too thick? Just whisk in more beef broth, a tablespoon at a time. Too thin? Let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes, or whisk in another small cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water) and cook for 2 minutes.
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.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Easy Ground Beef and Gravy Over Mashed Potatoes
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
- ½ cup whole milk at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the Ground Beef and Gravy
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup beef broth low-sodium if desired
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ½ cups beef broth low-sodium if desired
- ½ cup chopped white onion approximately 1 small onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- ¼-½ 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 ½ 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 ½ 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 ¼ 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 ½ cups beef broth, ½ cup chopped white onion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼-½ 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: 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
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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This was one of the most delicious, easiest, comforting meals I have ever had…and I’m vegan! I replaced the ground beef with impossible meat and the beef broth with a dark brown veggie broth, made my mashed potatoes with creamy oat milk and miyokos vegan butter. SO GOOD!!! I loved how easy it was to accommodate our family’s preferences…my husband literally said “this is one of the best meals I’ve ever had.” So simple, so easy, food for the soul 🙏🏽
Wow, we are so happy to hear this!! Thank you for the wonderful review, Sophie! 🙂💛
We loved the ground beef and gravy!!! I did instant potatoes because I don’t have potatoes on hand and it took me back to my mom’s gravy and she been gone for 25 years now. Thank you so much!!!
So glad you loved it, Kim! 💗
This is a good recipe. I would like a bit more brown gravy though. Regardless, on a cold day/night this recipe would hit the spot!
So glad you enjoyed it, Tamara! 😊
I was looking for a way to use up the potatoes and ground beef was all I had on hand. This meal was so delicious!! We will be having this again.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Diane! 😊
I loved the dish. I added a side of corn with green peppers and the flavors were great!
Ooh, corn with green peppers sounds like a delicious addition to the meal! So glad you loved it, Sheri. 🙂
Delicious! I wanted to add mushrooms but was out so added 2T of Campbell’s Flavor UP Mushroom & Herb, otherwise made as written. Will definitely make again!!
Thank you so much, Julie!
My family loves this and it was super easy to make. I added sides of vegetables and it was amazing!
So glad you and your family enjoyed this meal! Thank you for sharing! 😊
Found this because I had leftover mashed potatoes and couldn’t decide what to do with them. This hamburger gravy was spot on! Thank you!
That’s great, Derek! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for the review!
⭐️best i’ve tasted in a long time! btw, i added couple shakes of worcestershire sauce when i made the gravy!
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for the review!
My husband loved this! Good old fashioned comfort food. Will definitely make again.
So happy you both loved it, Kristine! Thank you so much for sharing your review!