I’m always trying to come up with ideas for easy-to-prepare meals. This is one that I came across a few months ago. I’ve made it a handful of times since then because it is simple, yet flavorful and filling.
Ingredients
(Adapted from this recipe.)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 small onion, minced
- 6-8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- A few dashes salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
- Prepared egg noodles or mashed potatoes
Instructions
Place the ground beef, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a large, deep skillet. Crumble the meat and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with flour. Stir until the meat is evenly coated and all the fat is absorbed.
Place the skillet over medium heat. Add the beef broth and stir constantly until the gravy thickens. Stir in the cream and season with the salt, pepper, and thyme.
Serve over prepared egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Yield: 5 servings.
Notes
This dish isn’t fancy, but it’s comforting and hearty. It takes very little time and effort to prepare, so it’s great for busy nights. You can jazz it up a bit by adding additional herbs or spices. We like it over egg noodles or mashed potatoes, but you can also serve it over rice, toast, or biscuits.
What easy-to-prepare meals have you tried recently?
Shared at the following:
Whisk It Wednesday, Encouraging Hearts and Home, The Handmade Hangout, Friday Frivolity, Awesome Life Friday, Weekend Potluck, Share it One More Time Inspiration Party, Sundays at Home, Busy Monday, and Homemaking Linkup.
Love hamburger gravy! It’s a crowd-pleaser here! I made it without the mushrooms earlier this week to go over our breakfast biscuits.
Thanks for sharing your recipe on last week’s Encouraging Hearts & Home blog hop 🙂
That sounds yummy, Linda! Now I want some biscuits…
I have made this dish for over 53 years except it was patties and gravy with onions, mushrooms, served over noodles, or rice. and make a well in the middle of mash potatoes and put the meat and gravy in it. Another treat was mixing it with mixed vegetables so my kids would eat vegetables, I had 5 children to feed and also doing the hamburger and gravy pie, a pastry shell top and bottom. So glad to see it’s being shared with others
I like the idea of putting the patties in the middle of mashed potatoes! My kids would love that.
Thank you so much for sharing on the Whisk It Wednesday Link Party. Tomorrow when the new party starts you will be featured! Hope to see you there! Carrie @ Carrie’s Home Cooking
Thank you, Carrie! I was so pleased to find the party because I love discovering new recipes. I’ll be stopping by tomorrow!
can u freeze the gravy?
Yes, Kathy, it will freeze just fine IF you don’t add the cream. Prepare as directed in the instructions, just skip adding the cream at the end. Then, when you thaw and reheat it, you can add the cream.
Gravies that contain milk or cream separate when frozen and thawed, so you end up with gravy with a strange texture. However, most gravies without milk or cream can be frozen for up to several months.
Do you drain the hamburger before you mix the rest of the ingredients in?
I generally don’t, Linda, because the fat is needed to make the gravy. I use lean ground meat (usually 90% lean/10% fat or 93% lean/7% fat). If you aren’t using lean meat (something like 80% lean/20% fat), then you could drain out a bit of the fat. Keep some of it, though, so your gravy will be the right consistency!
Thank you for your reply. I can’t wait to make this.
sounds like the old SOS that was served in Marine Corps mess halls, minus the mushrooms. I was a single father and made this for my sons, served over toast or toasted English muffins…
Yes, Joseph, I believe it is essentially the same thing. My mom used to make a similar dish (sometimes she made it with other leftover meats) that she called SOS. We ate it over toast. I guess we can call this a time-honored meal!
Been making this for years! Instead of heavy cream, I stir in sour cream at the end. I also add frozen peas. Everybody loves it!!
Sour cream would be a great addition, Gwen! My girls and I would love peas in it, but my husband won’t eat them. 🙁
I’ll definitely try the sour cream, though.
Hello ! ! I would add chopped fresh parsley to the mixture. OR to the egg noodles toss with a bit of butter, salt and pepper. AND I might as well tell you I’d simmer the browned hamburger, lid on and slightly ajar, in the beef broth for about 2 hours. I like to do this to soften the chewy hamburger.
I’d not considered simmering the beef in that manner, Cathleen. The parsley sounds like a great idea!
This dish looks perfect! This recipe is going on our menu this week. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I hope you enjoy it, Julie!
I made this tonight. Excellent recipe! Will make this often, it’s so easy!
I’m so glad you liked it, Cindy! We all need a few of these easy recipes we can make on busy nights.