Hamburger Steak and Gravy
A satisfying family favorite that uses few ingredients and very little time, this flavor-packed comfort food hamburger steak and gravy recipe is worthy of its place on your weekly rotation. Forget compromising taste and texture for convenience and budget because this easy entree has it all.
Perhaps the hardest question moms and family cooks face almost every day is “What’s for dinner?” If you’re the meal planner for your family, I feel your pain. The temptation to wing it is strong, especially for those of us who love to live in the moment.
I tried to be a meal planner with all those labels and food storage containers in the fridge, but it just wasn’t me. Simple, easy, and tasty are my three favorite food terms when it comes to family meals, which is probably why I love this particular dish.
Hamburger vs. Salisbury Steak
I was not aware there was a difference. Honestly, my recipe is a fusion of the two. Hamburger steak has fewer binders, lighter seasoning, and a lighter gravy. Salisbury steak has binders such as rolled oats and cracked meal (or breading) for a softer patty. The rich brown gravy is heavier and perfect for smothering mashed potatoes.
My recipe has one egg and some breadcrumbs. But it’s the sauce that has me hooked. The savory onion mushroom gravy is so mouthwateringly good that we pour it all over anything that happens to be on the table. Rice, mashed potatoes, egg noodles, you name it. It’s perfect with almost everything!
How to Make Hamburger Steak and Gravy
- Make the patties, then sear them.
- Sauté the mushrooms and onions and make the gravy.
- Add the hamburger steaks back to the pan, then simmer until tender. Serve immediately with your favorite sides.
Recipe Tips
- You can go simple or sneak some veggies into the gravy, like minced bell peppers, grated carrots, cubed potatoes, and diced celery. Add them with the onions, and no one will complain.
- For juicy burger steaks, 20% fat content to 80% meat will do you well. You could go as low as 15%, but less than that will give you dry steaks.
- Combine the meat mixture just enough to incorporate everything. Overmixing may give you dense, tough patties.
- Press your thumb to make an indent in the middle of the patty for more even cooking.
- Searing the patties well, then simmering them in the gravy gives you that delicious Maillard reaction and tender meat.
What to Enjoy With Hamburger Steak and Gravy
Some people love poutine vibes by serving it over fries and topping it with grated mozzarella. We usually enjoy it over mashed potatoes with a light salad on the side to balance things out.
More Budget-Friendly Recipes to Try
- Creamy Baked Chicken Legs
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Ground Beef and Cabbage
- Cube Steak and Gravy
- Braised Beef Neck Bones
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”0VQ1X32j” upload-date=”2019-04-25T13:24:45.000Z” name=”Hamburger Steak and Gravy” description=”Hamburger Steak and Gravy – a satisfying family-favorite meal that only uses less ingredients without compromising the taste. Made with ground beef steak and soaked in an onion mushroom gravy that is to-die for! Pure comfort food that comes easily together!”]
This blog post was originally published in June 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Hamburger Steak and Gravy
Ingredients
Hamburger Steak
- 1 pound (450g) ground beef
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup (25g) breadcrumbs
- ½-1 teaspoon (1-3g) white pepper (or black pepper)
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 2 tablespoons (12g) grated onion
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced garlic
Mushroom Onion Gravy
- 2 tablespoons (15g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (236ml) beef broth
- ½ cup (118ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter
- 1-1½ cups (125-200g) sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup (120g) thinly sliced onions
- 1 teaspoon (1-2g) minced thyme
- 1 tablespoon (15g) minced garlic
- 1½ teaspoons (7-8ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5g) Creole seasoning (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Mix the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, white or black pepper, salt, grated onion, and minced garlic gently with your hands in a large bowl.
- Divide the mixture into 4-6 equally sized portions, then gently shape them into patties and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour into the broth and water, and set aside.
- Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium-high heat. Sear patties for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter, followed by mushrooms, onions, thyme, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and Creole seasoning, and sauté for about 6 minutes or until the mushrooms and onions are tender.
- Add the broth and flour mixture, and bring to a boil. Return the patties and the drippings to the skillet, and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed.
- Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Adjust the consistency with more stock or water, and serve immediately with your chosen sides.
Tips & Notes:
- Four servings do our family well, but feel free to double the recipe if you have more hungry mouths to feed.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is an estimate and can vary wildly based on the ingredients used in the recipe.
Very good
Thank you, Regina :)!
I made this recipe yesterday. It was very easy to make and tasted really good! I cooked the patties an extra 8-10 minutes until they were over 165 degrees. I will definitely make again.
Thank you, Tammie! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Husband says it “A Keeper”. I thickened gravy with a cornstarch slurry at the end. Just a preference. This is as down-home as it gets. High in calorie but worth the splurge. Thanks
Just made this my girls and ooh lala. They loved it
Such a feel good meal… yummy in our tummy!!! Thanks you
Yes!! This definitely qualifies as a “yummy in our tummy” dish 🙂 ! I am so glad you loved this dish. Thank you for stopping by!
Amazing taste! Everyone loved this dish. I made them more meatballs size. The flavor was spot on!
Giving this a try tonight for supper!! Cant wait to try it!
Hope it worked well for you. Enjoy!
11/10/19 – 5 stars! Just made this recipe and everyone loved it. Husband ranted and raved, so it will be put on heavy rotation for our dinner recipes! I got my 16yo daughter to make breadcrumbs while I was out, and I had my 14yo son chop up a full onion so it was a little less work for me to do when I got home and everyone felt they had their “hand” in the recipe. What a win! The only modification I made is I used ground turkey and no mushrooms due to my allergies but this was a HIT!!! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Shelly! I’m glad your whole family enjoyed and you put them to work haha! Dinner truly tastes better when the entire family had a hand in it. Thank you so much for stopping by 🙂
This is my husbands new favorite dinner. He asks me to make it every week! Thanks for the tasty recipe!
I’m very glad to hear that Tina! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!! I couldn’t stop eating this! My family and I absolutely love it! Definitely a keeper!
I’m very glad to hear that Shiala! Thank you for taking the time to tell me this 🙂
This recipe is a keeper! I made it tonight for dinner…YUMMMM! The hubs likes it too. I made mashed potatoes to go with this. Heavenly! Thanks!
Glad you guys like it. This truly pairs well with mashed potatoes. Thanks for stopping by!