Hearty Hamburger Gravy

I'm a full time student (finishing undergrad, in the process of graduate application/acceptance), wife, homemaker, Etsy business owner/manager, dog mom, etc...

When I need/want comfort food, it's normally because I'm tired, I've had a long week, and I'm cold, etc. I don't want to spend a lot of time on prep, and I certainly don't want to spend a lot of time washing dishes afterward! I also want something hot and hearty, that tastes just as good as leftovers, and uses ingredients I have on hand, shopping on a tight budget. This hamburger gravy fits the bill!

Adaptable, cheap, quick, clean and easy, and SOOOO Yummy! My mom used to make something similar, and I have adapted it for my own household (my hubby and our German Shepherd LOVE this meal!). I normally pour it over rice or mashed potatoes, depending on my mood (okay, depending on whether or not I feel like peeling potatoes...), with broiled broccoli on the side, if we're feeling healthy.

I hope you enjoy this simple, scrumptious meal as much as we do!

*Did I mention how cheap this is??? If I had to buy everything (spices, etc.) it would cost a total of $15, and we get about 5 meals out of it... That's less than $3 per meal, and then I'd have spices and bullion leftover, meaning it would only cost $7 total next time ($1.4/meal). And it's so filling, I don't feel the need to snack afterward!*

• 1lb Thawed Ground beef
  • I use 73% lean, 27% fat and drain excess fat; you can use your preferred ground beef, but this is best with some drippings left in it
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• ~4 cloves minced garlic
• Beef bullion/broth
  • Bullion is best, so you can mix it double strength
• 6oz Giorgio Canned Mushrooms
  • Or 1cup fresh, sliced mushrooms
  • If you use canned mushrooms here, make sure they're a good brand, that you know you like, otherwise they may turn out rubbery. Giorgio are great!)
• 26oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup (
  • Or two 10.5 oz cans
• Optional: 1/4 cup diced onion

*Make rice or mashed potatoes as you usually would. This gravy tasted good on instant potatoes too!*

• Heat a frying pan over medium high heat.
  • (Frying pan needs to be large enough to hold the Hamburger, Cream of Mushroom Soup and 1/4 cup beef broth)
• Break up the hamburger and add it to the pan
• Add the minced garlic

If you want to add onion, this is where you would add it! You want all the flavors of the garlic and onion to soak into the beef while it's cooking.

• Sprinkle spices evenly over the top of the beef
  • 1tsp onion powder
  • 1tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4tsp salt
  • 1/4tsp pepper
• Stir them in
• Continually stir the ground beef while it's browning, breaking up the larger chunks

• Drain the liquid off the canned mushrooms down the sink
• Dump the mushrooms onto the beef
• Sprinkle additional seasoning on mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
• Stir the mushrooms and spices together, and enjoy the delicious aroma! Allow mushrooms to cook with beef for ~5 minutes. Stir often.

*If you're using fresh mushrooms, turn the heat up to high for this step. You want the water in the mushrooms to boil off. Stir it consistently, until the water has evaporated, about 7 or 8 minutes.*

• Turn the burner to medium low.
• Add the cream of mushroom soup. Just dump it in and stir.

• Yes, it's really that easy.

• First, make your beef broth at about double the strength the recipe calls for. My bullion calls for 1tsp bullion per 1 cup of water, so I used 1/2tsp for 1/4 cup water.
  • If you don't have beef broth or bullion, you can add 1/4 cup water and extra salt to taste
• Dump the broth into the beef pan, and stir it in. I'd recommend a fork at this point, it helps mix the water and Cream of Mushroom soup
• Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes
  • You can turn the burner to low, cover, and let it sit as long as you need to. I know sometimes our spouses/children aren't ready when we told them to be. ;)

• If needed, add more salt to taste
• Serve it over rice or mashed potatoes

Enjoy!