Hamburger Steak and Gravy (2024)

This quick and easy Hamburger Steak and Gravy is a hearty family dinner recipe with onions, potatoes, mushrooms, and a simple gravy.

Hamburger Steak with Onions and Gravy

I am always looking for a good ground beef recipe!

Especially one that is a hearty old-fashioned, country-style meal…..yep, pretty much a meat-and-potatoes kind of thing.

This homemade hamburger steak and gravy recipe is hamburger-turned-steak.

I like to serve it with a batch of these Million Dollar Mashed Potatoes or cooked noodles.

I also enjoy it with cinnamon rolls or whole potatoes.

This recipe doubles or triples quickly.

Comfort food made from a pound of ground beef? Awesome!

What you’ll learn

• The secret to making lump-free gravy and sauces
• How to deglaze a skillet so you can utilize all the good drippings in the bottom of the pan
  

Hamburger Steak and Gravy Ingredients

• Garlic
• Onion
• Lean ground beef
• Olive oil and butter
• Portobello or button mushrooms
• Flour
• Beef broth
• Spices: Granulated garlic (or garlic powder), granulated onion (or onion powder), Worcestershire sauce

How to make Hamburger Steak and Gravy

Make the ground beef patties by combining the beef with the spices.

Take care not to overwork your ground beef when making the patties.

Ground meat can become rather tough in texture as it cooks if overworked.

Make four equal patties and season them with salt on both sides.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef patties until nicely browned and caramelized on both sides.

Make sure the patties have ample space in the pan and are not crowded as they cook. This will help them cook more evenly.

Remove the patties to a plate and keep warm.

Don’t worry if the patties are not fully cooked throughout at this point since you’ll be simmering them in the brown gravy later on to finish them.

In the same skillet, melt the butter, then add the onions and sliced mushrooms.

Cook the mixture over medium to medium-high heat until the vegetables soften, approx. 6-8 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Adding the garlic at the very end and only cooking it for a few seconds is what will keep it from getting bitter.

Sprinkle the flour in a single layer all over the onion/mushroom mixture in the skillet.

Gently stir the flour around the skillet, incorporating it with the mushrooms and onions.

Then, let everything cook for a full minute or two so the flour can brown a bit.

Don’t skip this step of really cooking the flour.

You are essentially creating a “roux” at this point, which is the foundation for the gravy.

If you don’t let the flour cook and get golden brown at this point in the process your gravy will taste pasty.

It’s never a good thing.

When you move the onions and mushrooms to the skillet’s sides to expose the pan’s bottom, you will see all the beautiful drippings (aka “fond”) stuck to the bottom.

These drippings are like GOLD regarding FLAVOR, so take full advantage of them!

Adding broth (the next step in this process) is what deglazes the pan at this point.

This brings all of that yummy stuff from the bottom of the pan up into the brown gravy you are making.

Remove the skillet from the burner, then slowly add the broth and Worcestershire sauce.

Whisking constantly to incorporate the liquids.

Return the skillet to medium heat, continuing to simmer until the sauce is nicely thickened.

Leaving the skillet on the heat when adding liquid to make your gravy is what can easily cause lumps to form.

This is the secret set to making perfect gravy!

Always remove the pan from the heat before adding any liquids.

Slide the reserved burgers back into the sauce in the skillet, letting them simmer until hot throughout.

Divide the burgers between 4 plates.

Generously spoon the sauce over each one to serve.

What to serve with Hamburger Steak with Gravy

We love to serve Hamburger Steak and gravy with Instant Pot Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli and Parm, and this Skillet Style Mac and Cheese.

So what’s the difference between Hamburger steak and Salsbury steak?

Hamburger steak and Salisbury Steak are not the same.

Hamburger steak is made from ground beef patties with just a few added spices mixed in, served in a brown sauce (gravy).

Salsbury steak is made using ground beef patties, but often has some added fillers, such as bread crumbs or parmesan cheese in the meat.

Salsbury steak is usually served in a brown sauce (gravy).

The best way to brown hamburger burger patties in a skillet

For browning any type of meat, be sure that you skillet is nicely preheated before the meat hits the pan.

The skillet should be nice and hot so that when the meat touches the surface, there’s some good SIZZLE going on.

SIZZLE is important because sizzle creates browning, and browning creates caramelization.

And caramelization is FLAVOR!!

If you opt out of browning any meat as you prepare it, you’re simply shorting yourself on FLAVOR – don’t do it!

What kind of pan is best for browning hamburgers?

Because browning is so important for nearly anything we cook, a heavy-duty skillet is essential.

A skillet with a heavy bottom will always cook evenly, providing even heat throughout and superior browning.

This may be a cast iron skillet or a regular heavy skillet.

I cook with cast iron nearly daily, using my 12-inch Lodge cast iron skillet.

A good skillet can also handle high temperatures without any problems or damage to the skillet.

How do you know if a skillet is a good quality skillet with a heavy bottom?

The skillet should have some weight when you pick it up and take a while to preheat.

If you place a skillet onto a heated burner and it is instantly hot, it tells you you have a flimsy skillet.

It will likely not be around long and will not be a good servant for you in the kitchen.

If a skillet takes a long time to heat up, it will hold heat well, and that’s exactly what we want in a skillet to provide a superior cooking experience.

What is a safe internal temperature for cooked hamburger steak or hamburger patties?

160 – 165 degrees F.

Use an instant-read dial thermometer for testing the center of the burgers for doneness.

Using this tool will help you cook any meat to the proper internal temperature.

If my family doesn’t care for mushrooms, will this recipe still taste good if I leave them out?

YEEEESSSS!!!

Which tools are helpful for making hamburger steak?

• Heavy-duty skillet – this is an essential kitchen tool. I really like my Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet and use it continually.
• Thin, metal spatula makes flipping burgers really easy.
• Garlic press for mincing fresh garlic.
• Burger press is great if you really want your burgers to be all the same size and shape.
• Silicone spatula spoons are so handy for stirring anything in a hot skillet.

More favorite meat recipes to enjoy

Because I’m a big fan of skillet meals (I adore my 12-inch cast iron skillet!), I’ve got many skillet meal recipes here on my blog.

They’re all family-approved, of course.

Take the Pork Steak and Sauerkraut Skillet Meal – talk about easy and delicious! Or, if you’re a pasta lover, you might really enjoy the 6-Ingredient Creamy Tortellini Pasta Skillet recipe since it’s creamy and rich, not to mention fast.

And since we are huge Mexican food fans, my guys really dig Tex Mex Cornbread Casserole (made with ground beef) and Southwest Pork Cutlets with Calico Rice. And, fyi, if ya need a good margarita to serve with either of these meals, you better give these Refreshing Pitcher Margaritas (with a secret ingredient!).

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