Ground Beef & Onion Gravy over Creamy Mashed Potatoes
A comforting, deeply savory plate: caramelized onions and seasoned ground beef simmered into a brown gravy and ladled over buttery mashed potatoes. Simple, nostalgic, and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- For the beef & gravy: 1 lb (450 g) ground beef, 1 tbsp oil, 1 large onion (sliced or chopped), 2 garlic cloves (minced), 2 tbsp flour, 2 cups beef broth, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional), salt & pepper, 1 tbsp butter (optional), chopped parsley to finish.
- For the mashed potatoes: 2 lb (900 g) potatoes (Yukon Gold or russet), 4 tbsp butter, 1/2–3/4 cup warm milk or cream, salt & pepper.
Method
- Cook potatoes until tender, drain, then mash with butter and warm milk/cream. Season and keep warm.
- Sauté onions in oil over medium-high until soft and lightly caramelized (6–8 minutes). Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef, break up, and brown. Drain excess fat if necessary, leaving about 1 tbsp for flavor.
- Sprinkle flour over the mixture and stir for 1–2 minutes to cook the flour taste.
- Slowly whisk in beef broth, add Worcestershire and Dijon, simmer 4–6 minutes until thickened. Finish with butter and season to taste.
- Serve hot over mashed potatoes and garnish with parsley.
Why this tastes next-level: caramelizing the onions builds sweet, savory depth; a short flour-based thickening step (like a quick pan-roux) gives the gravy body without needing additional thickeners.
Quick variations:
- Make it mushroomy: add 6 oz sliced mushrooms when cooking onions.
- Make it cheesier: stir 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar into the mashed potatoes.
- Pressure-cooker shortcut: cook potatoes in the Instant Pot (10 min high pressure) and make the gravy in a sauté pan while they cook.
Approx nutrition (per serving): ~520 kcal — dependent on potato/milk choices and fat drained from beef.
