Hamburger Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

This classic meal is certain to bring back childhood memories. Hamburger gravy is a super easy meal to work into your dinner rotation! With fresh mashed potatoes (easier than you think!) and made-from-scratch gravy, you’ll love the flavors of this meal. And even more you’ll love the simplicity in getting it on the table!

We all have those days where we forget to think about dinner until some hungry little family member says, “What’s for dinner? I’m starving.” Yikes! And we all need meals that we can throw together in 30 minutes or less, because we are busy with life!

I love cooking, but even for me gourmet cooking is definitely the exception, not the rule. This recipe is great because it’s all homemade/made from scratch, but it’s so simple and easy to do! And it’s also pretty universally accepted. Most kids like mashed potatoes. Most kids like ground beef. It’s quite a filling meal and pretty economical to make too.

First to discuss is mashed potatoes. Potatoes have a lot to offer nutritionally. They are pretty low calorie (unless deep fried of course!) and are a great source of B vitamins, potassium, copper, manganese and fiber. They are definitely a great food to incorporate into your nutritionally balanced diet!

I feel like most people only make real mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and Christmas. They may use potato flakes, or potato pearls. Or else skip it and eat their potatoes as French fries or potato chips! But I want you to know that real mashed potatoes are a whole lot easier to make than you might think.

Here’s a few tips:

Slice the potatoes into small evenly-sized cubes for boiling. Then be sure to boil them long enough. I recommend about 15 minutes. When soft, drain out the water, then put them back in the same pot. Add all the creamy ingredients and salt. Then pull out your electric hand mixer and whip those potatoes up into a smooth and creamy mash. Super easy!

Now for the made-from-scratch gravy. I have definitely used the envelopes from the store. They work fine. But made from scratch gravy is not any more complicated. And you get a lot more say as to what goes into your gravy (meaning it’s gonna taste better 😊).

For this recipe, cook up the onion and ground beef together in the same skillet. Once they are done, sprinkle the flour salt and pepper over the top and stir it in. Then stir in the milk and simmer for about 5 minutes and you are done! Almost can’t get any easier than that.

I paired this meal with crisp and colorful fruits and vegetables--red grapes, celery, cauliflower and sweet mini peppers. Serve it up with a little ranch and you are good to go. Easily this entire meal is done in 30 minutes or less.

This meal was well received by my kiddos. My oldest loudly proclaimed how mashed potatoes are her favorite and ate 2 servings of them. This of course means my younger kids also think mashed potatoes are pretty good. Peer pressure is great when it works in your favor. They loved the veggies as utensils to get their ranch dressing (ha!) and of course grapes are always a hit.

Overall, this is a great practical meal for real life nights. And it tastes great!

The Meal:

• 1 cup mashed potatoes

• ¾ cup hamburger gravy

• 1 cup grapes

• 1 cup total of celery, cauliflower and peppers

• 1 Tbsp ranch dressing

Recipe Used in this meal:

Hamburger Gravy

Serving size: ¾ cup

Servings per Recipe: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef

• 1 large onion

• 1 ½ tsp minced garlic

• 1/3 cup flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 2 ½ cups 2% milk

Directions

1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling as it cooks. Add diced onion and cook until translucent. Drain off excess fat and liquid.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle flour, salt and pepper over the ground beef and onion. Stir to combine.

3. Stir in milk and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Serve hot.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Serving size: 1 cup

Servings per Recipe: 6

Ingredients

• 3 lbs potatoes (any variety)

• 1 ½ tsp minced garlic

• 6 Tbsp cream cheese

• 3 Tbsp butter

• ¾ tsp salt

• 1 ½ Tbsp 2% milk

Directions

1. Scrub and peel the potatoes. Dice into small cubes, uniform in size and shape. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain in a colander in the sink and return to the same pot.

2. Add the garlic, cream cheese, butter, salt and milk into the pot. Whip with an electric hand-mixer until smooth and creamy. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts Label for Entire Meal:

Nutrition Facts Label for Hamburger Gravy:

Nutrition Facts Label for Mashed Potatoes: