The ground beef gravy is delicious, but also quick and easy to make. This recipe requires a few easy-to-find ingredients and can be made in about 15 minutes. It is therefore perfect for preparing a sauce at the last minute that can accompany mashed potatoes, rice or fried potatoes. As if that weren't enough, it's an easy recipe to customize, as you can add any ingredients you want. This article offers some ideas on that, but you can very well modify the recipe as you see fit.
Ingrediants
Gravy Sauce with Minced Meat (Easy)
Makes about 1.5 liters of sauce
- 1 kg of lean ground beef
- 30 g of all-purpose flour
- 2 l of milk
- 1 teaspoon of onion in granules
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- 2 chopped onions
Variants Recipe
- 1 teaspoon of ground sage
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil
- 1-2 tablespoons of chicken or beef broth
- 4 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons of steak sauce
- Chilli flakes to taste
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Make a Simple Gravy Sauce with Minced Meat
Step 1. Brown the ground beef in a large, deep skillet
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Drop a drop of water into the pan - if it starts sizzling right away, then it's hot enough. Pour in the minced meat and let it cook until golden. Break up the larger parts with the help of a spoon or spatula.
If you use lean ground beef (for example, 95% lean meat and 5% fat), you can add a little oil to prevent it from sticking to the pan. The less lean types of minced meat (for example those made up of 80% lean meat and 20% fat) produce enough fat on their own. Read the "Tips" section to understand how to distinguish and choose between fat or lean ground beef
Step 2. Remove the meat from the heat and sprinkle with flour
Stir well so that the flour can absorb the oil and fat that has formed during cooking. The mixture should be as smooth and homogeneous as possible.
Once the flour has been completely absorbed, you will have obtained a roux, which is a sauce made from flour and melted fat
Step 3. Return the pan to the gas by adjusting the temperature to medium heat and gradually add the milk
To start, pour in about half of it, stirring as you incorporate it. Continue to mix until you get a homogeneous mixture. As the heat evaporates the liquid, the gravy should begin to gradually thicken.
At this point you can add the remaining milk (the amount you think is most appropriate). The more you add, the more diluted the sauce will be. Once the desired consistency is reached, bring the sauce to a boil, stirring it occasionally, then remove it from the heat
Step 4. Season with salt, pepper and chopped onion
Incorporate the dry seasonings into the hot sauce and mix well until you get a uniform mixture. Taste it and serve it right away if you like the flavor.
If you find it a bit bland, you can continue to season it to your liking. Go gradually and taste it often. Remember: seasonings can be added a little at a time to improve the taste of the sauce, but you can't remove them if you overdo it
Step 5. Serve the sauce
Pour it over the food using a ladle and bring it to the table.
You can also garnish it with small pieces of chopped fresh onion
Method 2 of 2: Recipe Variants
Step 1. Try dressing with basil and sage
The recipe illustrated in the previous section allows you to prepare a rich and tasty sauce, but it is not at all necessary to follow it to the letter. For example, try using the dried herbs listed on the ingredient list. Add them at the end of the preparation, along with salt and pepper. The dried herbs allow to intensify and enrich the taste of the sauce. Thanks to the sour notes of sage and the sweet notes of basil, the flavor of the sauce will recall that of a filet mignon.
Step 2. Add some broth to flavor the sauce
Broth is an ingredient found in many gravy recipes. Thanks to its intense and decisive taste, it guarantees a particularly appetizing final result. How to use the restricted broth? Just incorporate it into the sauce along with the flour. You can use both beef and chicken.
A normal broth allows you to achieve a similar result. A 400ml tin of chicken or beef stock should do the trick
Step 3. Try thickening the sauce with cornstarch instead of flour
It is a great substitute for those who don't have flour or prefer a slightly thicker gravy. However, since pouring cornstarch directly into the boiling liquid can cause lumps to form, you need to make some minor changes to the recipe:
While the meat is cooking, mix the cornstarch and milk in a small bowl. You can also mix it with the broth if you prefer. Mix until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Gradually pour it into the pan, stirring as you go
Step 4. Add some strong-tasting steak sauce to bring out the flavor of grilled meat
This sauce is specially designed for steaks, so it also goes well with ground beef. The sour taste, typical of these sauces, goes perfectly with the delicate flavor of the gravy sauce. The steak sauce should be added at the end of the preparation, when you adjust the salt and pepper.
Barbecue sauce and hot sauce are also good for this recipe
Step 5. Use red pepper to add spicy notes
The gravy is very flavorful, but not spicy. Try adding some chili flakes or cayenne pepper if you like strong, pungent flavors. In addition to the flavor, cayenne pepper also lends pinkish undertones to the sauce.
Remember to add these ingredients gradually and to taste the sauce often to avoid overdoing it
Step 6. Use skim milk if you are looking for a healthier alternative
Simply replace whole milk with skim or semi-skimmed milk to make the sauce leaner. Since skim milk is slightly more watery, it may be necessary to cook the sauce longer in order to achieve the same consistency as whole milk (but you can also add more flour or cornstarch).
You can also use lean ground beef to further reduce fat
Advice
- Gravy can be consumed as desired, although it is typically used to season or accompany starchy foods, especially rice, fried potatoes, toast, and mashed potatoes. You can also try pouring it onto a meat-based dish (such as chicken or roast beef) to make it tastier and less dry.
- The packs of minced meat sold in the supermarket almost always indicate the composition of the meat. If the label says "85% lean", this means that the meat is 85% lean, with a fat percentage of 15% (this part will melt during cooking). If you see two numbers (for example, "85/15" or "90/10"), the larger always indicates the lean content, while the smaller the fat content.
