Name: Ground beef and gravy recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 500g lean ground beef (minced beef); 1 onion, chopped very small; 1 tsp Marmite; 2 tbsp HP sauce; 1 beef OXO cube; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tbsp Bisto gravy granules; Water; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; Carrots, peeled and chopped lengthways; Potatoes, peeled; Frozen Peas; Salt and pepper

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Ground beef and gravy

This ground beef and gravy recipe is another of my mother’s simple and easy recipes that is just so tasty. We had this twice in a row this week because as it went down so well the first time, the girls asked for it again.

There are so many ground beef recipes out there that you can do with ground beef, and we certainly have a few on this blog: cottage pie, lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese, pasta bake, to name but a few. Scroll down to after the recipe to see a few mince meat recipes listed.

But the best ground beef recipe? Who knows? Each meal with ground beef has its own characteristics and gives a certain variation to the meat.

This one is a very quick ground beef recipe that can be cooked in 15 minutes. So for me, it rates as one of the easy dinners with ground beef or mince.

Beef Mince vs Ground Beef

What is minced beef? In the UK we call ground beef ‘mince’ or ‘minced meat’. It is minced steak or in other words beef that has been through a mincer.

It can be confusing as the British also know a product ‘mincemeat’. Mincemeat is something completely different: a mix of chopped fruits, spirits and spices which is used as a filling for mince pies which we eat at Christmas time. These days this mix would not normally contain meat, but it used to in the past, hence the name.

Easy is best

However my motto is ‘sometimes the easy way is the best way’, and that is certainly what this dish is. It must be the easiest ground beef dishes around. There are no real herby additions to the gravy so you just get the taste of the beef, and the gravy, which goes naturally with the vegetables. Nothing flash, nothing clever. But very tasty and you will clean your plate.

I remember distinctly eating this meal in the kitchen of my parents’ house, and I remember looking forward to it. It is funny how certain foods help you maintain certain memories and this was surely one of my favourite dishes as a kid, and now my kids love it.

Serve it up with some mashed potatoes and baked carrots or boiled carrots and cooked peas. Enjoy!

How to make mince and gravy

Ground beef and gravy recipe

This simple ground beef and gravy recipe is pure comfort food. The kids will love it. Easy and quick to make and a perfect combination with simple veggies.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

500g lean ground beef (minced beef)
1 onion, chopped very small
1 tsp Marmite
2 tbsp HP sauce
1 beef OXO cube
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Bisto gravy granules
Water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Carrots, peeled and chopped lengthways
Potatoes, peeled
Frozen Peas
Salt and pepper

Instructions

In a pan fry the onion in the vegetable oil for one minute. Then add the ground beef to the pan and fry it until it is fully browned.
While you are frying use a spatula to chop the ground beef so that it turns into smaller pieces of meat.
Then add the crushed OXO cube, a few cups of water and bring to a simmer. Then add the Worcestershire sauce, HP sauce, Marmite and Bisto granules. [These are all pretty specific British ingredients which add a particular bite to the gravy. But I am sure if you have your own gravy ingredients they would do fine.]
Now simmer the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly and adding water if necessary to keep a good level of gravy.
Season to taste and keep tasting the sauce to check the strength of the gravy. Add more gravy granules if needed.
While you are cooking the meat you can boil the potatoes and carrots in a separate pan (together).
The peas only need a few minutes in boiling water to cook them, so they can be started later.
Finally after 10 minutes you can remove the carrots from the pan and produce the mashed potato according to this recipe.
Check meat is fully cooked before serving.