Written by Kate Tietjebeef stock into us (I craved it often). So, I recreated my grandmother’s dish, which my family liked.
For those unfamiliar with scrambled hamburger, it’s basically cooked ground beef with gravy, which I like to serve over mashed potatoes. The method I use to make the gravy for this is the same method I use when I make any other gravy, except, of course, it doesn’t usually contain meat.
This meal is simple, cheap, and healthy for those meat-and-potato types. If you toss some peas and broccoli, cook up some peppers and mushrooms, or add a green salad (I love Caesar Salad), you’ve got a near-perfect meal. Make sure you make those real mashed potatoes with plenty of butter and real cream. 🙂
Scrambled Hamburger
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef, preferably grass-fed
- 3 tbsp. arrowroot powder
- 3 cup beef stock
- 1 tsp. onion powder (or 1/4 cup thinly sliced onions, if your family likes that)
- Sea salt to taste
Directions:
Step 1: Put the ground beef in a frying pan and turn it on medium. Cook the ground beef thoroughly. If you are using real onions, add them now and cook them with the beef.
Step 2: Add the stock in. First, I just have to show you the stock. Look how gelled it is!
Step 3: Add the stock to the pan and let it “melt.” You can see the layer of fat on top of mine in this picture.
Step 4: Mix in the arrowroot powder (and onion powder).
Step 5: Cook it on medium-high until it begins to boil and thickens. Now it is done! Wasn’t that easy?
Step 6: Serve over mashed potatoes. Yummy!
Scrambled Hamburger
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef preferably grass-fed
- 3 tbsp. arrowroot powder
- 3 cup beef stock
- 1 tsp. onion powder or 1/4 cup thinly sliced onions, if your family likes that
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Put the ground beef in a frying pan and turn it on medium. Cook the ground beef thoroughly. If you are using real onions, add them now and cook them with the beef.
- Add the stock in. First, I just have to show you the stock. Look how gelled it is!
- Add the stock to the pan and let it "melt." You can see the layer of fat on top of mine in this picture.
- Mix in the arrowroot powder (and onion powder).
- Cook it on medium-high until it begins to boil and thickens. Now it is done! Wasn't that easy?
- Serve over mashed potatoes. Yummy!
Our favorite easy meal is "Mexican" "chicken parmesan." The quotes are there because it isn't really Mexican, and it isn't really chicken parmesan, but that was the inspiration 🙂 Basically, you stick a couple of quickly breaded chicken thighs in the oven. When they're done, you spoon on a bit of salsa and sprinkle on some grated cheese, and then bake/broil for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Ta-da! Easy, delicious, healthy.
Kate, what's arrowroot powder? This looks tasty!
Hi Rachel,
Arrowroot is similar to cornstarch and is often used in gluten-free cooking. Grain-free too! I like to use it to thicken stuff instead of flour. You can usually find it in the gluten-free flours section, but you could sub cornstarch, or even whole grain flour (double it) if you don't have any.
This looks like upside down Shepherds Pie – a classic British comfort food dish, consisting of a layer of cooked ground beef, a layer of gravy, a layer of cooked onions/peas, and a top layer of mashed potato. Everything is cooked first and then layered together in a baking pan and put under the broiler so the potato topping gets browned. I make it a lot in winter – delicious comfort food! Also super good with ground lamb.
How do you get your stock to gel!? 🙁 Is it only beef stock that will do it? I have made 5 batches of chicken stock letting it cook for over 24 hours and it doesn’t gel. Any tips??
Chicken stock will too, but you may need more bones to get it to work. I usually find that my stock gels in the first batch but not subsequent ones with chicken bones. But, it’s still nourishing if it doesn’t, and it is trickier with chicken. 🙂
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