Written by Sherri Published on in Dinners
Remember school hamburger gravy? Now you can make it at home ladled over mashed potatoes, just like the classic school house gravy dish the lunch lady used to serve you.
Jump to RecipeHands down was one of my favorite lunch days at school. School hamburger gravy made by the lunch ladies is a classic. Whenever you have a hankering for it, you can make it at home yourself… old school style.
The Lunch Lady is an institution. They fed us all when we were hungry. They made the long school day so much easier to get through. Lunch ladies didn’t get nearly the credit they deserved. They are just as much an integral part of the school system as the teachers are. The one thing you didn’t do was mess with the lunch ladies. Amiright?
Well, a few weeks ago while sitting at work I had a strange craving. It was a lunch I had remembered from elementary school. Hamburger gravy with mashed potatoes. I decided right then and there I had to have it for dinner. I looked up a recipe and found what I thought was a decent recipe.
Needless to say, it was an epic fail. Not quite how I remembered it tasting back in the day. All I could envision was a hair netted lunch lady dancin’ round the school cafeteria singing into her wooden spoon MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.”
It tasted horrible. I was so let down. Maybe it was just operator error? I’m leaning more towards operator error. I mean Mr. Kitchen Prescription and his brother dubbed me “Double batch” at one point. Especially when it comes to making recipes that might be a bit trickier to make. Like caramel for example.
Tonight I thought I’d give it another go. I tweaked it to my liking and it turned out and tasted just how I remembered it. It’s a savory hearty, but more importantly, easy meal after a long day at work. Whips up quickly and you can take short cuts thanks to the miracle of pre-made mashed potatoes and Pillsbury biscuits.
Try this homemade mac and cheese recipe.
Or this Lunch Lady Pizza Recipe.
School Hamburger Gravy Recipe:
School Hamburger Gravy Ingredients: (Feeds 3-4)
1 lb of beef 80/20 fat content
1 10 oz. container Swanson’s beef stock
Pillsbury All Purpose Flour 3-4 Tablespoons
1/4 Cup 2% milk
Salt & Pepper
Onion Salt
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
School Hamburger Gravy Directions:
Brown hamburger in skillet. Salt and pepper to taste. Add Onion salt to your liking. Do not drain fat. Add 3-4 tablespoons flour until all juices are absorbed. Then add milk and beef stock. You can add stock to your liking until you get the consistency of gravy you want. Don’t add too much because you don’t want it watery. Then turn on low and let simmer for half hour.
Dish up and serve over mashed potatoes and biscuits. The family will love this quick hearty meal. It’s a great comfort food. I think I gave the Lunch Lady a run for her money today.
This isn’t a meal for everyone. My boyfriend doesn’t really enjoy it, so I’ll make it when he’s not around. More for me! I often wonder what went wrong in his life that he doens’t like hamburger gravy. This dish can also be served with rice. You can even serve it over toast which give it that S.O.S (sh*t on a shingle) vibe.
***** Update: I also no longer use packaged or processed foods, (no judgement if you do) so I’ll take the extra time to make homemade mashed poatatoes and biscuits. Sometimes, I’ll just ladle it over some mashed potatoes.
School Hamburger Gravy with Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Recipe by SherriCourse: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings
4
servings
Prep Time
4
minutes
Cooking time
20
minutes
Ingredients
1 lb of beef 80/20 fat content
1 10 oz. container beef stock
All Purpose Flour 3-4 Tablespoons
1/4 Cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
Onion Salt to taste
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Directions
- Brown hamburger in skillet.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add Onion salt to your liking.
- Do not drain fat.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons flour until all juices are absorbed.
- Then add milk and beef stock.
- You can add stock to your liking until you get the consistency of gravy you want. Don’t add too much because you don’t want it watery.
- Dash or two of Worcestershire sauce
- Then turn on low and let simmer for half hour.
- Ladle over mashed potatoes, rice, or biscuits.
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62 Comments
June 2, 2011 at 11:41 ·Reply
Talk about your comfort food! I just licked the screen. I did!
Sherrismiles
June 2, 2011 at 11:41 ·Reply
Jean, that’s funny! 🙂 I literally licked the plate clean and had to stop myself from having seconds. I’ve been eating like crap lately and it’s swimsuit season. Yikes! Better get out there walking, and riding my bike.
Sladie
July 2, 2011 at 11:41 ·Reply
I love making this! It`s among my favourite of all “Comfort Foods”. It truly is. It’s also great ’cause I can make this, and my husband will actually eat it, so if I’m home alone, I can cook – and I don’t have to worry about the left overs ’cause he can re-heat and have a good home cooked meal.
I usually add some peas and corn into it – cooked separately then added later. ^_^
Sherrismiles
July 10, 2011 at 11:41 ·Reply
Hi Sladie, thanks for stopping by. Sorry it took me a bit to respond. I was on vacation last weekend and had a super busy week.
My boyfriend still refuses to eat this 🙂 Which suits me just fine b/c it means all the more for me. I’ve never been a fan of peas, (used to feed them to my dog under the kitchen table)but it would be great with corn. Sorta like a Sheppard’s pie.
Hope to see you again. Thanks for your comment.
October 13, 2011 at 11:41 ·Reply
How in heck did you get this to look so good? YUM!
Sherrismiles
October 14, 2011 at 11:41 ·Reply
lol Kim. I have no idea. It tasted even better than it looked. Although, I still can’t get my b/f to eat this. haha
Tiffany M
October 22, 2012 at 11:41 ·Reply
I have been looking for the school lunch mashed potatoes & gravy recipe since I was pregnant with my daughter in 2009. I never found it and when I got pregnant with my 3rd I was craving the same thing. You have saved me!!! The only thing I do differently is I make the rhodes rolls instead of the kind in the can. they fluff up perfectly like the kind that you got at school. This is World Class and I can’t thank you enough!!
Connie
April 26, 2013 at 11:41 ·Reply
Is it possible to use 90/10 ground beef? I usually use 93/7. My husband has had heart surgery so I need to be careful on the grease.
Sherrismiles
April 26, 2013 at 11:41 ·Reply
Connie, yes of course. Just maybe add less flour. Or add more beef stock to substitute the grease fat to soak up the flour. This recipe is very forgiving so just taste and add to your liking as you go. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Linda
June 4, 2013 at 11:41 ·Reply
My mother used to make hamburger patties, dredge them in flour, then fry until done. She would then make the gravy using same skillet returning the hamburger patties to the gravy before serving.
September 6, 2013 at 11:41 ·Reply
one can campbells french onion soup
one can campbells golden mushroom soup
one package brown gravy mix
water to dilute a little
ground beef salt and pepper to taste, fast easy, delicious, we eat this all the timeJolene Davis
June 25, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
Thats all fine and good if you dont mind all the sodium, and preservatives. I prefer feeding my family food that I can pronounce all the ingredients 🙂
June 13, 2019 at 11:41 ·Reply
Jolene Davis,
I san understand you want to be healthy. You have to understand what was serve back then
as a child was all you have to endure at the end of the day or night. You can eliminate the soup, brown your own sliced onions, use your own beef or ground Bison.Make your own chicken or Beef Broth . In those they had no time. Make your own mashed potatoes. Instant will stick to the food fight ceiling.
Lots of Laughs,
Bringing back memories,shout out to the Hairnet LADIES.
Sabrina
November 19, 2013 at 11:41 ·Reply
I thought about this cafeteria meal for years! This and the rubbery grilled cheese sandwiches were my favorite! Thank you for posting!! Yum!
con
February 19, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
Oh yeah! You nailed it! Just like in school….30 something years ago. 😉 And no chemicals or preservatives. Yummmm!
Sherrismiles
February 22, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
Con, LOL you made my night! Thank you! Believe it or not, I rarely use the pre-made mashed potatoes anymore and I have learned to make my own biscuits. Soooooo much better. I cringed when I learned all the chemical and poisons they hide in our food. I’m mostly a from scratch girl now and avoid processed foods whenever I can.
Jutta Museus
April 13, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
I like this hamburger gravy over flour dumplings.
Just mix flour, eggs, water and seasonings (salt and pepper) until a stiff dough forms. Drop by teaspoon (first dipped in the water) into large pot of boiling water, Dumplings are done when they float, takes just a minute or two.
We call them Wasserspatzen where I come from.Sherrismiles
April 13, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
Hi Jutta. Talk about coincidence! I just posted a recipe on these very noodles. My maternal grandmother was Pennsylvania Dutch and my mom made these all the time when we were growing up. I loved them. She used to add them to a roast broth. Very delicious!
She called them “rubbs” but I researched them further and found the Pennsylvania Dutch called them rivels or rivlets.
However, you gave me a great idea to use them with the hamburger gravy. I definitely going to try that!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Karen
June 1, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
My mom made them and we called them “sinkers”
Sherrismiles
June 2, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
Karen,
Love that! It seems we all have our own terms for them. Whatever they are referred to…their delicious!
Lonna
July 1, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
So happy to know others like hamburger gravy as much as I do!It is a great way to have an economical meal that is tasty and filling for a family.My favorite is to brown ground beef,drain,then mix cream of mushroom with milk to desired thickness.Green beans and/or corn for me!
Jessica
July 2, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
I made this by using a beef bouillon cube and a packet of onion soup mix as a substitute for beef stock and fresh onion. Turned out great! I like adding peas right before serving, too!
October 16, 2014 at 11:41 ·Reply
Gosh, I thought i was the only one who liked this!
I do & I remember it very well.
Glad to find recipe 😉steve
March 16, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
Sherri I was going to make h.b. gravy tonite and thought I’d check the interwebz to see if there was something that sounded better than my regular recipe.I had to laugh when your blog came up cause I replied to your Dicarlo’s pizza recipe awhile ago.Our recipes are similar except I add some worcestershire sauce to the gravy .I don’t know if it’s because we are from the same area ,but we must like the same things. Take care and keep blogging Ohio valley recipes.
Sherrismiles
March 25, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
LOL Steve. Yup, I remember you. Hahaha Small inter web! I’m going to try the worcestershire sauce. I think I need to revisit this recipe in general because someone was kind enough to share some secret ingredients that came straight from a lunch lady!
Hope to see you again!
Mark Farmer
June 28, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
we also use Worcestershire sauce.
Sherrismiles
July 4, 2015 at 11:41
Mark,
The last time I made it, I did use a bit of Worcestershire sauce and a bit of brown sugar.
Linda Staley
March 23, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
My mom worked in the school lunch program. We LOVED the hamburger gravy. There were a few secrets to that great flavor….finely minced onion, finely sliced celery, and Kitchen Bouquet…found at the store in gravies, sauces, etc. 2T per pound of meat.
Sherrismiles
March 25, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
Hi Linda. I’m totally jealous you had a mom that worked in the school cafeteria. Thanks for sharing the secret ingredients!!!! I might just try to make Kitchen Bouquet from scratch. Back when I wrote this, I was still eating processed foods, not knowing just exactly what toxic ingredients they use. Now, I mostly make everything from scratch. What a difference fresh ingredients make!
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and we thank your mother for feeding us hungry kids day in and day out. Lunch ladies don’t get nearly enough credit for the hard work they do.
Karen
June 1, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
I am a retired teacher and our cooks shared the same ingredients with me. Such great memories from my school days and teaching days.
Mark Farmer
June 28, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
This was one of my favorite meals back in the 60’s at school for lunch, But I also added a large amount of butter (at that time they made there own butter so it was fresh made). my wife re-introduced it to me one day and called it “Wet Meat” her mom made it all the time. she does not use the milk however.
Alison
July 31, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
Thank you! This is how I remember hamburger gravy, the way my dad used to make it. I’ve been searching the web for a recipe like his because I could never quite get it right by winging it. Most of the other recipes I found were made with all milk instead of mostly broth–more like a creamed hamburger, and not what I was looking for.
Sherrismiles
August 20, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
Alison,
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
bill
November 8, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
I was in grade school in the late 1950’s. Mash potatoes with hamburger gravy was my favorite meals for lunch.
Sherrismiles
November 28, 2015 at 11:41 ·Reply
Bill,
Thanks for commenting. This recipe is so simple, yet one of my favorite meals.
Marlene Jeleniewski
February 13, 2016 at 11:41 ·Reply
I have been searching for this recipe. I was in high school in the sixties and this was my all time favorite comfort lunch food. I loved the huge rolls with butter that they served with a big scoop of mashed potatoes along with the hamburger gravy over top. It carried me through the afternoon and I wasn’t even hungry for dinner after I got home!
Carolyn
February 21, 2016 at 11:41 ·Reply
Thank you. Have been looking for this hamburger gravy for a long time. Just like the one we all liked so well for school lunch. I think the cooks probably made double batches because so many kids wanted seconds. (That was when it didn’t require another lunch punch as long as there was some left after all had eaten). Also when schools were smaller and everyone ate pretty much the same lunch shift.
steve
March 5, 2016 at 11:41 ·Reply
Sherri my m.i.l made this all the time .Now that she’s gone my wife or I make it .We always add a little gravymaster for color and a good dash of worcestershire .Over mashed potatoes with peas on the side and a good dinner roll and we are in comfort food heaven.Love your blog.
Diane Smith
October 21, 2016 at 11:41 ·Reply
This is a really great recipe. I did add 1tsp of beef bouillon to the mixture for added flavor and I think next time I will double the gravy. We had it over rice and really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Sherrismiles
October 29, 2016 at 11:41 ·Reply
Thanks Dianne. Love your tip, I’ll try that next time I make it. Glad you & the family enjoyed it.
Charlotte
December 3, 2016 at 11:41 ·Reply
I’m going to give this a try! I was a picky little thing when I was in elementary school (1970s), and usually brought lunch from home. But on days when they served pizza or “Snoopy Special” which is what they called ground beef & gravy on mashed potatoes, I ate school lunch. I’ve been wanting to make this for years and hopefully this will be the dish I remember. Thanks for sharing!
Contessa Timmerman
December 8, 2016 at 11:41 ·Reply
I’ve been looking for this recipe for years. Do you know how to make Hamburger Surprise? I remember that from school she would hamburger on the inside? Thanks for your time
March 5, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
Sitting here at 3am and this school lunch favorite popped into my head. I knew there had to be a better way to make it than making white gravy (poor man’s gravy back in the day) and can’t wait to try your recipe. At our school the gravy was always darker brown like yours and not too thick. A friend of mine ran the school cafeteria for years so i am going to contact her and see if she has any tips for the recipe. This also made me think of the tamale pie they used to make. Yum good!
I am so happy to have happened onto your blog. Thanks!!Sherrismiles
April 24, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
Sue, I hoped you like it. Please feel free to share any pointers if you have any.
P. C.
April 22, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
When I was a child -before dinosaurs lived, water was evented, and mountains had formed -my elementary school lunch would sometimes be mashed potatoes (totally fake ones!) covered with a hamburger gravy and served with a side of canned spinach or green peas (both of which I loved).
Now if that wasn’t heaven, let me add I got everyone’s sides without having to trade my applesauce…could life get better for a child? I think not!
I’ve been craving that lunch for the longest time. But one needs to understand that “THAT” gravy was not just any ole hamburger gravy. It had a distinctive (which means wonderful) taste to it. A taste that made a child who got s glimpse of the weekly menu dream about that lunch…so imagine my surprise when I came across this recipe. I was hopeful but not believing, well, that is, until I took my first bite!
You nailed it! I am in lunch heaven and, as such, thought it only fair to take the time to say thank you for posting this recipe.
Absolutely GOOD EATS!!!
Sherrismiles
April 24, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
Your comment brought an unbelievably huge smile to my face! Thank you. Glad you enjoyed.
Susan
June 24, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
OoooooMyyyyyyGoooosh!!! I made this last night. I am 59 and had a craving for one of my favorite school lunch foods. It tasted exactly as I remembered. I didn’t have onion salt so added onion powder and garlic salt and used Better Than Bouillon. I could have eaten it all. Thank you so much for your recipe. Yummmmm!
Linda
October 6, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
Man, this was spot on! It was really nostalgic for me and really tasted great. Remember there was a chicken one similar to this with yellow gravy and chunks of chicken? Those were the good ol’ days!
Sierra
October 31, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
OmG! This is exactly what I needed. I have been wanting this dish for weeks and your picture is the only one that looked like the consistency I remember from school. So I made it tonight and it was just as I remembered! Thank you so so much!
Sherrismiles
November 6, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it.
Sierra
March 14, 2018 at 11:41 ·Reply
I swear I have to make this twice a month for my daughter now! She had never had it it school (po thang). So freaking good!
Jackie
November 19, 2017 at 11:41 ·Reply
It was called mashed potatoes with meat blanket in the 60’s at my grade school, and it was one of very few lunch meals I liked. I hated everything! But I loved this. Will have to try it soon – thank you so much for posting. It’s embarrassing how much I loved this school lunch.
Colleen Mcmillen
February 9, 2018 at 11:41 ·Reply
Making this tonight!!!
Oh my goodness it’s only 10:30 am and my mouth is watering!!!
I thought I was the only one that liked this!
I remember the first time it was served to me .
I looked at it like it was dog food.
Well needless to say I was hungry so I tried it and that’s that! 35 years later here I am searching for the recipe.
Can’t wait for dinner!Sherrismiles
February 10, 2018 at 11:41 ·Reply
Colleen, Hello and thanks for commenting. I’ve made a few adaptions since I first posted the recipe. Now, I alway make homemade mashed potatoes and biscuits. Sometimes, I just have it over mashed potatoes. I also add a few dabs of Worcestershire sauce and a tsp of brown sugar to the gravy. Someone left me that tip and it makes all the difference. My boyrfriend doesn’t really like this meal, so when he’s not around is when I like to make it. I often wonder what’s wrong with him.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed reading your comment!
Wendy Hampton
October 13, 2018 at 11:41 ·Reply
Isn’t it funny how many of us have this lovely dish in our heads. Thank you for the updated recipe! It just can’t be more perfect. And I am not the only one. My friend hosts an Oscar Nite party and darned if she hasn’t asked me to find this recipe and make it for Oscar Nite! Her father was retired military and used to make it for her, so it really has good memories for her! I made it a couple of times already and divided into a couple meals to freeze and reheat in the microwave. It is so warm and comforting. Thank you so much for sharing and updating it! It is copied into my “heritage” recipe box!
Aaron
December 19, 2018 at 11:41 ·Reply
I grew up and am from Texas but lived in upstate NY (way upstate) for about five years as a young teen in the early 90s. Hamburg and gravy with rolls and mashed potatoes was served weekly at the school. We didn’t have that growing up in the South. Several years ago I made some craving it, much like you. It’s cool how simple it is but is such a tasty comfort food. I’ll be making it again soon with just a lil kick.
Caprice
June 19, 2020 at 11:41 ·Reply
Every so often out lunch lady would serve this over white rice, which is how I prefer it.
May 21, 2021 at 11:41 ·Reply
I am 76 years old at our High School they made the hamburger gravy my best friend Bunny and I only ate lunch when they had this. I have tried over the years to copy it but it just never seemed the same to me. I can’t wait to try this recipe I feel like I’m back in high school waiting for my favorite dish
CINDY DORNON
November 3, 2021 at 11:41 ·Reply
I love this meal, happy to find something similar.. but not sure if I’m wrong I recall a bit of tomato taste in the school one.
Sherri
November 3, 2021 at 11:41 ·Reply
Hi Cindy, you might be right. I myself don’t remember a tomatoey taste. If you try it, let me know. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Alan Wells
January 17, 2023 at 11:41 ·Reply
just finished making this had a taste to check for seasoning it was fantastic brought back memories of my childhood growing up in a family of eight this meal was a staple once a week thank you i have been looking for this recipe for a while will be making it again and again
Sherri
February 3, 2023 at 11:41 ·Reply
So glad you enjoyed it Alan.
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Sherri
Author Bio
I live in sunny South Florida. I'm a middle-aged 50 something mom of 2 grown kids and nana to a beautiful granddaughter. I love making food from my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and the regional foods I grew up eating in the Midwest, specifically in the Northeast Ohio Mahoning Valley and Trumbull County area. I love food, co*cktails, and social media. In no particular order. To learn more, visit my About page.
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