Recipe Fail: Ground Beef & Gravy

Everyone has a dud of a recipe and for me, this one fits that description.

I found the recipe on Pinterest, which linked to Taste of Home. The recipe got great reviews. A lot of people raved about how much it reminded them of their mom's comfort foods. I've learned that Taste of Home recipes are either hit or miss. Either you love them or you hate them. I personally didn't hate this but I didn't love it either. The rest of the family hated it so it's not a keeper. I'll give a more detailed review below the recipe.

Ground Beef & Gravy

1 lb. ground beef
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth, divided
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp seasoned salt
¼ to ½ tsp pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
Hot mashed potatoes or noodles

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add 1½ cups beef broth, onion, parsley, basil, garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 mins. or until onion is tender.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining broth (room temperature) until smooth. Stir into beef mixture. Cook and stir for 2 mins. or until thickened. Serve over mashed potatoes or pasta. Yield: 3 cups

Now my thoughts are that this came out looking like mud. Sure, it's ground beef with some onions, gravy and spices and you thicken the grease "sauce." The parsley seemed like too much - it just kind of sat there on top of the meat. Same with the basil. I was afraid to serve it to my family because it looked so gross.

Yes, Butterfly Gold Corelle are my everyday dishes.

My mom bought me a set for my "hope chest" 30 years ago!

The day I made this, my son and I ate first so I could drop him off at work on the way to my evening shift job. That left my daughter and husband home to fend for themselves. The final verdict was this: son said it looked like it would make his stomach feel "icky" in a couple of hours. I thought it tasted okay but it had somewhat of a greasy consistency (I understand where he thought it might upset his stomach). I always drain cooked ground beef on a stack of paper towels to soak up the grease, then return it to the pan, so I don't know why it seemed greasy. It just did. But anyway, my daughter didn't like it. My husband didn't eat it at all (claimed he didn't feel well - I don't buy it!).

In the end I ended up with way too many leftovers of this shi stuff and no one to eat them. I ate leftovers for lunch one day, then threw the rest of the leftover meat in the freezer. I plan to hide mix it into a batch of soup (probably something I'll throw together on my own and feed to my unsuspecting family - ha!).

Try this if you dare. Here's a printable version. Ground Beef & Gravy

I have lots more recipes here Pieces of Me Recipes