This Hearty Meal Comes Together Quickly With Mostly Pantry-Friendly Ingredients

I shared a recipe for beef tips and gravy three years ago, and it has become one of my favorite comfort food dinners. It’s so universally loved that I’d make it every week if it weren’t for one thing: time. See, the hours on the stove that are so essential to turning beef chuck roast tender are hours that I can’t always spare. Instead of giving up on a dinner that I love, I figured out a way to serve the same flavors in a fraction of the time.

This cozy dinner has the same beefy flavor and savory gravy as the original, but it’s ready in just 30 minutes. The trick is to swap the chuck roast for ground beef. Brown the ground beef and then build the gravy right in the same skillet to build on the flavorful bits left behind (and to spare yourself extra dishes). To serve, settle in with your biggest bowl and ladle the ground beef and gravy over mashed potatoes or steamed rice.

• Quick and comforting. It takes just 30 minutes to turn a few pantry staples like ground beef and broth into a satisfying dinner. The beef is hearty, filling, and especially delicious once it simmers in a rich and velvety sauce.

• It’s a one-pan dinner. The beef and gravy cook together in a single skillet, so that there’s less cleanup.

• Ground beef: When cooking the ground beef use a large skillet, which encourages browning. Only stir occasionally to give the ground beef time to develop color and flavor.

• Worcestershire sauce: This condiment seasons the gravy and adds even more savory flavor.

• Beef broth: The sodium content of store-bought beef broth varies widely. This recipe was developed with low-sodium beef broth, so if you have regular broth on hand, season with a smaller amount of salt and add more to taste.

• All-purpose flour: Flour thickens the beef broth into a rich gravy. Sprinkle the flour over the aromatics before adding the broth to prevent lumpy gravy.