Carefully remove the foil, then return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to let the top of the sauce thicken slightly and pick up a little color around the edges.
Baked patties with bubbling gravy fresh from the oven
Let the dish rest for about 5 minutes before serving so the sauce can settle and thicken a bit more. Spoon the creamy mushroom gravy over each patty when plating, and serve hot.
Variations & Tips
For picky eaters, you can swap the cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken or cream of celery if they shy away from mushroom pieces; just keep the same amount of milk and onion soup mix so the texture and flavor stay similar.
If you’d like to stretch the meat a bit further, mix in 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs and 1 beaten egg with the ground beef and onion soup mix—this gives a more meatloaf-style patty and can yield an extra serving or two. For a milder onion flavor, use only half the packet of onion soup mix and add a pinch of salt and pepper instead.
To sneak in some veggies, scatter thinly sliced mushrooms or onions in the bottom of the glass baking dish before adding the patties, or tuck a few frozen green beans or peas around the edges; they’ll cook right in the sauce. If you prefer a richer gravy, replace half of the milk with beef broth or add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the soup mixture before pouring it over the raw patties.
Poor man’s steak variation with vegetables in the dish
Leftovers reheat well in the microwave or oven with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce, making them great for next-day lunches or quick sandwiches on toasted bread.
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