Finely mince about ½ cup of the onion and slice the remainder of the onion. The minced onion will go in the ground beef mixture; the rest will be used for the gravy.
Add the ground beef, minced onion, breadcrumbs, egg, 1 Tbsp of the Worcestershire sauce (the remainder will go in the gravy), Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper to a large bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until they are evenly combined. Divide the mixture into four equal parts and shape each into a flattened oval.
Add the cooking oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once the skillet is hot, add the shaped beef patties and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they are well browned on each side. Transfer the cooked patties to a clean plate.
Mushroom Gravy Directions
While the beef patties are cooking, slice the mushrooms. After removing the beef from the skillet, add the sliced mushrooms and the remaining sliced onion, along with the remaining salt and pepper. Continue to cook the mushrooms and onions over medium heat until they are soft. Allow the moisture to release from the onions and mushrooms, which will help dissolve any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet as you stir, for about 5 minutes.
Once the mushrooms and onions have softened and most of the moisture has evaporated off the bottom of the skillet, add the butter and flour. Continue to stir and cook for about two minutes. The flour and butter will form a paste and begin to coat the bottom of the skillet.
Add the beef broth and remaining Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Stir to dissolve the flour into the broth, making sure to dissolve any flour that is stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Allow the broth to come up to a simmer (still over medium heat), stirring often. Once it reaches a simmer, it will thicken into a gravy.
Once the gravy is simmering, add the beef patties back to the skillet with the broth, mushrooms, and onions. Spoon the gravy over top and continue to simmer the beef in the gravy for an additional five minutes. The patties should reach an internal temperature of 160°F before serving. Taste the gravy and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy!
*You can use any ground beef you like here. 80/20 ground beef will make patties with a tender texture and rich flavor, and leaner ground beef will make them a little firmer. If your skillet has a lot of extra grease after browning the patties, spoon off some of the excess but leave the browned bits behind. Those browned bits help flavor the gravy.**Baby Bella mushrooms give the gravy a deeper color and slightly earthier flavor, but white button mushrooms work just fine and are often the most budget-friendly option.***I use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth, which has a full, robust flavor. The flavor of your broth will greatly impact the overall flavor of your gravy, so make sure to use one that has great flavor.Want more gravy? If you LOVE a very saucy gravy, go ahead and double the flour, butter, and beef broth. You can also add more mushrooms and onions if desired. Make sure to use a large enough skillet and simmer until the gravy thickens. Don't forget to adjust the salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce as needed!Prep it ahead: You can shape the patties up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.