Amish Country Poor Man’s Hamburger Steaks
An old fashioned hamburger steak recipe. The “steak” patties are made with cracker crumbs, milk and seasonings, baked in a delicious mushroom gravy. Down home comfort food the whole family will love, including the kids. Simple to make, so good. Wonderful served with mashed potatoes, favorite veggies and salad.
Read great reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest!
I made this for my daughter’s back to school dinner. It was a huge hit with the family and received rave reviews!
Today’s share was adapted from two recipes – Ohio’s Amish Country’s Poor Man’s Steaks and Allrecipe’s Poor Man’s Hamburger Steaks. Both recipes are similar and easy to adapt to your taste. Be sure to check them out. Also take a couple of minutes and read the comment section on Allrecipes – I always find great tips.
The version I came up with for my family was absolutely delicious and will be made again in the near future.
Pinnable Image
Amish Country Poor Man’s Hamburger Steaks
Print Recipe
Save Recipe To Pinterest
Ingredients
Hamburger Steak Patties
- 2 1/2 pounds ground beef (*I used lean 7% fat – see tip section) High fat ground beef can make the steaks and gravy greasy – if using high fat ground beef, be sure to fry the meat a bit first and discard the excess fat
- 2 cups saltine cracker crumbs (approximately 1 1/2 sleeves of crackers – crushed)
- 1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- dash of cayenne
- flour to dredge
- 3 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup – OR make Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup- using the equivalent amount
- 1 can milk (use soup can)
- 1 can water (use soup can)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
Gravy: In a medium size bowl add the 3 cans of soup, milk, water, parsley and mix well – set aside.
Hamburger Steak Patties: In a large bowl, using your hands, mix ground beef, cracker crumbs, milk, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper until well blended. Gently form 8 to 10 large patties (don’t press too hard), making them all equal size.
Next, lightly dredge (coat) in flour and fry in a skillet with high sides on medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides – inside will still be uncooked.
Place patties in baking dish. If making more than 6 patties, layer them – see photo above. Pour gravy evenly over patties, bake covered with foil on middle rack of oven for 1 hour or until the steak patties are well done, reaching a safe internal minimum tempertaure of 160 degrees f.
*If you are making more than 6 patties and need to layer them, turn the top layer of patties over one time, half way through baking – this was recommended by Lee Ann Miller’s recipe for Ohio’s Amish Recipes, Poor Man’s Steaks, to insure even cooking. Her recipe does not call for covering while baking. I opted to cover to prevent mess from splattering.
Serve steaks with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice, egg noodles, favorite veggies, salad. Be sure to spoon the gravy over potatoes, rice and/or noodles. Enjoy!
Tips
- *A few comments left on allrecipes stated that their steaks/gravy were a little greasy, that’s why I opted for a leaner ground beef and to lightly pan fry them first, which is what Lee Ann’s recipe calls for, plus it adds more flavor. If using high fat ground beef, pan fry them a little longer and discard the excess fat
- This recipe makes a good amount. Unless you are feeding six people, you will most likely have leftovers – but don’t worry, the leftovers are great! If you want to make less, you can easily cut this recipe in half.
- The two recipes I adapted this from, one called for covering, the other did not. I opted to cover.
- Lee Ann Miller’s recipe for Ohio’s Amish Recipes, Poor Man’s Steaks calls for 1 small chopped onion or 1/3 cup chopped sweet onion, along with 1/2 cup chopped green onion. I did not add this to my steaks, my kids are not big fans of onions.
- If you love mushrooms, try adding a small can of sliced mushrooms (or use fresh) for even more mushroom flavor.
- Love watching cooking video tutorials, head over and check out Lee Ann’s video for her recipe.
Sharing this recipe at Weekend Potluck.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cheers!
Marva
I used ground bison. I added a couple tablespoons of butter because it is very lean. I also used cream of onion soup with 1 1/2 t. Instant chicken bouillon in the gravy. Loved this recipe. Thanks!
faye
Sounds like a good dish to try.
Lindsey
I’m gluten free how do you think a ritz type cracker would taste
Lindsay
Salty and buttery
Lindsay Dailey
I’ve used Ritz crackers for meatloaf, and it was amazing, definitely recommend this option. Especially the garden vegetable Ritz crackers.
Diane R Cummings
When my daughter was small, she wouldn’t touch onions, so I made every dish that called for onions with onion powder! We didn’t miss the onions! Also, for those of you that will ask how much I added, I always say……..Never too much onion powder!
Lori
If you want to add mushrooms, is it to the meat or the gravy? I love mushrooms, this sounds simple and delicious.
Mary Neumann
You would add the mushrooms to the gravy, Lori.
Melissa
I make mine by frying just regular hamburgers patties . Put in casserole dish. Add cream mushroom milk and ringed onions bake till bubbling. Serve with mash potatoes. Sho good
Abby
Might I use another cream soup rather than mushroom (which Icannot tolerate)?
Mel
I think cream of onion would be great in this if you can’t do the cream of mushroom.
Teresa
This was so good and easy to make!My family loved it!