How to Make Heart Healthy Beef Gravy
Who needs some deep brown savory Low Sodium Brown Gravy? Well, I certainly did the other night when I cooked this pork loin roast. But, I did not go all out on prepping pork loin and it came out super dry. I thought to myself, some good gravy could probably rescue the rest of this roast. And so, while coming up with a low sodium gravy,it also occurred to me that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Good grief!
I like my gravy to be dark brown and on the thicker sauced side as shown in the pictures. No weak, runny, light brown gravy for me, please. I made this recipe at a medium starting point to appeal to most people I suppose. You can easily darken and thicken it if you desire with very little change in nutrition values. I will tell you how below.
| Typical sodium amount per serving | 540-700mg |
| Sodium per serving for this recipe | 61mg |
| Calories per serving | 21 |
The amount of sodium in typical brown gravy
It's really disappointing when even a simple brown gravy is so high in sodium content from a store-bought gravy packet mix, canned gravy, or most recipes. Just imagine all the additional sodium we were probably pouring on already high sodium items that begged for a delicious savory gravy.
Brown gravy varies but seems an average for most recipes is about 700mg of sodium for just one half (1/2) cup. If you made your gravy from a packet, it would have contained 680mg of sodium per one half (1/2) cup. Actually the canned gravy generally seems to be the lowest in sodium at about 540mg per one half (1/2) cup. Never the less, all three are way above my sodium goal (250-300) for a whole meal just for a small amount of gravy.
This Low Sodium Brown Gravy recipe saves you hundreds of milligrams of sodium at just 61mg. The majority of the sodium comes from the unsalted beef broth (37mg) and the low sodium Worcestershire sauce (22mg) for a total of 59mg. And it still has a very satisfying savory flavor of course, if you have some other favorite salt free spices add them in too.
I made this recipe as written and shown without any drippings from a roast or other meat. As long as the meat was cooked low sodium style, go ahead and scrape any drippings into your gravy while simmering. It will add even more wonderful deep savory flavor to your gravy.
I did not include drippings in the recipe or the nutrition calculation because I would have no idea what meat, how much, or how it was prepared.
How to make your low sodium gravy
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add and melt unsalted butter. If using onions, sauté till soft and translucent, then add garlic and sauté for another minute. Otherwise, add garlic and sauté 30 seconds to a minute.
Add unsalted beef broth, low sodium Worcestershire sauce, browning sauce, Herb ox beef bouillon, garlic and onion powder. Bring to a low boil.
Bring to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Decrease the heat to medium low. Continue to lightly whisk to ensure the cornstarch blends in smoothly.
What is a Slurry?
A slurry is a combination of cornstarch and cold water. About a 1:1 ratio with a touch more water until the cornstarch dissolves when mixed. Then it's drizzled and whisked into to an almost boiling liquid to thicken it. Be sure to use cold water to prevent lumps from forming when adding to the hot broth.
Let it simmer until desired thickness or add a touch more slurry if need be.
Making Low Sodium Brown Gravy even more flavorful
These three ingredients add a nice depth of flavor to brown gravy, but they also help achieve the richer dark brown color somewhat missing in a no salt added beef broth.
Herb-Ox sodium free beef bouillon: (Amazon) Packs a lot of beefy taste to any broth and surprisingly mimics a true bouillon cube very well.
Low Sodium Worcestershire Sauce: (Amazon) I recommend the Lea & Perrin brand as this is the one commonly seen in grocery stores. You can't really taste any sodium in the gravy from it, but the flavor really enhances the gravy and adds a rich savory element to it. It only adds 22.5mg per half-cup serving.
Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce: (Amazon) It is already very low sodium but it adds a concentrated savory taste and color to any dish. I start with about 2 teaspoons and add a few drops at the end to desired taste and color. I like a dark brown gravy color, not the weak light brown color. You can find it in the aisle where they sell gravy packets. It only adds 5mg of sodium per serving even if you use a whole tablespoon.
A few other great optional ingredients
Finely diced sauteed onions or mushrooms: Sauté first at the beginning, then add garlic to finish the sauté.
A teaspoon of sage, rosemary, or thyme: Stirred in at the end while simmering. Many people may or may not like these spices so I left them out of the recipe. So add to your taste, I like thyme myself.
A couple tablespoons of dry red cooking wine or more to taste: Add in initially with the broth at the beginning and more to taste can be added at the end.
Make your Low Sodium Brown Gravy even better with meat drippings
If you roast anything like pork, beef or chicken that results in having meat drippings and bits at the end, you should definitely incorporate them into this gravy. Of course, if it was made low sodium, just add a little water to the roasting pan to deglaze and add to the gravy mix. Not that this low sodium brown gravy can't hang on its own, but the flavor output definitely goes up a notch as Emeril says. "Bam!"
What goes well with Low Sodium Brown Gravy?
It might be easier to answer what doesn't go with brown gravy. Probably, umm fish….
Otherwise have your brown gravy with, on or in a dipping bowl with – pork loin, fried chicken, any type of turkey, stuffing, pot roast, juicy steak, fried egg on toast, mashed or baked potatoes, meatball subs, Low Sodium Italian Meatballs, pasta and on and on.
Storing gravy
You can refrigerate this gravy for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. Like many things, I like to freeze serving size portions in a muffin tin. Then once frozen, tap out into a Ziploc freezer bag. I very much doubt you will have enough to freeze though.
A few of my other great dishes to enjoy!
Recommended Equipment & Ingredients For This Recipe
As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I get motivated when I hear from you and interested to learn about how you liked and served your Beefy Low Sodium Brown Gravy. So please, leave a comment or rating and share any tips you might have. You can follow me on Facebook and Pinterest also, for new recipes.
Low Sodium Brown Gravy
Easy amazing beefy Low Sodium Brown Gravy in minutes that is perfect for pork, turkey or chicken, mashed potatoes especially for Thanksgiving
Prevent your screen from going dark
- 3 cloves garlic raw finely minced or 2 Tbsp pre-minced
- 1 tbsp butter no salt added
- 3 cups beef broth no salt added you can also add drippings from a roasted dish
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp Lea and Perrins low sodium Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Herb Ox beef bouillon no sodium granules
- 2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce or more to taste
- 4 Tbsp cold water + 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp black pepper or more to taste
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In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add and melt unsalted butter. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds to a minute.
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Add unsalted beef broth, low sodium Worcestershire sauce, browning sauce, Herb ox beef bouillon, garlic and onion powder. Bring to a low boil.
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In a small bowl whisk together cold water and corn starch until dissolved. Drizzle into boiling broth while whisking and reduce heat to low. Continue stirring until thickened.
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Season with pepper and above spices to taste as desired. Drip in more browning sauce for an even darker gravy.
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Serve hot over your favorite meats and potatoes or vegetables.
For an even browner gravy, drip in browning and seasoning sauce while whisking.
Try a teaspoon of sage, rosemary, or thyme. Stir in at the end while simmering. Many people may or may not like these spices so I left them out of the recipe. So add to your taste, I like thyme myself.
This recipe makes about 3 cups of gravy and can easily be doubled or tripled in a larger pot.
Calories: 21 kcal Carbohydrates: 1.9 g Protein: 0.9 g Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 3 mg Sodium: 64 mg
Leave a rating and let me know how it was!
Nutrition Information – The information shown is provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be substituted for a doctors or nutritionist's advice. Please understand that not everyone's sodium requirements are the same, therefore some recipes may be higher than you're allowed. Always consult with your doctor for your recommended daily sodium allowance.
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Source: https://tastyhealthyheartrecipes.com/a-la-cart/sauces-dips-spices/low-sodium-brown-gravy/
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