When you pull back the foil on this oven-baked Beef Pendleton, the gravy is still bubbling in the corners and the beef is ready to split with a fork. That’s the moment to put the mashed potatoes on the table. Spoon the sauce over the beef and watch it settle into the potatoes, carrying little pieces of soft onion and mushroom with it.
The four ingredients are beef, dry onion soup mix, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and beef broth. Whisk three of them in a bowl, pour them over the fourth, and slide the covered dish into the oven. Give yourself about 15 minutes to get it going. The long stretch in the oven gives you plenty of time to get on with your afternoon, then come back to make whatever you’d like to serve alongside it.
Beef Pendleton Ingredients
You’ll need the following four ingredients for six servings. If you’re shopping for the whole meal, grab your potatoes, noodles, or rice separately. The quantities here are for the beef and gravy.
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1½-inch pieces. Choose a roast with thin lines of fat running through the meat. Trim away any thick fat around the outside and cut the meat into pieces of roughly the same size. Already have a package of stew beef? Check the size of the pieces and cut any especially large ones in half.
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix, about 1 ounce. A box often contains two packets, so check before pouring. The dry mix brings the onion and most of the seasoning. The little onion flakes soften in the oven, giving the gravy some texture even though there’s no fresh onion to chop.
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, 10½ ounces. Scoop it straight out of the can. The amount of liquid in the recipe accounts for the soup being condensed, so keep the milk or water listed on the can for another use. Scrape the corners of the can with a spoon to get the thick last bit.
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth. Broth loosens the condensed soup so you can pour it over the meat. A low-sodium carton gives you room to work with the salt already in the soup and onion mix. Save any extra broth for adjusting the gravy after baking.
Chuck is the cut I’d pick at the meat counter. A long, covered bake gives the connective tissue time to soften, and those thin streaks of fat help keep each bite succulent. Packaged stew meat can come from several cuts, which explains why one batch might soften a little sooner than the next. If the butcher can tell you the cubes came from chuck, you can save yourself the chopping.
Substitutions and Additions
Cream of mushroom soup. If you want a milder gravy, use a 10½-ounce can of condensed cream of celery soup in its place. The celery comes through more clearly than the mushroom in the original, especially if you serve it with plain rice. Look for the word “condensed” on either can so the consistency starts in the right place.
Beef broth. Low-sodium beef stock works in the same amount. If you’re using homemade stock that sets in the fridge, warm just the cup you need until it flows easily. You can also make a cup of broth from a low-sodium bouillon product. Taste that cup before using it. The onion mix will bring plenty of seasoning of its own.
Extra mushrooms. For a variation with distinct slices in the gravy, cook 4 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms in a dry nonstick skillet until they’ve given up their moisture and picked up some color. Stir them into the finished beef. Adding them at the end keeps their flavor and shape easy to pick out.
A peppery finish. A few turns of black pepper at the table suit the mellow gravy. For a brighter bite, set out chopped parsley or sliced scallion greens and let everyone add a little to their own plate. The beef itself needs only the ingredients listed above.
How to Make Beef Pendleton in the Oven
Step One. Heat the oven. Put a rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 325°F. Set out a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and tear off enough foil to fold down over all four sides. If your foil is narrow, overlap two sheets and fold their long edges together to make one wide cover. You’ll want that seam to stay closed once the liquid starts to simmer.
Step Two. Cut and arrange the chuck. Slice the roast into thick strips, then cut across the strips to make roughly 1½-inch chunks. A roast can have a tough seam running between two sections. If you come across one, separate the meat there and trim out the firm band before cutting the pieces. Spread the beef across the dish in a single layer. A few pieces touching is fine. Give the sauce room to run between them.
Step Three. Whisk the sauce. Put the condensed soup in a bowl and whisk in about ¼ cup of the measured broth. Once it loosens, add the rest of the broth and the onion soup mix. The mixture should fall off the whisk in a thick stream. You’ll see tiny bits of mushroom and onion, which belong there. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to catch any dry seasoning hiding under the sauce.
Step Four. Pour and cover. Start at one end of the dish and move the bowl as you pour so the sauce reaches both corners and the middle. Turn any bare pieces of beef with a spoon to coat them. The liquid can sit below the tops of the pieces. Once the pan is sealed, the steam and gentle bubbling help cook the upper surfaces too. Crimp the foil firmly around the rim.
Step Five. Bake until the beef yields to a fork. Start checking at two hours. Put the dish on a dry trivet, lift one corner of the foil away from your face, and try a large piece from the middle. A fork should slide in easily and separate the fibers with a small twist. The center of the casserole should also reach at least 165°F. If the beef still springs back, seal the dish again and give it another 15 to 20 minutes before checking. Most batches take about 2 to 2½ hours. The size of the pieces and the cut can move dinner a little in either direction.
If you like darker edges, uncover the pan for the last 10 to 15 minutes once the beef is nearly tender. Spoon a little sauce over any exposed pieces first. The gravy will thicken fastest in the corners, where it’s shallow. If it already looks thick, leave the foil on until the meat is ready and uncover it for the rest.
Step Six. Let the gravy settle. When the beef is tender, uncover the dish and let it stand for 10 minutes. Some gravy will cling to the pan near the edges, where it darkened as the beef baked. Stir that soft, saucy part back in and turn the pieces gently so they stay whole. Drag the spoon across the bottom. You should be able to see a short trail before the gravy flows back in.
How to Adjust the Gravy
Give thin gravy a minute. It’s easy to judge the sauce too soon when it’s still bubbling straight from the oven. Let it rest for the full 10 minutes, then dip in a spoon. If the gravy runs off like broth, lift the beef out with a slotted spoon and simmer the sauce in a small saucepan for a few minutes. Stir along the bottom as it thickens, then pour it back over the chunks.
Loosen thick gravy a little at a time. If the spoon leaves a track that stays open, stir in warm low-sodium broth, a tablespoon at a time. The gravy should spoon easily over the beef and hold its place on a pile of potatoes. You may need only one splash, particularly if the casserole sat while you finished the rest of dinner.
Skim the surface if needed. A well-marbled roast can leave a few amber pools at the edges. Skim them with a shallow spoon while the pan sits level on the trivet. Work from the surface so you leave the darker gravy underneath. If you’re making this for the next day, the fat is even easier to lift from the top once the beef and gravy are chilled.
What to Serve With Beef Pendleton
Mashed potatoes are my first choice here, especially with a little well pressed into the middle of each scoop. Add a few chunks of beef, then ladle the gravy around them so it runs down the sides. If you’re boiling potatoes, you can start them once the beef is close to fork-tender. They’ll have time to drain and dry off while the casserole rests.
Wide egg noodles are handy when you want a faster side. Cook them as the beef rests, then drain well so the water from the noodles doesn’t dilute the gravy. For rice bowls, plain long-grain white rice works well. Fluff it just before serving, and spoon some sauce into the bottom of each bowl before adding the beef so the first layer of rice gets its share.
For something green, try steamed green beans with lemon or broccoli tossed with a little butter and black pepper. A cabbage and carrot slaw with a vinegar dressing is good if you want a cold side you can make ahead. Its crunch holds up nicely alongside the soft beef.
Serving bread? Thick slices of a crusty loaf or split dinner rolls are enough. Set the casserole on a trivet at the table so anyone who wants a little extra gravy can reach the spoon.
Make Ahead, Store, and Reheat
To prep the day before. Cut the chuck and whisk the sauce up to a day in advance. Refrigerate them separately in covered containers. When you’re ready to bake, stir the sauce again to redistribute the onion flakes, then pour it over the meat in the baking dish. Start checking at the usual time and allow a little more oven time if the beef needs it.
In the fridge. Transfer leftovers to shallow, covered containers and refrigerate within two hours, or within one hour if the air temperature is above 90°F. Keep them at 40°F or below and use within three to four days. Divide up the gravy when you portion the beef. It keeps the pieces coated and makes it easier to warm just what you’ll eat.
In the freezer. Freeze the beef and gravy together in meal-size containers for up to two months for best quality. Leave a little room at the top for expansion. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The sauce may look a little uneven when it first thaws. A gentle stir as it warms usually brings it back together.
To reheat. Warm the beef and gravy in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the leftovers reach 165°F. A spoonful of broth helps if the cold gravy is thick. In the microwave, use a loosely covered dish and stir between short bursts. Heat the beef separately from any leftover noodles you want to serve it with so the noodles spend less time in the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to brown the beef before it goes in the oven?
The raw chuck can go straight into the baking dish. That saves a skillet and gives you a mellow onion-and-mushroom gravy. If you particularly like a seared flavor, you can brown the cubes in batches in a hot skillet before assembling the dish. Transfer them straight to the baking dish and continue with the covered bake.
Can I start with frozen stew meat?
Thaw it in the refrigerator first. Put the package on a rimmed plate on the bottom shelf to catch any drips. With thawed meat, you can separate the cubes, check their size, and arrange them evenly before adding the sauce. A one-pound package may take a night to thaw. A solid two-pound block can need longer.
Can I bake a double batch?
Use two 9 × 13-inch baking dishes, with the same amount of beef and sauce in each. Cover both. If they’re on separate oven racks, rotate their positions about halfway through, keeping the foil in place. Check the beef in both dishes before serving. The one in the cooler part of the oven may need a few extra minutes.
Can I bake this in a Dutch oven?
A wide, oven-safe Dutch oven with a tight lid works. Choose one large enough to keep the beef in a shallow layer, then follow the same oven temperature and start checking at two hours. The deeper sides and snug lid can hold more moisture, so check the gravy after resting and reduce it briefly if you’d like it thicker.
How can I make it gluten-free?
Check all three packaged ingredients. Use a condensed cream of mushroom soup, a dry onion soup mix, and beef broth that are each labeled gluten-free. A cup of plain rice or a serving of mashed potatoes makes a good base. If you’re cooking for someone with celiac disease, use clean equipment and keep shared utensils and serving dishes free of crumbs.
If a little beef is left after dinner, break it up with a fork as you pack it away. The short strands and a spoonful of gravy are good tucked into a toasted roll for lunch, especially with a few cold pickle slices. If you’re packing the sandwich to take with you, keep the roll and filling separate until lunchtime.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Beef Pendleton
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix about 1 ounce
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10½ ounces
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Arrange the beef in a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- Whisk the condensed soup, broth, and onion soup mix together. Pour over the meat and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 2 to 2½ hours, until a fork twists easily in a large piece of beef. If needed, cover again and cook in 15- to 20-minute increments.
- Uncover and rest for 10 minutes. Stir the gravy gently and serve.
