I recently went through the recipe box my mom gave me as a Christmas gift before she passed away. I found this one and remembered the story she told me about it.
When my little brother was in high school, she’d make this for his dinner after a long evening at football practice. He was a growing boy and he needed to eat! His football number was 54, so she named it “The 54 Special” in his honor.
I’d never made it before, but gave it a shot in my recent vlog. I should have known it’d be good – my mom was an incredible cook. And I swear I’m not biased (well, maybe a little), but my boyfriend loved it, too.
Here’s a printable version of the recipe:
The 54 Special
Ingredients
- 1/2 – 2/3 lb ground beef use more or less, depending on your preference
- 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 medium green, red, or yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 thick slice onion coarsely chopped
- 2 large mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 heaping tbsp corn starch
- Chicago Steak Seasoning
- soy sauce
- Louisiana Hot Sauce optional
- black pepper as desired
- cooked white rice or mashed potatoes
Instructions
- Shape ground beef into two oblong patties so both will fit in a 8 1/4" (No. 5) skillet. Cook patties over medium heat. As each side is browned, season with Chicago Steak Seasoning. Don't overcook, so patties will be tender. When done, remove from skillet and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on top of cookstove close to burner to keep warm.
- Empty grease out of skillet, leaving any remaining seasonings clinging to it. Add two tablespoons butter, keeping burner on medium. When butter is melted, add chopped bell peppers. Saute for a few minutes, then add chopped onions. Saute until both are almost to your desired doneness. Add sliced mushrooms. Add additional butter, if needed. Saute until mushrooms have softened.
- Add two to three good splashes of soy sauce. If desired, add a dash or two of hot sauce. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes. Add beef bouillon and bring to a boil. Mix corn starch in cold water till dissolved. Slowly stir into boiling sauce and veggies. Sauce will begin to thicken. When it has thickened, turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for a minute or two. Add desired amount of black pepper.
- Meanwhile, place cooked ground beef patties on bed of rice or mashed potatoes. Then smother with the veggie gravy. For a nice side veggie, we like buttered brussels sprouts or a side salad. This recipe serves two. Enjoy!
When I made the recipe on my vlog, I did a few things differently and it still turned out great. I do think I used too much meat, however, so I’ll use less next time I make it. Here are the changes I made (some by accident):
- I used a 1 lb. package of ground beef. I personally think this was a bit too much, and I would go with mom’s instructions to use 1/2 lb next time. The patties were a bit too thick using a whole pound, and they began to get too brown on the outside before the inside was done.
- I added hot water and the bouillon cube directly to the skillet instead of dissolving in water first. I think I will keep this method because it was faster and worked just as well.
- I left out the hot sauce. If I had any on hand, I would have used it.
- I served over cauliflower rice (steamed in the microwave) instead of real rice or mashed potatoes to make it low-carb. We loved it over cauliflower rice, but I think it would be fantastic over mashed potatoes. That veggie gravy is delicious!
If you’re watching your carbs, this recipe can definitely be made low-carb by subbing cauliflower rice. To make it very low-carb, you can use arrowroot powder instead of corn starch as a thickener. I used cornstarch because it’s what I had, and I’d still consider the recipe low-carb. But if you’re keto, keep in mind that cornstarch has 9 grams carbs per tablespoon (the amount used in this recipe).
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how you adapted it – or even if you make it as-is. Please leave a comment and let me know! I hope your family enjoys it too!
