My aunt made this for Sunday supper and the meat was completely fork tender. It absolutely blew my mind that it only requires 3 ingredients.

This oven baked 3-ingredient Amish beef and gravy bake is the kind of simple Sunday supper that makes the whole house smell cozy. My aunt swore by this recipe because it goes straight into the oven and comes out with beef so fork tender it practically falls apart when you look at it. It’s inspired by old-fashioned Amish-style cooking: humble ingredients, slow oven time, and a rich brown gravy that tastes like you fussed all afternoon, even though it only takes a few minutes of hands-on work.

Serve this fork-tender beef and gravy over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or steamed white rice so every bit of that rich brown gravy has something to soak into. Add a simple side like buttered corn, green beans, or a tossed salad to round out the plate. Warm dinner rolls or sliced crusty bread are perfect for swiping through the bubbly edges of gravy left in the glass baking dish.

Servings: 6

3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks (about 2–3 inch pieces)

Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass baking dish so the beef and gravy don’t stick.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and the dry brown gravy mix until smooth and well combined. This will look thick, but it will loosen and turn into a rich brown gravy as it bakes.

Place the beef chuck roast chunks in the prepared glass baking dish in an even layer, keeping them mostly in a single layer so they cook evenly and get completely tender.

Pour the soup and gravy mixture evenly over the beef, making sure all the pieces are coated and there are no dry spots. Use a spoon to gently nudge the gravy down between the pieces of meat.

Cover the baking dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimping the edges all the way around so steam can’t escape. This trapped steam is what helps the beef become truly fork tender.

Bake in the preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, without uncovering, until the beef is very tender. You should be able to twist a fork in a piece and have it easily pull apart.

Carefully remove the foil, watching out for hot steam. Give the beef and gravy a gentle stir to break up the chunks a bit and mix the juices into the gravy. If you’d like the top edges to get a little bubbly and browned like a Sunday casserole, return the uncovered dish to the oven for an additional 10–15 minutes.

Let the dish rest for about 5–10 minutes so the gravy can settle and slightly thicken. Use two forks to pull apart any larger chunks of beef right in the gravy. Serve warm, spooning generous amounts of the tender beef and rich brown gravy over your favorite side.

For a milder flavor for picky eaters, you can swap one can of cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken soup while still keeping the recipe to three ingredients. If your family likes extra gravy, add a third can of condensed soup and a splash of water; it will still bake down into a thick, scoopable sauce. To make this more like a full meal in one pan, tuck in a few whole baby carrots and quartered potatoes around the beef—just know that this technically adds more ingredients, but it’s very family-friendly. For a deeper, more savory taste, use a packet of onion gravy mix instead of brown gravy mix, or choose a “roasted beef” style gravy packet. If your beef isn’t as tender as you’d like at the 3-hour mark, simply cover it back up and keep baking in 20–30 minute increments until it pulls apart easily with a fork; every roast is a little different. Leftovers reheat beautifully in a covered dish in the oven or on the stovetop with a spoonful of water to loosen the gravy, and they’re wonderful piled onto buttered toast or over baked potatoes for an easy second-night supper.