Spice Up Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff

By Emily Parker

Foreword by Nanea Hoffman

Is it weird to accept a foreword for a recipe post? Mayhap. But weird is our stock and trade around hither, and then away we go. Before I knew annihilation of the world and its attitude toward tasty boxed foods, Hamburger Helper seemed miraculous to me. Information technology was the kickoff meal I ever saw a child set.

I was at a friend's house after school. I retrieve we were nigh 9 years old – 4th grade, and then that would have been virtually correct. Every bit a grown up, I now realize that she was living in a unmarried parent household and her female parent was often too busy or too tired to melt. I watched, fascinated, as my friend got out ground beefiness (I'd seen my mother melt, and then I knew what that was, but EW, I'd never touched it), milk, and that box with the funny glove on it. She fried upwards the meat in the frying pan, added the other stuff and ta-dahhhh! It turned into dinner. It was delicious. Magic. Like infinite nutrient.

Another thing I realize at present that I'1000 a grown up is that i'south love or distaste for things like Hamburger Helper is shaped largely by the course you grew up in (Note, this is separate from ethnicity or income – it'southward to practice with your culture, which influences, among other things, your tastes. Talk to me onetime about Spam.). If Hamburger Helper could just be bought at Whole Foods and cost $thirty a box, I betcha people would await at it differently. The fact is that it's widely available, requires only rudimentary cooking skill to fix, and tin stretch, say, a parcel of lean ground beef that currently runs on average $5.67 a pound into a filling repast.

If you're a busy parent on a budget, a hungry teenager, a starving college student, or mayhap just someone who grew up enjoying this stuff, it'south all the same miraculous. If you lot plow upward your nose or worry the preservatives are going to make yous grow a 3rd heart, you lot may want to go to Pinterest and detect some vegan Paleo recipes or something. It'due south okay. Because it's about to get all instant food goodness upwards in hither.

………….

In my house, nosotros eat a lot of Hamburger Helper. Information technology's a cultural fixture, so far as former standbys become, and at the end of a busy mean solar day, it'south quick, piece of cake, inexpensive, and tasty. What we've discovered, however, is that with a few creative additions, you can make your Hamburger Helper practically gourmet! Okay, maybe not exactly gourmet, just yous tin can definitely hide vegetables in it that your kids will consume, and beef information technology upward (run into what I did at that place?) to feed two to 3 times more people than an ordinary box does. Wizardry! To some of you, adding goodies to Hamburger Helper is not news. For the remainder of you, savour!

Beneath I have selected some of our favorite kinds of Hamburger Helper and made a few suggestions for dressing information technology up with items you probably already accept in your pantry or freezer. Bonus: One Chicken Helper recipe. I can't help you with Tuna Helper. Tuna Helper is an abomination.

In general, for nigh "Helper" recipes, you need water, milk, and ane pound of your meat of choice. For these "fancy" ones, brand according to the instructions on the box–no demand to add additional liquid or adapt. Add any or all of the suggested add-ins for a delicious twist on your favorite flavors!

Hamburger Helper Lasagna (any diverseness), Hamburger Helper Cheesy Italian Shells, almost "Italian" varieties

Add-ins:

• one/2 to 1 whole white onion (dice and add to the raw meat, chocolate-brown together)
• i can diced tomatoes (I use the kind with Italian herbs added. Add when you add together the liquid and pasta; do not drain), or 1-ii whole diced fresh tomatoes
• one tin black olives, whole or sliced (bleed, add when you add the liquid and pasta)
• 1-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic (add to browning meat) or garlic powder to taste
• A few shakes each of Italian Seasoning and black pepper (add to browning meat)
• For extra cheesy goodness, stir in a couple of handfuls of shredded cheese at the very finish of cooking, or top each bowl with some. Alternatively, top each bowl with a few shakes of Parmesan. Yum!

Hamburger Helper Philly Cheesesteak

Add-ins:

• 1/2 to 1 whole white onion (die and add to the raw meat, brown together)
• 1 greenish pepper (dice and add to the raw meat, dark-brown together)
• 1-2 tbsp diced greenish chiles or jalapenos, if you feel like a little kicking (add peppers to taste, during meat browning phase)
• ane-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic (add together to browning meat) or garlic powder to gustation
• A few shakes of black pepper (add to browning meat)
• Superlative each bowl with a piece of provolone. Yum!

Hamburger Helper Stroganoff

Add-ins:

• ane/two to 1 whole white onion (dice and add to the raw meat, brown together)
• 1-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic (add together to browning meat) or garlic powder to taste
• A few shakes of black pepper (add to browning meat)
• ane container sliced mushrooms (or as many as you happen to have on manus), or 1-ii small cans of mushrooms, drained (add when you add together the liquid and pasta)
• 1 packet frozen peas, carrots, or the combo (add when y'all add the liquid and pasta, pause apart if solid), or 1 can of whatsoever of those, drained

Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni, almost "Macaroni" varieties

Add-ins:

• A few shakes of black pepper (add together to browning meat)
• one-two tbsp fresh minced garlic (add to browning meat) or garlic powder to sense of taste
• Leftover bacon (I know, is such a thing possible?! Add to meat browning stage if raw, crumble in at end and stir in if cooked)
• Diced jalapeno to gustatory modality (add to browning meat), or sriracha to taste, or both; alternatively, a healthy pinch of cayenne pepper for boot
• 1 can diced tomatoes (that is, if you're the sort of person who likes tomatoes in mac and cheese, or eats ketchup on it. This is a point of contention in my house. My husband likes ketchup on his mac and cheese. He is clearly wrong.)
• Stir in a couple of handfuls of shredded cheese at the very end of cooking, or top each bowl with some. Or both. It IS delicious cheese, after all. If you stir some in and information technology's as well thick, add an extra splash of milk.

Hamburger Helper Crunchy Taco

• A few shakes of black pepper (add to browning meat)
• ane-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic (add to browning meat) or garlic pulverisation to taste
• one/2 to ane whole white onion (dice and add to the raw meat, brownish together)
• ane-2 tbsp diced green chiles or jalapenos (Add peppers to taste, during meat browning stage)
• 1 can black olives, whole or sliced, drained (add when you add the liquid and pasta)
• i can corn niblets, drained (add together when you add together the liquid and pasta)
• 1 can black beans, drained (add together when you add the liquid and pasta)
• Have any leftover salsa? Add up to a cup at any stage of cooking.
• Acme each bowl with whatsoever or all: shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, extra corn chips

Chicken Helper Fettucine Alfredo

Add-ins:

• one/2 to ane whole white onion (dice and add to the raw meat, dark-brown together)
• A few shakes each of Italian seasoning, black pepper (add to browning meat)
• 1-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic (add to browning meat) or garlic pulverization to taste
• 1 container sliced mushrooms (or as many as you happen to accept on hand), or 1-2 small cans of mushrooms, drained (add when you add the liquid and pasta)
• A handful or two raw spinach (add at the very cease of cooking, throw in and cover for a minute or two, and so stir in)
• 1 package frozen or 1 can drained peas or broccoli pieces, or both (add when yous add together the liquid and pasta)
• Stir in a couple of handfuls of shredded cheese at the very finish of cooking, or acme each basin with some. If you stir some in and it's too thick, add an extra splash of milk.

Emily Parker is a musician, writer, and avid reader who started Saucepan List Book Reviews, the 'ane,001 Books to Read Before Yous Die' projection. For Sweatpants & Coffee, Emily hopes to inspire the reading of the classics by a whole new audience by only reviewing the really skilful stuff.

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