Homemade Hamburger Helper

I finally nailed it, a recipe for homemade Hamburger Helper. Over the last few years I’ve been switching my family’s diet from processed pre-packed foods to meals made from scratch at home. Many meals took a good deal of trial and error, but I have become quite the cook now that I’ve worked out the wrinkles in my skill set. We are now happily eating almost completely homemade meals, however, there have been two hold-outs. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Hamburger Helper. I don’t know if there will ever be a homemade mac & cheese recipe that makes me as happy as the blue box, but I’ll keep trying.

Anyhow, today I finally got it right, the perfect mixture for my favorite hamburger helper. I have always liked the plain Beef Pasta flavor with the spiral pasta. I also really like the Chili Cheese variety because it has a little bit more kick. I successfully merged the two recipes into one and we were so thrilled with the taste.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef

1 cup hot water*

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups dry pasta*

1 cup shredded cheese*

Seasoning Mix:

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 beef bouillon cube*

1. Mix the corn starch and seasonings together. Add the bouillon cube and set aside.

2. Brown the ground beef, drain.

3. Add the water, milk, and seasoning. Stir together to make sure there aren’t any lumps.

4. Add the pasta, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

5. Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese until it is melted. Serve.

Jason and I really really enjoyed this meal. I hope your family does as well!

* Tips:

– If you don’t have bouillon cubes, omit the cube and 1 cup of water, replace with 1 cup of beef broth.

– My favorite dry pasta to use is penne, but bowties or spirals or anything of that general size would work just as well. Make sure to stir the dish regularly as it simmers, both to keep it from sticking to the pan and to check the pasta doneness. Different pasta shapes take varying times to cook.

– For cheese, I stir in 3/4 cup of sharp cheddar and top with parmesan to taste once the meal is dished up. Feel free to use your favorite cheese(s). I think a Mexican blend would pair really nicely with the spicy sweet chili powder.