One Pot Hamburger Helper

 

Belly Full on a Budget

Beef and macaroni are the epitome of a belly full. If you were a fan of hamburger helpers as a kid, this just might be up your alley. It tastes more grown-up but is still giving me an ‘I’m a kid eating a sloppy joe at summer camp vibe’. It is the dinner that will please both adults and kids and the whole pot only cost $1586.78 JMD. It can serve maybe 6-8, but let’s say it serves 6, that’s only $264.46 per serving, not bad at all.

 Was I the only one who as a child thought that a hamburger helper came with the meat inside? I remember finally getting a box and opening it only to find it's basically a mac n cheese with extra seasoning and you have to provide your own beef. What a letdown. Mom had to come back another day to make the dish we saw in the commercials all the time and wanted so bad. It was so yummy, however, my mom was always against too much-processed stuff because of salt content. We never even got to taste a Lunchables for that reason. So I don’t remember the hamburger helper being made again. 

The taste is like a faint memory, So here I am making my version from a memory. My version is not as sweet as the original, I do remember it having a sweetness amidst all the salt. All in all, it was pretty good, Lizzie loved it. She had it two nights in a row and ate it all both times. The first time she had it she said ‘yummy’. My two-year-old has a pretty refined palette, sis won't eat anything if it doesn’t taste good and she has to smell everything before she opens her mouth. So you have it on good authority that this is a delicious one-pot meal.

Ingredients (Printable recipe)

1 lb beef mince
1 cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves
4 cups beef stock
3 packs boxed mac n cheese 
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
seasoning mix
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon sugar

 

Instructions

• combine all the seasoning mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
• shred the garlic and chop the onions.
• in a deep pot, heat the oil
• add the onions to the oil and sauté when the onions are soft and fragrant add the ground beef and seasoning mix. cook until it starts to brown.
• add the ketchup mustard and garlic and stir.
• add the beef stock and uncooked pasta cover over medium heat and allow the pasta to cook to al dente, about 12 minutes. The pasta should have soaked up most of the stock leaving a little behind for creaminess.
• Add one package of the powdered cheese mix (adding all three may make it too salty) stir until it's dissolved.
• serve garnished with onion and scallion.

Greedy Tips:

• Use a beef-stock that has salt. If you use an unsalted version you will have to season with salt to taste.
•  The powdered cheese addition at the end is optional, lets say you have real cheese at home and regular macaroni elbows, you can use three cups of the macaroni, and then at the end stir in a cup of your favorite cheese. This recipe was made using the Kraft box mac n cheese to keep the cost lower. Since fresh cheese would be a bit more costly but not by that much seeing as the whole pot serves around 6-8.
• This will only be creamy immediately after it's cooked and ready to eat. Pasta continues to soak up all the moisture as it sits. That’s why leftover creamy pasta is never usually as creamy the next day. So expect it to be less creamy but still flavorful. You can always add a touch of milk to leftovers when reheating to get back a bit of the creamy texture. 

Xoxo Greedygirl