Foodie Swellness: The ultimate hibernation meal, homemade “Hamburger Helper”

Is this dish full of veggies and fibre? Nope. Paleo? Nuh-uh. A rainbow of ingredients chockfull of vitamins and minerals? Not really. It’s pretty beige. But sometimes, like when it’s colder than -30C out and a bomb cyclone is hitting the east coast, you just crave plain old comfort food.

I didn’t grow up eating Hamburger Helper. I actually am not sure if I’ve ever had it. I have always thought it looks delicious in commercials, though. Meaty, creamy, carby. So I suppose I should state that I am not sure if this tastes at all like the boxed HH.

In any case, my recipe is inspired by this one from Dinner Then Dessert, except I added milk to make it creamier and some spices. And the result is everything I wanted for my winter dinner (warm and hearty), eaten tucked under a blanket all cozy, while watching The Mindy Project. It’s the ultimate winter hibernation meal.

Homemade Hamburger Helper

• 1 pound large elbow macaroni
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 ½ cups beef broth
• ½ cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (depending on how cheesy you want it!)

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions and drain.
2. Meanwhile, brown the beef in a large skillet.  Remove beef from skillet.
3. Add butter to the beef fat in the skillet and saute onion and bell pepper for about five minutes.
4. Add beef back to the skillet.
5. In a bowl, mix the beef broth, milk and cornstarch together.
6. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika and beef broth mixture into the skillet.
7. Cook about three minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
8. Add the macaroni to the skillet and mix together gently.
9. Remove from heat and stir in grated mozzarella.

I’d love to hear from HH fans if this is at all what the boxed variety tastes like. I like the idea of making it from scratch versus using the powdered ingredients and am so pleased with this stick-to-your-hones results of this meal. I rounded out my dinner with a glass of Cabernet but a nice crisp green salad would be a nice side (I just didn’t have anything for a salad in my refrigerator at the time).

Happy hibernating!

4 Comments January 5, 2018