Recipe Homemade hamburger helper... Chilli cheese

kana_marie

kana_marie

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I ran across this recipe a few years back. When I originally found it, i cooked it that same night. I already had all the ingredients, so why not? It tastes just as good as what you buy in the box, its a lot cheaper in the long run, and its so quick and simple, especially considering its completely made from scratch.

1 lb ground beef
1 cup hot water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tbl cornstarch
1 tbl chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika.
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown and drain the ground beef in large skillet
Add the milk, water, dry ingridients, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover with a lid,'and wait about 10minutes. Add the cheese and let it simmer for another 5 or so minutes. Uncover, remove from heat , and let it sit for 5-10 minutes
 
Last edited:
kana_marie said:
I ran across this recipe a few years back. When I originally found it, i cooked it that same night. I already had all the ingredients, so why not? It tastes just as good as what you buy in the box, its a lot cheaper in the long run, and its so quick and simple, especially considering its completely made from scratch.

1 lb ground beef
1 cup hot water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tbl cornstarch
1 tbl chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika.
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown and drain the ground beef in large skillet
Add the milk, water, dry ingridients, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover with a lid,'and wait about 10minutes. Add the cheese and let it simmer for another 5 or so minites
Click to expand...


Sounds good! I think I'll try it soon!! :wink:
 
So, the "Hamburger Helper" is a seasoning mix which you add to your minced (or ground!) beef when you're making burgers? In that case, it makes perfect sense to make your own seasonig instead, it's bound to be far cheaper. As long as you know what roughly goes into it, you can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes.
 
I stopped buying Hamburger Helper mixes many years ago when my kids were smaller. We never really ate them much to begin with, but I usually had a box on hand for the days when I just needed a quick dinner. My husband and I noticed that whenever we had Hamburger Helper, our kids turned into little crazies following the meal; moody, hyper, and completely unlike their normal selves. I know a lot of people have experienced issues with artificial colorings and flavors, as well as certain preservatives, so I think there may be something in the mix that affected my kids. It was never drastic or life-threatening in any way, but it was definitely a noticeable behavioral difference -- in both kids. And, I find just as easy to have pasta and seasonings on hand as it was to have a box of Helper on hand.
 
ReadWriteLearnLove said:
I stopped buying Hamburger Helper mixes many years ago when my kids were smaller. We never really ate them much to begin with, but I usually had a box on hand for the days when I just needed a quick dinner. My husband and I noticed that whenever we had Hamburger Helper, our kids turned into little crazies following the meal; moody, hyper, and completely unlike their normal selves. I know a lot of people have experienced issues with artificial colorings and flavors, as well as certain preservatives, so I think there may be something in the mix that affected my kids. It was never drastic or life-threatening in any way, but it was definitely a noticeable behavioral difference -- in both kids. And, I find just as easy to have pasta and seasonings on hand as it was to have a box of Helper on hand.
Click to expand...


Also, it has a ton of salt in it! I can make it from scratch & eliminate most of that salt! :wink: :headshake::stop:
 
So I'm now properly confused. What is this Hamburger Helper? Is it a packet mix to make hamburgers taste better or is it to make hamburgers into a pasta dish? We have nothing like that here in the UK, so I'm puzzling :scratchhead:.
 
morning glory said:
So I'm now properly confused. What is this Hamburger Helper? Is it a packet mix to make hamburgers taste better or is it to make hamburgers into a pasta dish? We have nothing like that here in the UK, so I'm puzzling :scratchhead:.
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It is usually a pasta that comes in a box with a seasoning / sauce kit packet.
You add the meat, which is usually ground beef.

You scramble up the ground beef in a large skillet, add the uncooked pasta, the seasoning / sauce mix along with some water and let it cook covered on the stove until the pasta is done.
The sauce thickens & it can either be of cheese, stroganoff or a tomato sauce, or Alfredo. :cook:
 
Shermie said:
It is usually a pasta that comes in a box with a seasoning / sauce kit packet.
You add the meat, which is usually ground beef.

You scramble up the ground beef in a large skillet, add the uncooked pasta, the seasoning / sauce mix along with some water and let it cook covered on the stove until the pasta is done.
The sauce thickens & it can either be of cheese, stroganoff or a tomato sauce, or Alfredo. :cook:
Click to expand...

So its actually not burgers at all! In UK, convenience sauces for pasta are usually bought 'ready-made' in jars rather than dry mixes. What interests me about your description, is that the pasta is added uncooked to the ground beef and sauce mixture.

In general, I don't think we use many packet mixes in the UK. Although there are various packets which are quite popular for making bread sauce, cheese sauce, sage and onion stuffing etc. Most people looking for convenience food reach for a ready-made sauce to add to their minced (ground) beef and pasta. Even more popular are complete ready-meals. Our supermarkets are stuffed with chilled ready-meals of every description. You just pop them in the microwave or oven.
 
Thanks for posting this link. I like the different combinations that Hamburger Helper has available but I find that their product is just too salty.
There is too much flavour for the small amount of noodles they provide. I always had to add extra to try and cut down on the taste. I will
definitely be giving some of these recipes a try. They are great one pot meals.
 
This sounds great. I'm always looking for new recipes with ground beef that are kid friend and budget friendly. I'm going to try it out this weekend. My kids will love the spice combinations. I've never bought hamburger helper but I agree the prepackaged flavours always have too much salt. This way when you make your own you can control how much salt goes into it.
 
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