One afternoon, Mack remarked that he was craving Hamburger Helper. It wasn’t something he had a lot growing up, but then again, a desire for beefy, cheesy pasta is probably not that out of the ordinary!
We had some ground beef (remnants of our cowshare) in the fridge, so hit the internet in search of recipes. We came upon a goldmine put together by a blogger whose children love all incarnations of Hamburger Helper. Since that day, we’ve tried two of her recipes.
Homemade Chili Cheese Hamburger Helper
Given how easy this was to pull together, I had to wonder why people would turn to the boxed version at all. With basic pantry ingredients and a few spices, we had a satisfying lunch ready in half an hour (and yes, it did hit the spot for Mack!). It’s amazing what corn starch can do as a thickener.
Homemade chili cheese hamburger helper
Homemade Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper
Of the two, this was my favourite. Two full cups of mushrooms melted away during the cooking time, and the egg noodles worked well enveloped in the creamy sauce. And by using non-fat milk, it resulted in a dish that didn’t taste all that heavy.
Homemade beef stroganoff hamburger helper
As the blogger mentions, these aren’t “inventive gourmet meals.” But for picky eaters (or to satisfy random cravings), they are great to turn to in a pinch!
Only Here for the Food 
Holy SNAP! I was just Googling recipes for homemade hamburger helper earlier today too! Ended up with hamburger soup instead. Nothing is nicer than homemade, and that pan full above looks absolutely delicious. I work close enough to where you live we could swap leftovers tomorrow. 😉
Cathy – I wish I still had leftovers in the fridge! We ate what was left of it last week, unfortunately. The good news is: it’s not that hard to make, so you and Michael can indulge for dinner tomorrow :).
*clap clap clap*
I made the beef stroganoff this evening, and WOW. Better than the packaged stuff by a million miles, and super easy to make.
Can’t thank you enough for introducing that site.
Cathy – glad you tried the recipe, and happy it worked out!
mine probably won’t look as good as yours but can’t wait to try the mix you sent me!
You’ll have to tell me what you think!