meal makeover: hamburger helper.

i always wondered why hamburger helper’s mascot was a three-fingered glove man.

(source: bettycrocker.com)

maybe because he is lending a helping hand? but why only three fingers? last time i checked, the majority of humans had four fingers. to be honest, he kinda creeps me out. i don’t think i would want his three-fingered helping hand to have any part in making my dinner.

anyway, creepy mascot aside, i tried to see which version of hamburger helper the recipe i am going to share with you compared to. i quickly found that there were at least four (of their 40 flavors) that were basically the same thing: beef pasta, salisbury steak, creamy stroganoff, and cheesy beef pasta. i mean, i am sure they all have different ingredients, but i am almost certain they all taste the same. they are all described as “pasta & hearty sauce”—and that’s definitely what my recipe is.

but healthy.

servings: 4
total time: 30 minutes

ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced (or 1 T jarred)
• 1 leek, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 12 oz ground beef (i used top sirloin)
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 T dried parsley
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 6 oz elbow macaroni
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 T cornstarch + 2 T water, mixed
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 cup plain nonfat chobani greek yogurt
• hot sauce and additional yogurt, for garnish (optional)

directions:

1. heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. add garlic and sauté for a minute or two.
2. dice the leek and mushrooms.
3. add these veggies to the skillet and sauté for a few minutes.
4. if you are grinding your own beef, do this now. i use my food processor to grind my own beef.
5. add the ground beef, oreganoa, parsley, salt, and pepper to the skillet and sauté until it is cooked through.
6. add noodles, broth, and water to the skillet. turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
7. once it is boiling, cover the skillet and reduce heat to low. simmer until noodles are cooked through, about 8 minutes.
8. pour the cornstarch+water mixture into the skillet and stir to combine.
9. add nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
10. add yogurt and stir to combine.
11. if necessary, simmer on low until any remaining liquid absorbs.
12. serve immediately, garnishing with additional yogurt and hot sauce, if desired.

step-by-step photo tutorial:

heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. add garlic and sauté for a minute or two.

dice the leek and mushrooms.

add these veggies to the skillet and sauté for a few minutes.

if you are grinding your own beef, do this now. i use my food processor to grind my own beef.

add the ground beef, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper to the skillet and sauté until it is cooked through.

add noodles, broth, and water to the skillet. turn heat to high and bring to a boil.

once it is boiling, cover the skillet and reduce heat to low. simmer until noodles are cooked through, about 8 minutes.

pour the cornstarch+water mixture into the skillet and stir to combine.

add nutritional yeast and stir to combine.

add yogurt and stir to combine.

if necessary, simmer on low until any remaining liquid absorbs.

serve immediately, garnishing with additional yogurt and hot sauce, if desired.

this recipe makes four GENEROUS servings.

nutrition stats (calculated on thedailyplate.com):

while this dish isn’t the prettiest by any means, it sure does taste fantastic!

sorry, creepy hamburger helper glove man, we won’t be needing your help any time soon.

check out previous meal makeovers:

• lasagna
• breakfast burritos
• white chicken enchiladas

if you have a favorite meal you’d like me to makeover, please let me know!

ALSO, i updated my recipe page with over 75 new recipes! well, they are not new, but they were not on the page previously. i am so bad at organization and documentation.

anyway, i added a bunch of recipe links to the meals page and also added some how-to links. check it out if you want!

xo. janetha g.