Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl who moved to Minneapolis after college to whoop it up for a few years before settling down into adulthood, or whatever it is they call being a mid-upper twenty something.
The boy and the girl were dating, but lived in separate apartments. The girl liked to have the boy over for dinner as often as she could because she liked the boy a lot, but also because she knew what the boy would eat every night if left to his own devices.
See, while the girl liked to cook meals chock full of fresh veggies and protein (for the most part,) the boy had a weakness for boxed dinners that called for a pound of hamburger to “help” them along.
The meals were quick, cheap, and painless to prepare, but loaded with salt and weird ingredients.
“Disodium guanylate?” The girl once asked the boy, after looking at the ingredient list.
“I think that just means ‘extra delicious’.” The boy replied.
The boy and the girl ended up getting married and moving back to Iowa a few years later, and while they’ve been eating well ever since, he occasionally likes to think of the boxed dinners from his bachelor days and drool a little.
More in love with the boy than ever, the girl offered to whip up a homemade version of his favorite “flavor”, Cheeseburger Macaroni.
And the boy freaking LOVED IT. And guess what? The girl did too!
Ok. The jig is up. The boy is Ben, and the girl is me. ;) The rest of the story is true, however, including the part where Ben inhaled his bowl of Cheeseburger Macaroni. I literally gave him a bowl, went to snap a few pictures, and it was gone by the time I got back. Thanks for waiting!
The beauty of this meal is that it is inexpensive – I had all the ingredients on hand except for the hamburger to “help” bring the meal together – it’s made in one pot, so clean up is basically nil, and it’s ready in 20 minutes. 20 minutes!
Start by browning, and draining, one pound of ground beef.
Next, sprinkle in a rainbow of yummy seasonings and thickeners, including paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and cornstarch.
Pour in water, skim milk,
and any short pasta – regular or gluten-free. I wanted to use elbow macaroni, but only had mini penne on hand. Still worked fine!
Stir everything together, pop a lid on top, and simmer the mixture until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
Finally, stir in a wee bit of sharp cheddar cheese, and it’s done!
Ultra cozy, ultra easy, and, most importantly, disodium guanylate free!
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Homemade Cheeseburger Helper
Description
Homemade Cheeseburger Helper is the healthier, homemade version of boxed Hamburger Helper. This gluten-free dinner recipe is incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
- 1lb lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1-1/2 cups dry gluten-free or regular elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet then drain and return to the skillet. Add cornstarch, seasonings, hot water, skim milk and pasta then stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, place a lid on top, then simmer until pasta is al dente, stirring a few times.
- Turn off the heat then add cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Let stand for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened then serve.
Notes
From Food.com
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
This meal is the ultimate in comfort food, shockingly easy to prepare, and so dang good. SO good! Enjoy!
Can’t wait to try this!
I’m the one who cooks for my wife, and have for 33 years – but she does clean up. Usually. Anyway – no Office tonight. Double episodes of 30 Rock, which we don’t watch. The tv is off for the evening –
LoL at Ben’s comment. This whole month I am in the position of having to taste my boss’s inventions or purchases for his raw food cleanse. Monday was orange creamsicle-flavored kale chips. You could definitely taste the orange flavor and they were sweet and crispy, but all in all, I WILL NOT BE EATING AGAIN!!!!
Eek – sweet kale chips?! I don’t think I could eat those either!
OMG, I just found pre-washed and cut kale as well! So simple!!!
Ooo…I used to love the Hy-Vee brand version – Panburger Partner! :-)
Love this! I actually do kind of like the boxed meals you speak of, but haven’t had them since I was a kid because I’m scared of the ingredient list. I can’t wait to try this!
Btw, I picked up the ingredients for your blueberry muffin top cookies this afternoon and can’t wait to make them tomorrow!!
Cannot wait to try this recipe!!!! Cheeseburger macaroni was my favorite meal as a kid, yes, from the box :) oh so good..but I know not so good for you. This is the perfect alternative.
And I was totally looking forward to a new Office tonight too, since last week was hilarious…but it’s not on :( boo!
Ahh! My husband & I were talking about when we were first married and had “H. Helper” a few too many times while in a bind. Why does it taste so good? I’m happy to say we haven’t had it in at least 3.5 years… and now I’m happy to know that there’s a delicious alternative that is virtually additive free!
OK so making this for tomorrows dinner. Already got my ground turkey in the fridge waiting to be cooked up. Seriously, you have been feeding my family for the last month….keep the recipes acomin!
The cheeseburger macaroni looks great! I am definitely going to try it soon.
I’m hoping for another funny episode of The Office tonight, too! Still, it’s definitely not as funny as it used to be.
Too funny! And very ironic that my husband called to remind me to take some “hamburger” out of the freezer so he can “help” himself to a “delicious” meal while I spend all day Saturday at work. Silly boys.
sometimes i swear we are married to the same person! i could sub my hubby in for ben in all of your husband, food related stories and they would be perfectly accurate!
Um…this is the best idea EVER!!! Your hubby is JUST like mine. He loves that exact flavor of Hamburger Helper – but each time I buy it and make it (which is too often) I feel guilty about what I’m putting into his body and my two girls’ bodies too. Why haven’t I done this before??!? By the way – that’s the same pasta the actual “box” uses as well. ;) Totally doing this tomorrow.
i’ll have to agree with ben on the kale chips
Ya’ll sound just like me and my boyfriend. We are still in the live in separate apartments yet I do whatever I can to get him over for dinner as much as I can :) This looks so wonderful, and I LOVE kale chips too!!
Wow! I can’t wait to try that homemade hamburger helper! So easy!
haha Ben’s comment sounds just like something my Joe would say. Ben sounds like such a nice guy-good find.
That’s hilarious! Your boy-girl story sounds just like mine did. I can’t believe my hubbie used to eat like that all.the.time! Anyways this version sounds great. Nothing beats a homemade copy cat meal.
Hah you crack me up IGE. But UGH that recipe looks good – and you convinced me, I’m going to have to try making kale chips now. I am obsessed with roasted brussel sprouts and the itsy bitsy pieces that fall off and become chip-like. I bet kale is even better!!
I love that Ben described kale chips as burnt leaves! Hilarious! I am lucky that my husband’s love for kale chips equals (or is possibly even slightly greater) than my own. :)