I never ate Hamburger Helper as a kid, but when I saw this creamy, veggie-packed pasta dish in Eating Well Magazine a few years ago I gave it a try, and was so glad I did. It’s rich, hearty flavor has made it a staple in our house. If you don’t eat beef, you can easily make it with lean ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground soy crumbles.
Homemade Hamburger Helper I recommend the following changes:
- Use regular beef broth instead of low-sodium (it needs more salt)
- Use all broth instead of broth/water combo (so buy a quart-size box instead of a can)
- Add 3-4 extra cloves of garlic
- Add 1 extra Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- Stir in 1/2 cup fresh parsley at the end, and garnish with parsley or chives as recipe suggests
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 Comments
Emily Caballero
October 29, 2010 at 9:04 pmHey Amelia!
We just made this tonight and it was super yummy, but we used shells instead of elbows because I couldn’t find whole wheat elbows anywhere. Do they even exist? 🙂
Amelia
October 31, 2010 at 8:44 amWhole Foods has whole wheat elbows, and Vons/regular grocery store has Barilla Plus, which are multi-grain elbows in a yellow box. Those are the only ones I’ve ever found–so using shells is great too!
Cacklin Rose
November 3, 2010 at 2:40 pmThanks for the review Amelia. This is such a basic recipe that it’s become a staple in our house. I agree with all your suggestions. This is a winter go-to!