This is a meal my kids LOVE!!
You know I don’t do the boxed foods, so Hamburger Helper, the brand, is not an option in our house. I can’t remember what made me figure out how to make it… maybe they heard a friend talking about it or saw it in the grocery store?? I’m so losing my memory!!
Anyway, I looked it up online to see if any recipes already existed and I did find a few. I tried one, but we didn’t quite like it.
So, I used that recipe, mixed with a few other recipes, plus my own touch and came up with a recipe that we all love… a lot!!
I hope you love it too.
Here’s what you will need:
- 1lb ground meat
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 T cornstarch
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or whatever your favorite is)
- optional: veggie of choice (We have used green peppers, broccoli, and fresh tomatoes. If you use tomatoes add them after the cheese. Most other veggies, you will add once the meat is cooked or somewhere in the middle of simmering, depending on the vegetable and how well you like it cooked.)
Okay, let’s get right to it.
First thing you do, is brown your meat. I usually use ground beef, but I have been known to use ground chicken or turkey if I have found it on sale. :)
Once it is browned, go ahead and drain any grease it produced.
Then add in your macaroni noodles.
Then, add in the milk, water, and broth.
And, now, all your spices and fresh garlic. (you can use powdered garlic instead)
Go ahead and stir that up, turn up the heat and bring it to a boil.
Once it gets boiling, turn it down to a simmer. Don’t forget this part. If you let it boil like this, without turning it down or stirring it, it is likely to stick to the bottom of the pot. Don’t ask me how I know this. I just do.
Okay, so the heat is turned down, right?
Good. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so.
Add in your cheese, stir, then enjoy!
It really is very easy. Plus, no questionable ingredients from the boxed stuff!
*If you want to have veggies in it, you can add them in after the meat is browned and let them cook with the pasta. This, of course, depends on the the veggie, as well as how you like them cooked.
Ingredients
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