Make your own "Hamburger Helper" type meal

[GB]

With my and my wifes work schedule and taking care of our baby our time has become so limited that it is getting harder and harder to find time to make dinner. Lately I have been buying things at the supermarket that make life easier on me. There are a number of different supper "kits" on the market where you just need to add chicken or add this or add that. All the prep work is basically done for you already. None of these things taste amazing, but all the ones we have tried have filled our bellies and have tasted good enough that we don't mind having them every once in a while.

Last night I made one of the hamburger helpers meals. The pack comes with a seasoning packet and a packet of pasta. The only thing you need to supply is the ground meat (I used ground turkey). First you brown the meat, then you add a few cups of hot water and then the seasoning packet and pasta. You then cover and simmer until the pasta is done.

Well while I was eating this I though that this would be something so easy to make on my own. Why am I buying this prepackaged stuff.

My question is have any of you done this and what did you put in your 'flavor packet" to make the sauce?

 

[licia]

I've never liked anything about the prepackaged meals except the convenience. I'd rather use the fresh ground meat, or chicken strips (now already in pieces) and fresh veggies (already washed and trimmed). They taste much better, don't take but a couple of minutes more (if any)and you know exactly what is there. My neighbor makes a quantity of rice in her rice cooker on the weekend, portions it into plastic containers and uses it throughout the week with fresh meat and veggies and has a meal on the table in short order. I really like her method and have adapted much of it to my own liking.

 

[GB]

I'd rather use the fresh ground meat, or chicken strips (now already in pieces) and fresh veggies (already washed and trimmed).

Oh I completely agree with you here. The ones I am talking about have you add your own fresh meat (I would never use prepackaged meat) and they do not have veggies in them. Veggies I will make on my own always.

 

[licia]

The main thing I think about is the amount of sodium and preservatives in the prepackaged meals. If that isn't a concern, the time saving may be worth it, but for many of us, it is something we have to watch, if not battle.

 

[GB]

Yep that certainly is a concern. I watch it pretty carefully when making my own meals so I am not too concerned with these prepackaged ones as we don't use them all that often, but if we do start using them more then that will most definitely be a concern!

 

[urmaniac13]

if you can find the time to get some good fresh ingredients (vegs etc.), elaborate seasoning isn't particularly necessary, like stir fried veggs of your choice with chicken or something, with pasta or rice, they will be just delicious with some evoo, garlic and s & p!!

 

[GB]

But the defeats the purpose of the quick and easy aspect of the "boxed meal" things.

I agree that fresh veggie and a stir fry are great and easy for the most part, but they still require prepping the veggies and washing lots of dishes.

The boxed dinners I am talking about use one pan and there is no prep at all. Just brown the meat then combine with the stuff from the box. At the end you have one pan to clean and nothing else.

 

[buckytom]

gb, i have been messing around with goya spanish yellow rice in sort of a chicken helper way. i prefer to call it "arroz con pollo, from a box".
how do you say "from a box" in spanish?
it comes with a seasoning packet, so after browning chicken parts and setting them aside, i make the rice in the same dish, then put the chicken back in with the rice to finish.
but, i have also tried to duplicate the spices, so as to remove much of the sodium, and not to be reliant on a box.
so far, i've tried somewhat equal parts of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, dried parsley, dried thyme, sage, and a little seasoned salt. sometimes i add a little cumin and southwestern powdered peppers like chipotle, if i want it to be tex-mex.

 

[GB]

Bucky that sounds like an interesting idea. I have seen those Goya rices, but have yet to try them. I am not sure why I have never bought them because they look quite good.

 

[Alix]

GB, I'd use velveeta. Brown your meat, toss in the pasta uncooked, add either broth or milk to cook the pasta (usually about 1-2 cups) then near the end of the cooking time toss in some velveeta and stir it til melted. Filling and tasty. Would that be allowed for you? Mixing dairy and meat? You could toss in a can of diced tomatoes instead of broth as long as there was enough liquid in them.

 

[GB]

Would that be allowed for you? Mixing dairy and meat?

If I observed the kosher laws then no it would not be allowed, but I don't keep kosher. There are too many things I love to eat that would not be allowed. No more lobster or steamers or pork ribs or bacon. Sorry I could not handle that

 

[Alix]

WOW! That would be a lot to give up! Well then, give the Velveeta a shot. I know lots of folks look down their noses at it, but it is filling and tasty...specially for kids!

 

[letscook]

Instead of buying all those package crap use a crockpot get the items ready the night before put them in the crock pot in the morning and all you have to do is set the table. go to the crockpot recipes in the forum.

 

[GB]

I love using my crockpot and do so quite often, but again it requires a lot more prep than just browning some ground beef and then adding a flavor packet and dried pasta. It also requires a lot more cleaning. the big thing though is it requires me to wake up even earlier in the morning to start dinner and I am not willing to give up my extra 5 minutes of sleep

 

[DampCharcoal]

GB, I'm with Alix on this one. Hamburger Helper is by no means a gourmet meal but it is okay for a quick meal. You can always dress it up. You can add Velveeta or any other cheese that you like, substitute sausage, chicken, etc. for the ground beef, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I'm not a fan of Hamburger Helper but with a little tinkering, it can turn out okay!

 

[Andy M.]

...Well while I was eating this I though that this would be something so easy to make on my own. Why am I buying this prepackaged stuff.

My question is have any of you done this and what did you put in your 'flavor packet" to make the sauce?

Getting back to your original question, If I make my own mix, it's usually on the fly. I haven't prepackaged any stuff for quick meals. I have, however, cooked and frozen lots of stuff that just needs to be defrosted and heated to eat.

I use very little prepackaged stuff for a quick meal. One item is cream of mushroom soup. I only use that for one dish that's a nostalgia carryover from my Boy Scout camping days.

I have also used the Uncle Ben's 90-second rice for a quickie - not the flavored stuff, the plain white rice.

Also, those packets of dry mixes like ranch dressing powder, Lipton soup packets, I use from time to time for a quick flavor boost to roast potatoes.

I received a 4-pack of Emeril's Essences (Original, Southwest, Asian and Italian) for Christmas last year and use them to season different dishes or as a rub for burgers, chops and steaks.

On weeknights, I an usually have dinner on the table in 30-45 minutes. Of course, sometimes it takes longer and sometimes less.

 

[buckytom]

andy, i love emeril's seafood spice rub. oddly, it tastes better on chicken than on fish. i'm not sure if it's available any longer tho. i have been looking for it without success for about a year now.
i also use the original essence in dishes when i don't feel like coming up with each individual spice.

btw, what is the nostalgic boy scout dish you referred to?

 

[Andy M.]

...btw, what is the nostalgic boy scout dish you referred to?

BT:

It was a one pan meal we made when camping. We called it "Glop" for the sound it made when it hit the aluminum dish from your mess kit.

1 Lb Hamburg
1 Onion, diced
1-2 Garlic
A small can of mushrooms, sliced
a small can of corn (1 cup frozen)
a small can of green peas (1 cup frozen)
a can of potatoes - sliced or diced
a can of cream of mushroom soup

Cook the meat, onion and garlic.
Add the rest and heat through.

I usually use frozen corn and peas and fresh mushrooms now but still use the canned potato and soup. If I made the cream of mushroom soup from scratch and cooked fresh potatoes, I'd have to give it a better name. It wouldn't taste the same, either.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Well while I was eating this I though that this would be something so easy to make on my own. Why am I buying this prepackaged stuff.

I can only guess that you buy this stuff for every reason you mentioned ... which all boils down to convenience. You brown some meat, add some water and the "packets" - in a few minutes you have a meal, with only one pot to wash. No real prep and not much to clean up afterwards.

My question is have any of you done this and what did you put in your "flavor packet" to make the sauce?

I've never tried it - but I did think about it once. Then, after looking at the ingredients on the boxes I realized it wasn't worth either the time, effort, or expense to try to reinvent the wheel. Those little packets aren't just flavor packets - they are the sauces and include dehydrated/powdered dairy products, vegetable proteins and vegetables - in addition to the spices.

 

[purrfectlydevine]

If it is OK to copy someone else's post from another board I can post a "packet" recipe here. I copied and pasted so I have it. So far, I've made 2 of the variations. It requires a little more work than the packaged kits because you use the same "packet" for all variations so you need to add a few extras, but things one usually would have on hand.