How To: Homemade Nacho Hamburger “Helper”

I am a gourmand. I like to eat. When I have something that I like, I tend to have too much of it. That is a guilty pleasure. – Joel Robuchon 

Homemade good!

Related recipe: Homemade Processed Cheese

Guilty pleasures. I have a few, and you’re slowly finding them out – every time that I post. I’m not ashamed, or should I be?

One that I’m not too ashamed to admit to is enjoying Hamburger Helper. But what’s in this culinary wonder? I kind of thought I knew but it surprised me when I read the nutritional info.

Hamburger Helper Cheesy Nacho Dinner Kit

1 serving (1 cup…who eats 1 cup??)

Calories 340 / Calories from Fat 140

Same procedure as the package. Brown the beef,
but with onion, jalapeno and garlic.

Amount Per Serving, prepared         Daily %

Total Fat ...................................................15g (23%)

    Saturated Fat.......................................5g (27%)

    Trans Fat..............................................2g

Cholesterol..............................................55mg (19%)

Sodium.....................................................810mg (34%)

Potassium................................................490mg (14%)

Total Carbohydrate................................31g (10%)

Dietary Fiber...........................................1g (5%)

Sugars.....................................................6g

Protein.....................................................22g

So if I read that correctly – and I eat my usual 2+ cups – I am getting only 10% of my daily dietary fibre, but almost 70% of my daily sodium. Be still, my beating heart – literally. (There was more on the list, like vitamins, calcium and iron.)

When you look at the full list, at least it has some calcium (8%) and iron (10%). But both of those are in milk and beef, two ingredients that aren’t included in the packaging.

Now on to the package ingredients (are you ready?):

Enriched Macaroni (Durum Semolina, Durum Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron], Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Corn Starch, Whey, Salt, Maltodextrin, Dried Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Dried Tomato, Dried Red Bell Peppers, Enriched Four (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Nonfat Milk, Dried Chili Pepper, Dried Onion, Dried Corn Syrup, Monosodium Glutamate, Dextrose, Dried Garlic, Disodium Phosphate, Dried Blue Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Spice, Mono and Diglycerides, Citric Acid, Sodium Caseinate, Natural Flavours, Yellows 5&6, Soy Flour, Egg.

Cook the beef and pasta in milk...

Pre-packaged/prepared foods are notoriously bad for us, almost always being too high in fat, sodium, unpronounceable ingredients or preservatives, or all four at once.

All food ingredients are listed from start to finish by amount included. The further down the list the less there is. There's less egg than Yellow food dye. There's also more salt than dried cheddar cheese. That's just wrong.

There’s got to be a way to enjoy the taste without upping your blood pressure off the charts. Well, I’m not saying that this recipe is super healthy, but it’s GOT to be better. It’s got real things in it.

This recipe has beef, milk, cheese, vegetables and spices. Even the store-purchased rotini only had durum wheat, some vitamins and water.

I’m glad that I learned how to make this. The taste is a little more “real” but pretty darned close to the package to still be my guilty pleasure. It’s probably close enough to satisfy even picky children.

As far a time, this takes precious little more than it does when you use the package. This is better for you than the packaged, for sure, and every bit as good.

Homemade Nacho Hamburger “Helper”

Prep: 5 min  |  Cook: 20 min  |  Serves 

Add some soft and creamy cheese, like homemade
processed or Velveeta.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb lean ground beef (454 g)

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1/2 lb rotini  (250 g)

2-1/2 cups milk (plus more, see below)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp chili powder

1-1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

2 cups grated processed cheese (homemade* or Velveeta)

Heat the oil in a wide, deep sauté pan. Add the onion, garlic and half of the jalapeno. Sauté for about 1 minute. Then add the beef, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.

After the beef is no longer pink, add the rotini and toss well. then add the milk, sugar, chilli powder (I used chipotle), cumin salt and paprika.

Mix well and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook for the recommended time on the pasta package. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick.

Once the pasta is cooked stir in the cheese until it has melted. If desired, add a little more milk to thin the sauce.

Taste for spices and adjust. Add the remaining chopped jalapeno, sit in to the pasta and serve.

* To see how easy it is to make your own processed cheese from real cheese, look here.

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Questions? Comments? derogatory remarks?