Clean Eating Hamburger Helper Skillet

Clean Eating Hamburger Helper Skillet: A boxed classic has been given a healthy upgrade, but yet still comes together in one pan for an easy, pleasing family meal. 

I think I may have shared with you that my husband grew up eating a lot of processed foods. His mom served canned gravy with pot roast and jarred sauce for spaghetti. He often stated that his favorite meal was Hamburger Helper–yes, the kind where you brown up some meat and dump in the box and dinner is done.

I don’t blame his mom at all for resorting to these short-cuts. They made her life easier. And we all like easy don’t we?!

But the truth is, you CAN achieve a quick meal with REAL foods as well. And it can even be cheaper than those boxes and of course taste a whole lot better to make your own Homemade Hamburger Helper. 

You start off just as you would when making a boxed Hamburger Helper.  Brown up 1 pound of meat. You can use turkey, beef, or even chicken. In fact, you can do 1/2 pound of ground meat and 1 can of pinto beans to cut back on meat if you would like too. I prefer lean ground sirloin.

I keep this simple in flavorings. No fresh onions or fresh garlic–just onion and garlic powder. You know, to keep the kids happy–which makes dinner a much more pleasurable experience! And then the combination of tomato paste, tomato sauce and beef broth create the perfect base for the noodles to cook up and abosorb all the delicious flavor. I add in a dash of Worchestire Sauce for rich depth of flavor and call it dinner. 

Sometimes, I go crazy and sub out half the beef broth for milk and add in grated cheddar cheese at the end for a Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper. But truly both are good. And both are loved by my family. And both are done in under 30 minutes–So that is why this classic comfort food is one of my busy week-night go-tos. And I want to say, it will soon become one of yours as well!

Another great comfort food re-make is Healthy Chicken a la King from Healthy Seaonal Recipes.

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Clean Eating Hamburger Helper Skillet #SundaySupper

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin or turkey
• 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 3 1/2 cups MSG free low-sodium beef broth
• 2 cups dried whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles
• 1 teaspoon Worchestire sauce

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the meat and brown up, breaking up into small pieces. Once meat is cooked, drain off any fat and return to heat.
2. Add tomato paste and seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes to develop flavor. Add in tomato sauce and beef broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add in noodles and turn down to medium heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirrinng occasionally, or until noodles cooked through and sauce is absorbed.
4. Stir in Worschestire sauce and serve.

The real question is whether or not is it a family pleasing meal? Let me put it to you this way–we NEVER have leftovers. I also get shouts of joy for this simple dinner. And I am pretty sure your family will feel the same way that my family does. 
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