Grown and Sexy Hamburger Helper

I feel like this is a safe space. Like you and I have gotten to a place where I can admit this: I still sometimes crave meals from the packaged foods aisle.  And I really don't think there needs to be any shame in that. Yes.  There are better things for me. And we are all creative beings and we shouldn't have to turn to that aisle, but there's a bit of high school or college nostalgia that hits when eating Kraft Mac and Cheese, just like when you play that Savage Garden album that you swore you'd never listen to again.  It feels good. And then a little bit after that, maybe you are plunged into a deep hole of regret.  Like when you read the ingredients of Hamburger Helper:

Well.  That doesn't sound amaaazing.  But the idea of Hamburger Helper still made me a little hungry.  So I thought I'd recreate it.  And it wasn't half bad.  Even my husband was raving about it...

Recipe #25:  Homemade Hamburger Helper

Choice of libation: Effen black cherry vodka in diet Coke. Again.  So?

Choice of music: Savage Garden.  Duh.  Don't judge.  They were like my Wham!  Shut up. I can hear your judgement from here.

I seasoned ground turkey with salt, pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes and parsley, then threw in some caramelized onions, garlic and fire-roasted tomatoes. Which when I was younger might have sounded gross. Not like "partially hydrogenated soy bean oil" and "enzyme modified blue cheese"...

Why, yes. That IS whole wheat pasta and spinach! And...3 kinds of cheeses.  And sour cream. 

But, hey, at least it's not powdered cheese?

I also thought fresh basil would be a nice touch at the end there. I was right.

It was a perfectly acceptable version of the childhood classic, that I managed to make in thirty minutes.  And yes. I was taken to a place where magenta feelings take up shelter at the base of my spine . Like a chic-a-black-cherry-vodka-cola.

I barely followed this recipe from tastykitchen.com

1 pound ground meat (I used turkey)

3 cups noodles (I used whole wheat rotini)

3 cups spaghetti sauce (I used diced fire roasted tomatoes)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoons garlic powder (I used 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used paprika, red pepper flakes and fresh parsley)

3/4 cups mozzarella cheese (I used Colby and monterey jack, and 1/4 c ricotta) 

½ cups sour cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

(handful of fresh basil)

Directions:

Cook ground beef in a non-stick pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce. Add the ground beef and seasoning. In a small bowl combine the sour cream, mozzarella and Parmesan. Add to the pasta mixture and fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and additional Parmesan.