This right here is good old fashion comfort food. The very nostalgic kind that brings you right back to your childhood.
I can’t remember the last time I bought a box of Hamburger Helper, or if ever, but I do remember eating it many times growing up. Hamburger Helper, Rice A Roni, Lipton Side Kicks, these deliciously salty convenience foods will always hold a special place in my heart.
And that is what is just so incredible about food. It brings up memories that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
An Update On A Classic!
While the boxed variety of my youth is still quite tasty, I wanted to create a homemade version that was just as quick and easy as the boxed version, but with a tad more flavour and vegetables that didn’t come from a seasoning package. Oh and there’s cheese. Because here at How To Eat we believe that almost anything tastes better with cheese. It may not be the prettiest recipe, but it sure is one of the tastiest!
Did I mention the most exciting part?? ONE POT! In case you haven’t noticed, it’s my life’s mission to try to create recipes with as little dishes as possible. So here, the pasta gets cooked right inside the sauce and absorbs all the flavour into every nook and cranny. It might look like it’s going to be a giant soupy mess, but have faith!
Now, I will say I did use a few extra dishes to make this meal family and kid friendly. I cooked some plain pasta to have on the side, left some cheese plain and some cut up veggies. Deconstructed meals help make every meal family friendly, no short order cooking required.
One bite of this and I’m taken right back to my youth. Gotta love the magic of food!
Dara
One Pot Vegetarian “Hamburger Helper”
Dietary | Vegetarian |
Meal type | Main Dish |
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 1 Pound vegetarian ground round
- 1 Tsp paprika
- 1 Tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Cups 2% milk
- 1 cup water
- 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 Pound short pasta
- 1 1/2 Cups grated old cheddar cheese
Note
Any short pasta will do - I love the cavatappi noodles, but macaroni or penne would work great too. If you prefer, you could substitute ground beef, chicken or turkey for the vegetarian ground round.
Directions
1. | Heat canola oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat and add red pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, until softened. |
2. | Add vegetarian ground round, paprika, garlic powder and salt and cook for another minute or two, breaking up the ground round into small pieces. |
3. | Add milk, crushed tomatoes, water and pasta and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until the liquid is almost all absorbed and the pasta is cooked. |
4. | Turn the heat off, add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Serve topped with additional cheese or chili flakes, if desired. |
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