Hamburger Helper is a popular packaged food product in the United States. It is a boxed dinner mix that typically includes dried pasta and a powdered sauce mix. The consumer is required to add ground meat (usually hamburger or ground beef) and some additional ingredients like water, milk, and sometimes cheese. However, making it from scratch or without using the boxed package is ultimately possible.
The purpose is to provide a quick and convenient meal solution, with the pasta and sauce mix creating a complete dish when combined with the meat. As for pasta burgers, they are a creative twist on traditional hamburgers. Instead of using a bun, pasta is used as a replacement. The pasta can be cooked, shaped into buns, and then grilled or pan-fried to give it a crispy texture. The pasta buns can be filled with various ingredients such as ground meat, cheese, vegetables, or sauces, similar to a regular hamburger. The result is a unique combination of pasta and burger flavors.
Please note that a pasta burger’s specific recipe and preparation method may vary depending on individual preferences and regional cuisines. Experimenting with different ingredients and cooking techniques to create unique and tasty dishes is always fun. Here’s Millie’s version of her delicious pasta burger, the Hamburger Helper!
Ingredients: 3-4 servings
1 lb. of ground pork or beef
2 cups of elbow macaroni or macaroni pasta
2 tbsp. of tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce
4 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 medium, chopped tomato
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup of raisins
1 tbsp. of olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup of water
Instructions:
- On a heated pan, start by sautéing onions and garlic on 2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Once garlic and onions are slightly browned and softened, add the chopped tomatoes, mix to combine, then sauté ingredients until chopped tomatoes are soft.
- Add the ground meat, mix all ingredients together to fully incorporate. Apply salt and pepper, then sauté for at least 5-8 minutes, or until ground meat(pork or beef) is browned.
- Add the raisins, apply tomato paste followed by the marinara sauce, and water. Thoroughly mix all ingredients to completely incorporate.
- Cover the pan with its lid, then leave pasta burger to boil and simmer for 5 minutes, or until meat is fully cooked. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Set it aside.
- On a large pot boil water, apply a pinch of salt and olive oil. Place the pasta on the boiling water and let it cook while occasionally stirring to allow pasta to separate from each other.
- Pasta should be fork tender when ready. Separate the cooked pasta or elbow macaroni from the boiling water using a strainer. Flush warm faucet water onto the cooked pasta for a few seconds. This reduces the starchy flavor from the pasta.
- Add the cooked pasta to the hamburger helper mixture, throughly combine until ingrdients are fully incorporated. Serve it hot and enjoy!
Tip: The traditional hamburger helper recipe uses ground beef and tomato sauce. The difference with Millie’s version is ground pork and marinara sauce.