Home Made Hamburger Helper

Yeah, I know, the proper name is "Goulash", and I already did an article and video on this a few months ago. That does not change the fact that this is one of my all-time favorite meals both for its simplicity and yumminess! It is especially yummy when you use good quality local organic beef like I do, bought directly from a local farmer and good friend. And of course home-canned tomato sauce. I checked my inventory and I still have 3 x 750ml jars from 2005 which are getting to the end of their shelf-life, so I used one of those. And I also only use whole wheat pasta for anything I make, so that it will be as healthy as possible.

This is as easy to do yourself as hamburger helper(tm) ever was, but far more fulfilling. And better for you too.

Here is what I used this time around :

• 600g ground beef
• 1 large and 2 small onions, pureed to within an inch of their lives so the boys would not recognize them
• 750ml home canned tomato sauce with generous amounts of basil
• 375g (1 package) whole wheat pasta. I used penne but you can use regular elbow macaroni or anything else you like
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste

You can add any combination of spices you like to this. Check my link above to my other article to see what I did last time - it was quite different than this batch.

You'll need a deep-dish frying pan or a dutch oven or something like that for this recipe - at least 4 litres in volume.

Just fry the beef to start with - I find having my burner on about 3.5 for this first part works best on my stove. My local organic beef is extremely lean so I do not need to drain it afterwards - your mileage may vary. Then toss in the onions and fry until everything is cooked - maybe 5 minutes. Toss in your tomato sauce and at the same time put 2.5 cups of water into the microwave on high for 555 seconds. When the water is ready, pour it into the pan at which point the whole mixture should quickly come back to the boil. Add your salt, pepper and other spices, and your pasta.

Once the mixture comes back to the boil, reduce the heat to about 2, put the cover on, and set your timer for 12 minutes. Check it when the timer goes - in my case I needed about another 4 minutes for it to cook properly and soak up the water. You may need less time and a bit less water if you do not use whole grain pasta.

It is now ready to enjoy!