Let me preface this post by saying that personally, I am not a fan of Hamburger Helper. I actually never even liked it as a kid and would complain when my mom made it for dinner. When I tell you that this meal is like a homemade hamburger helper, I mean that in the best way possible. It’s fast and easy, kid-friendly (I’m guessing – I didn’t actually feed it to any kids), and it involves the standard ingredients of ground meat, noodles and sauce. However, this homemade version tastes so much better than hamburger helper, plus you get the satisfaction of making it from scratch!

The ingredients are simple and this ground beef stroganoff comes together very quickly. Almost in the time it takes to brown some ground beef and cook some pasta you have a complete meal.  This is a great easy meal for a busy weeknight, and best of all, the leftovers taste great the next day!

Hamburger Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped sweet onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T flour
1/2 t salt
8 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 c Asian sweet chili sauce
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 c beef broth (1 can)
8 to 9 ounces egg noodles
1 c sour cream

Directions:

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to boil.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, flour, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, as beef mixture is simmering, add egg noodles to boiling water. Reduce heat and cook noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, following package instructions, until al dente about 9-10 minutes. Drain cooked noodles.

Stir sour cream into meat mixture and heat through, about 2 minutes. Do not allow to boil or sauce will curdle. Serve over egg noodles.

from my mom, via the Butler Eagle

Recently I’ve been trying to focus on simple unique meals that will hopefully keep us from getting in a dinner rut. When I was approached by Sargento, asking if I would like to highlight one of their recipes, these cheddar, broccoli and bacon stuffed potatoes were the first things to catch my eye. I love cheddar cheese, and happen to think it pairs perfectly with baked potatoes. Add in bacon and broccoli and it can only get better. Serve these cheesey stuffed potatoes with a salad on the side, and you’ve got a great simple meal that’s anything but boring.

The recipe might seem time-consuming because you have to bake the potato first. If you’re like me, and want to make these after work, you can either bake the potatoes in advance or use the time-bake function on your oven to bake them and have them ready right as you get home from work. After that, this is a 30 minute meal!  And really, nothing goes better with a potato than cheese, broccoli and bacon. Unless it’s sour cream, which we added at the end. 🙂 Mike loved this dinner and would willingly eat it multiple times a week. Actually, I think his exact quote was “oh my gosh, these are amazing!”

Cheddar, Broccoli, and Bacon Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 large baking potatoes
1 Tbsp butter
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup small broccoli florets, cooked crisp-tender
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2-3/4 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheesesour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until soft; cool 10 minutes. Slice off the top of each potato (lengthwise) and scoop out the insides with a spoon, leaving 1/4-inch thick shell.

Place the scooped out insides into a bowl and mash with the butter. Mix cheese and bacon in a small bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup and stir the rest into the mashed potatoes along with the broccoli, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Mound the potato mixture into the reserved potato skins. Place in a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle with reserved cheese mixture.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with sour cream.

adapted from Sargento

*Note: Sargento compensated me for writing this post. However, as always, I chose the recipe and all thoughts and opinions are my own.