Hamburger Helper

 

I dressed as a suburban housewife to go to the pool this morning.  This is all thrifted fashion I've shown before -- but it was my first time wearing the red Woolrich slacks that I think I paid $1.50 for.  Unfortunately, my plans to swim were thwarted again. The center had closed the deep end of the pool, which only left six swim lanes open. Each lane had two swimmers in it, which meant I'd probably have to sit around and wait to swim.  I don't sit and wait and waste time well...

I'm just going to wear that outfit tomorrow. My exercise was a walk with Frankie at the river -- wearing athletic gear because we were trudging in and out of brush and I was sweating quite a bit.  While I really would've preferred a swim, a walk with Frankie was still exercise. For us both.  That meant I had an extra hour to do things at home, since I was bundling two tasks into one.  So, I decided to cook something out of the ordinary.

Who remembers (or still eats) "Hamburger Helper?" That is a boxed mix made in the US that is supposed to help you turn a pound of ground beef into a meal.  The stuff is both cheap and horrid.  But I can get behind the concept!

My pound of ground beef was converted into my from-scratch version of Hamburger Helper.  I needed to extend the pound of beef but wanted to fill it with healthier stuff.  I also didn't want a sodium laden sauce. And of course, there needed to be some healthy fiber.  My ingredients were carrots, celery, and onion -- which were the base for a marinara using one of my cheap cans of tomatoes.  I poured that over a mixture of cooked ground beef and orzo.  The orzo extended my meat.  The topping was my homage to the Greek dish moussaka (beef instead of lamb). I poured the sauce over the base, topped that with grated Parmesan cheese, then a layer of lightly pan-fried eggplant (using the hamburger grease and olive oil for flavor).  The final step was a bechamel sauce.  I made it with one egg, a cup of whole milk, some olive oil & butter, plus a little finely grated cheese.  

Because Tommy likes his casseroles reheated since they can be too runny after just one baking, I baked the dish earlier in the afternoon, then let it cool.  Once dinner time came around, I put it back in the oven and baked it for another 20 minutes.  There's a benefit to doing that. Once pasta cools, then is reheated, it creates resistant starch.  That's healthier for your gut than freshly cooked starch/carbs.

This turned out to be very tasty, and I have been asked to make it again. So, I think it will become an item in my meal making repertoire. Because sometimes, hamburger just needs a little help!