Not Betty Crocker's Hamburger Helper

So there I was, standing at the pantry thinking "I wish I was one of those people who bought hamburger helper" because I was too lazy to think of anything to make, much less cook it.

Not too lazy to look online to see if I could make homemade hamburger helper though!

I found this site and proceeded to make one of the many options for homemade hamburger helper.  The great thing about hamburger helper, even from a box, is that it is all mixed together which makes it a great candidate for hidden vegetables.

I choose the chili cheese hamburger helper recipe and added pureed carrots.  I've had success with carrots in spicy food before, it's a good sweet and spicy flavor.

So here goes:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 cup hot water
2 cups milk
1 cup carrot puree (or I'd say any puree that is not green)
1 1/2 cups macaroni or whatever fun noodles you have
1 tablespoon corn starch
3/4 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 cup shredded cheese

(note:  if you go to the site, you might notice I changed the spices a little bit)

Brown ground beef, drain fat.  Add all other ingredients except cheese.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 12 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Add cheese for the last few minutes of simmering.  When cheese is melted and noodles are done, let stand uncovered for a few minutes to thicken.

Oh WAIT!  I forgot to tell you the best part!  Here it is:  my sister bought me one of these for my birthday:

So awesome!  It is so easy to puree the veggies, and the clean up is SO much easier than my blender.  See, here are the carrots and water in the pot they boiled in:

Then I blend them in the same pot:       

TA DA!  So easy.

Anyway, back to the homemade hamburger helper...  here is a picture:

We liked it, and the veggies were well hidden.  No one would guess they were there.  We had it with salad, and even our 18 month old ate some.  :)

The verdict:

"I wouldn't know there were veggies if I hadn't seen you take a picture of it." 

Sigh, he is on to me.