Yep, it’s time for another installment of “Hamburger Helper without that box of stuff”. Thus far, this is the best one yet.
I remember fondly the first time I made this dish for my family. I first started by gathering all the ingredients and lining them up to have at the ready. Kiddo wandered into the kitchen to see what he could do to help. He took one look at the table – rice, chips, cheese and a lineup of seasonings – and gave me a funny look.
“What on earth are you making?”
“Hamburger Helper.”
“Again?”
I frowned and promptly put him in charge of browning the meat while I mixed up a bowl of seasonings.
This dish cooks up is like a giant one-skillet taco – the Frito Chips give it that corn tortilla “crunch” – with meat, rice and tons of zippy flavor. While the original recipe did not call for Taco Seasoning, when the tasted the “broth” (before thickening) I knew it needed something to bring out that whole taco flavoring thing. The original recipe called for 1 cup of chips. After a quick stir, the chips all but vanished into the dish. That simply would not do, so I tossed in a second cup. Yeah, that was the ticket – a little “crunch” in every bite. It was ready for the final test – my fellows. When dinner was served, I heard a lot of wows – this is good and yummy eating sounds from my guys. They went back for seconds, polishing off what was left in the pan.
Hamburger Helper Cheesy Taco
Ingredients – Seasoning Package
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt (optional)
¼ Teaspoon Sugar (optional)
½ Teaspoon Paprika
In a small bowl, mix together Seasoning Pack. Set aside until ready to use.
Ingredients – Hamburg Helper
1 lb Lean Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
2 ¼ Cups HOT water
½ Cup Milk
1 Cup Converted Rice
1 Can (15 oz) Stewed or Diced Mexican Style Tomatoes, drained
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain well and return to pan.
Add water, milk and rice. Bring to a boil.
Stir in seasoning package and Mexican Tomatoes. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes or until liquid as evaporated and the rice is tender.
Stir in 1 cup of cheese, cover and simmer a few minutes more to allow cheese to melt.
Ingredients – Final Toppings
1/2 Cup Cheese
2 Cups Frito Corn Chips
Chopped Jalapeno Peppers (Nacho Style), Optional
Remove from heat, uncover, sprinkle with ½ cup Cheddar cheese and 2 cups Frito Corn Chips. Allow to sit for 5 minutes for sauce to thicken.
Give everything one final stir, serve with Jalapeno Peppers for added heat as desired.
Now stand back and watch it disappear!
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