Hamburger Helper Chili Mac

We’re dressing up another box meal. This time, we’re tackling Hamburger Helper Chili Mac. The back of this box offers a few add in suggestions, but we take it even further. This recipe is a great way to get your chili fix with only a few minutes and a handful of pantry staples!

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Hamburger Helper Chili Mac

Hamburger Helper Chili Mac, the box meal is ok, but add in a few items you probably have in your pantry make it fantastic!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Nut Free, WW Friendly

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 532kcal

Ingredients

• 1 box Hamburger Helper Chili Macaroni
• 1 lbs ground beef
• 2. cup beef broth
• 1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes drained
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 onion chopped

Instructions

• Brown beef and onions in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Stir and break up the meat as it cooks. Drain fat and liquid. 
• Add in broth, sauce mix, pasta, chili powder, and cumin. Heat until liquid is boiling.
• Reduce heat. Cover; simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add in tomatoes and beans. Cook until warmed through and pasta is tender, about another 2 minutes.

Notes

This recipe is 11 green, 8 blue or purple WW points.

Points are calculated using 90% lean ground beef.

Jump to nutritional informat#IandIion

How’s life treating you in quarantine?  Here, we’re doing ok, mostly because about after two and a half months of being at home with just my son and husband, I have finally managed to develop some semblance of a routine, which has greatly reduced my stress levels. 

We’ve all been dealing with different stressors in this unusual time.  For me, grocery shopping is number one!  My husband and I have really limited our time outside the home, to keep ourselves healthy and to protect or high-risk son.  We, like many others, have turned to online grocery shopping to get our food.  The first few deliveries were short – of everything!  Meat occasionally has been hard to find in the grocery store.  We found a wonderful source for fresh produce in a local food distributor that has opens its doors to the public.  The produce boxes from Coastal Sunbelt are fantastic, except I don’t get to choose my items, so sometimes I have to improvise.

So I have turned my attention to the pantry.  I have a big pantry – seriously, it’s bigger than my closet!  I love the giant pantry; Really, I didn’t need to see any of the house beyond the kitchen and pantry to know this was the house I wanted.  However, most of our meals center around the refrigerator – fresh meat and produce.  So, with my Peapod orders a crapshoot and Coastal Sunbelt sometimes a bit of a surprise, I have started to focus more on items in my pantry.  There are a lot of staples you might expect to find in my pantry, like pasta or canned tomatoes.  But, there’s some unexpected things too, like a number of boxes of Hamburger Helper I bought because they were on a clearance rack and I thought they’d be good to have around, just in case. 

And so, inspired by the boxes of Hamburger Helper, cans of beans and Campbell’s soups, and various other items collecting dust in my pantry, I am starting a “Back of the Box” series.  Trying and experimenting with those recipes on the back of the boxes of all those pantry staples.  Today, I am making Hamburger Helper Chili Macaroni.  Let me just say that I’m glad I had two boxes to experiment with, because this Hamburger Helper needed some help!

The original recipe called for the boxed ingredients, water, and ground beef.  That’s it!  A box, ground beef, and water.  If you look on the back of the box, it recommends adding beans, tomatoes, and cheese before serving to add some pizzazz (their word, not mine).  I will say, the additions help, but come on – it’s chili!  We need to add some spice!  So let’s up the game!

So, here we go!  Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  When hot, brown the meat with some onion.  Stir and break up the meat as it cooks.  Once the meat has browned and the onions have softened, drain off any fat and liquid.  Just a note, I am using ground beef.  If you want to lighten it up and use ground turkey, go ahead, but I would recommend that you spray the pan with some cooking spray first, since the meat won’t provide any fat. 

Next the box directs us to add water and the contents of the box – pasta and sauce mix.  We’ll add the pasta and sauce mix, but instead of water, use beef broth.  Using broth is a super easy way to add flavor to a recipe.  If a recipe, especially a recipe off the back of a box calls for water, I almost always substitute broth. 

The first time I made the Hamburger Helper Chili Mac, I was shocked by how bland it was.  It’s CHILI!  Chili should be bursting with flavor and heat.  So, we’re going to add some now by adding in a little chili powder and cumin.  Both these spices are a must for almost every chili recipe you find.  They will add heat and flavor to the dish. 

I know I keep mentioning heat, but honestly, I can only take a little bit of it, and two teaspoons of cumin is just right for me, but if you like the heat, up it to a tablespoon.  If you want to really get daring, add a little crushed red pepper too. 

Once the pasta, spices, and broth have been added to the skillet, allow the liquid to boil.  Once a boil has been reached, cover the skillet and allow the dish to simmer for about eight minutes.  Check and stir every few minutes. 

After eight minutes, the mix should have started to thicken and pasta should be almost tender.  At this point, add in the tomatoes and beans.  Stir the beans and tomatoes in and cover the skillet to allow them to warm.  Allow to simmer another two to three minutes. Serve hot! 

Feel free to add any of your favorite chili toppings.  I would have liked to have added shredded cheddar cheese to my dish, but my cheese hating toddler apparently ate it all the night before.

I know this was the first of the Hoppin Meal Plans back of the box series, but it wasn’t the first time taking on Hamburger Helper!  If you liked this, you should check out our Hamburger Helper Cacciatore! 

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