An old favorite - revisited.

I don’t know about you but it’s been a long week.  I was definitely not in the mood for a long cooking adventure today even though it’s Saturday.  Plus, I didn’t really want to go to the grocery store so I was hoping to find something easy to make that used what I had in the house.  No, I didn’t want to make hot dogs or grilled cheese sandwiches…again.  So, I set out to find a good recipe that used ground sirloin.  And, interestingly enough, I found a good one that was pretty easy and I didn’t need to buy a single ingredient.  Amazing, I know!

This recipe was very familiar.  Once upon a time, I was young (shocking, isn’t it?) and newly married and still really learning to cook.  Where does a young chef turn when she needs something fast and easy and satisfying for dinner?  Why, Betty Crocker®, of course!  Betty is famous for quick and easy meals, especially of the boxed, just add ground beef/chicken/turkey variety.  Ah, Hamburger Helper®, how you fed my family when I was tired and desperate for something easy to throw together.  Well, of course, it’s been YEARS since I’ve purchased a box – in fact, I’m having a hard time remembering the last time I actually did buy one -  has to be at least a dozen years ago or so – but, putting this recipe together really brought back memories.  It’s a grown-up, not from a box version!  I found the recipe in Cooking Light, March 2006.  It’s elegantly titled Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake.  Sexy, ain’t it?  You know you’re attracted to it.  You know you want to try it. J 

It was actually pretty easy to throw together – I think the total time was around 35 minutes, 40 tops.  It could have taken less time had I gone to the store and purchased pre-chopped onions and bottled minced garlic but I chose to use what I had at home and chop my own.  The only cheat I did use was pre-shredded carrot but, again, I already had that.  If I hadn’t, I would have shredded quite a few carrots and that would have been okay.  That’s actually kind of fun, in my opinion.  Yes, I’m odd.  The best part?  You get to make your own cheese sauce!  No kidding!  Your own cheese sauce with far less preservatives and weird things you’ll never, ever, ever be able to pronounce.  I don’t care who you are – that’s definitely a win!  Seriously, who names those ingredients/preservatives anyway?  Aliens?  Definitely not normal people with a normal vocabulary.  Anyway, moving on.

Easy, breezy dinner on a Saturday and three of the four of us really liked it.  Thought it was delicious, even.  Thing 2 thought it was too cheesy.  Really, that was her complaint.  How can something be too cheesy?  The child prefers cheese pizza with extra cheese, for goodness sake!  Whatever.  Perhaps her opinion should not count.  Well, no, that’s not fair.  Fine, it counts.  Take it with a grain of salt if you’re a cheese fan but, if you have picky eaters, maybe go easy on the cheese the first time around.  There – I warned you.  25% of consumers believe that this dish is too cheesy.

Happy cooking, eating and drinking!

dinner!

Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake

(or Sexy Hamburger Helper®)

1 (8 ounce) package small elbow macaroni (or whatever shape you prefer)

Cooking spray

1 cup pre-chopped onion

1 cup pre-shredded carrot

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ½ cups (6 ounces) 2% reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat, drain.  Lightly coat pasta with cooking spray.

3.  Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and carrot; sauté 4 minutes.  Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.  Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

4.  Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine.  Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

cute little bowties!

5.  Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended.  Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth.  Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir.  Top evenly with remaining ½ cup cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

cheesy!

ready for the oven

YUM!

Yield:  8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Calories 293 (24% from fat); Fat 7.7g (sat 4.2g, mono 2.4g, poly 0.7g); Protein 22.3g; Carbohydrates 30.1g; Fiber 2.1g; Cholesterol 46mg; Iron 3.1mg; Sodium 622mg; Calcium 209mg