Hamburger Helper?
What do you do when you have some ground beef that was intended to be hamburgers, but now I’m not in the mood for a hamburger, and a bunch of good vegetables that need to be used up and you don’t have a lot of motivation to cook? You create a one pot meal. And as I was throwing this meal together it occurred to me that this is probably what Hamburger Helper started out as. A delicious homemade one pot supper. But once the big food companies got ahold of it, it was loaded with chemicals, and flavor enhancers like MSG. Mine is loaded with organic ingredients and grass fed beef. This is so simple to do, and so satisfying, there’s no need to buy dinner in a box again! And dinner is done in about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 shallot, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound pasta of your choice
1 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
3 C chicken stock
1 bu. asparagus, tips only
1 bu. Swiss chard, washed and sliced thin
Grated parmesan and/or olive oil and/or a splash of cream to garnish
Directions
Place the olive oil in a large pot over a high heat. Once the oil is hot add the shallot and garlic. Sautee about 3 minutes to soften.
Crumble the ground beef into the pot and cook until the meat is nicely browned.
Add the salt, pepper, and chicken stock.
Add the pasta to the pot
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, covered.
Add the asparagus and Swiss chard, stir well, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Let sit about 5 minutes before serving.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated cheese and/or drizzle with olive oil or cream. The dish is slightly soupy.
Serves 6
