One of America's Favorites - Hamburger Helper

Cheeseburger Macaroni Hamburger Helper

Hamburger Helper is a packaged food product from General Mills and is sold as a part of the Betty Crocker brand. It consists of boxed pasta bundled with packets of powdered sauce and seasonings.

The contents of each box are combined with browned ground beef, water, and occasionally milk to create a complete dish. There are also variations using other meats, such as tuna and chicken, named "Tuna Helper" and "Chicken Helper". The product line also features products with other starches, such as rice or potatoes.





The pasta brand "Hamburger Helper" was first introduced in 1971. In 2005, Food Network rated Hamburger Helper third on its list of "Top Five Fad Foods of 1970".

In 2013, the company shortened the brand's name to "Helper".

The Hamburger Helper mascot is the "Helping Hand" or "Lefty": a four-fingered, left-hand white glove, with a face on it and red spherical nose. It often appears in the product's television commercials and on their packaged products.

Prepared beef Hamburger Helper

The basic and most popular version of Hamburger Helper is a box of dried pasta with seasoning, to be cooked with ground beef. Hamburger Helper offers a variety of flavors that include Lasagna, Cheeseburger Macaroni, Bacon Cheeseburger, Philly Cheesesteak, and others. There are also variations using other foods, such as tuna and chicken, named "Tuna Helper" and "Chicken Helper".




* Tuna Helper was the second variety to appear on the market, in 1972.
* Fruit Helper was introduced in 1973. These were dessert products made with canned or fresh fruit.

Tuna Helper Creamy Pasta

The Fruit Helper line has since been discontinued.
* Chicken Helper was first introduced in 1984 in response to the wide availability of inexpensive boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
* Asian Helper is a selection of four main Asian-American-style dishes, three made with chicken and one with beef.
* Whole Grain Helper options include Lemon & Herb Chicken, Honey Mustard Chicken, Cheeseburger Mac, and beef Stroganoff flavors made with whole-wheat pasta.
* Pork Helper was introduced in 2003. Varieties included pork fried rice and pork chops with stuffing. The product was discontinued shortly after its introduction.
* Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles were introduced in 2006. This product requires water and brief cooking in the microwave to produce a single serving portion of some of the most popular flavors. Chicken Helper flavors were added in 2007 despite the brand being discontinued shortly thereafter. It returned in 2013 as Chicken and Chili Helper.

Hamburger Helper Lasagna w/ Green leaf Lettuce and Radish Salad

Dinner Tonight: Hamburger Helper Lasagna w/ Green leaf Lettuce and Radish Salad

The days are really getting shorter, 7:14 am sunrise and 7:09 pm sunset. Another cool day to start and a beautiful, sunny Autumn Day. I really enjoy this weather!Got out and had the car cleaned inside and out and spent the day outside. For dinner tried a new one, Hamburger Helper Lasagna. I prepared Hamburger Helper Lasagna w/ Green leaf Lettuce and Radish Salad.





I had seen the commercials about Hamburger Helper new mixes so I thought I would give one a try. I used the Hamburger Helper Lasagna but instead of Hamburger I used Jennie - O Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast. I just followed the instructions on the box to prepare it. The box contained the Sauce Mix and Pasta and I added 1 lb. of Jennie - O Ground Turkey Breast, 2 3/4 cups of hot Water, and 1/2 cup of 2% White Milk. I just browned the Ground Turkey, drained and removed from heat. Then stirred in the Sauce Mix and hot water until dissolved. Stir in the Milk and Pasta. Returned to heat , and heated until boiling. Reduced the heat. Cover, and simmer about 12 minutes (Stirring occasionally). When the Pasta got tender removed from the heat and served! Came out really tasty! Good flavor and seasoning. The Pasta came out tender and went well with the Ground Turkey substitute. Quite a bit leftover so I'll have my lunch ready for the next couple of days.

To go with my Lasagna I made a Green leaf Lettuce and Radish Salad. I added a bit of fresh grated Parmesan Cheese and a couple of Green Olives Stuffed with Bleu Cheese. I used Ken’s Steakhouse Light Options Sweet Vandalia Onion Dressing. For dessert later a Jello Sugar Free Double Chocolate Pudding.










Hamburger Helper Lasagna

Lasagna skillet-meal mix of pasta and Italian-style sauce mix for hamburger.


Hamburger Helper dinner mixes help bring busy families together for a hearty, wholesome meal. With Hamburger Helper, it's simple to create a home-cooked skillet meal--just add ground beef to the specially selected pasta, rice, potatoes, or stuffing and seasoned sauce mixes to create a wide variety of flavorful dinners. Bring an Italian-style favorite to your table with the enriched pasta, tomato, oregano, and cheddar cheese of Hamburger Helper Lasagna. Each package makes five one-cup servings. Hamburger Helper can add a host of flavors to your mealtime solutions: other Italian-style favorites include Four Cheese Lasagna and Cheesy Italian Shells. After all, who couldn't use a little help in the kitchen?



Ingredients
Enriched Pasta (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Dried Tomato, Sugar, Corn Starch, Salt, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Modified Corn Starch, Dried Garlic, Dried Onion, Citric Acid, Dextrose, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Basil, Dried Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Calcium Chloride), Maltodextrin, Oregano, Hydrolyzed Soy and Corn Protein, Color (Yellow Lakes 5&6, Red Lake 40 and Other Color Added), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Paprika, Egg. Freshness Preserved By Ascorbic Acid.



Betty Crocker - Hamburger Helper-lasagna
Servings: 1- Cup Prepared  
Calories 290 Sodium 730 mg
Total Fat 11 g Potassium 0 mg
Saturated 5 g Total Carbs 27 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 1 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 4 g
Trans 1 g Protein 20 g
Cholesterol 55 mg