TBT: Homemade Hamburger Helper

Here is a recipe that was originally posted to my blog in May 2011.  Back then I was known to make Hamburger Helper (yes the boxed kind) fairly regularly.  Now I honestly wouldn't buy it only because I know I can recreate many of those meals just as easily as if I bought the box mix, plus with much healthier ingredients and less processed foods.  Don't get me wrong, my family still eats processed foods, but I sure like to try to get them to eat more whole foods.  Anyhow, I loved this recipe because it combined several of our main staples in our house: ground turkey, shredded potatoes, and cheese.  I love cheese!  Actually as I write this I realize that I have all of those ingredients on hand and maybe this should be on our menu next week.......

 

5/11: Yes, my family does eat Hamburger Helper.  It was on clearance and I couldn't pass up the price.  Then I started freezer cooking and it sat in our pantry for months.  MONTHS!  So one day we finally ate it.  It was ground beef and shredded potatoes.  We ate it, we enjoyed it (it wasn't anything super special but can Hamburger Helper be "special?"), and then I figured I could easily recreate it.  So I did.  Our verdict: everyone enjoyed this!  Chloe was the only one who had a little left on her plate when she was done...but there wasn't much left. 

3/4 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
1 bag refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1/2 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)

In a pan, saute the onion and ground turkey until cooked through.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.  Remove from pan and set aside.  In the original pan, heat up olive oil and begin to brown the hash brown potatoes.  When potatoes are mostly browned and cooked through, return the cooked ground beef to the pan and mix with the potatoes.  Season the mixture with oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Top with shredded cheese, let the cheese heat up so it begins to melt.