Cheeseburger Mac

Hamburger Helper was first introduced in 1971, and was listed as number three of the top five fad foods of the 1970s.  As a young mom at the time, I certainly jumped on the bandwagon and served this packaged dish until I became more aware of the high price I was paying for a handful of dry pasta, cheese and onion powder and plenty of preservatives.

My husband and I decided we probably hadn’t eaten this dish for at least 20 years – but we enjoyed it for a change.  I didn’t have any elbow macaroni, so I substituted small shells I buy in bulk.  We used ground beef from my brother-in-law, Don, which he had processed from his homestead-raised steer.   There is almost no shrinkage from his beef – the locker plant apparently doesn’t water it down.  This is the place to use store-brand processed cheese if you have a brand you like.  The recipe says 4 to 6 servings – I would say 6 to 8 servings, unless you have several teenage boys.

Try the quick way to drain the hamburger – wipe it up with a paper towel and throw it away, instead of clogging your drains with grease.

            Cheeseburger Mac

  1        pound  ground beef

  2 3/4  cups  water

     1/3  cup  catsup

  1 or 2 tsp.  teaspoon  onion powder 

  8        ounces  elbow macaroni -- uncooked (2 cups)

  12      ounces  Velveeta -- cut up

Brown meat in large skillet; drain.

Stir in water, catsup and onion powder. Bring to a boil.  Stir in macaroni.

Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer 8-10 minutes until macaroni is tender.

Add velveeta; stir until melted. (I simply covered the skillet a minute or two, then stirred it up).

4-6 servings.
About 73¢ per serving - the same price I would have paid per serving of Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper on sale.  

  "Grandma's Sunday Suppers "