This Easy Way To Elevate Hamburger Helper Uses Pantry Staples

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

When time is of the essence, it's worth the convenience to let a boxed mix do the heavy lifting in preparing a meal. With Hamburger Helper suddenly trending in kitchens again, so too are the many creative ideas for sprucing up your favorite retro dinner. Thanks to "The Bear," viewers have been treated to a great deal of inspiration for their own home cooking. Most notable among these ideas is that adding aromatics, tomato paste, and breadcrumbs can transform a basic box of Hamburger Helper into a gourmet dish.

It's easy to make your own version of an elevated Hamburger Helper recipe inspired by "The Bear." Beginning with your preferred variety of Hamburger Helper, gather a cup of breadcrumbs, aromatics such as garlic and onions, and one and a half tablespoons of tomato paste. For added richness, toast your breadcrumbs first in a skillet with salted butter. Next, cook the ground protein of your choosing whether beef, turkey, chicken, or plant-based crumbles and add diced onions and minced garlic to the pan with tomato paste and let everything combine.

After this, add the provided Hamburger helper ingredients including the seasoning packet and pasta or rice along with water and milk. Finish by mixing in a generous portion of shredded cheese and serving your dish topped with your toasted breadcrumbs. These simple ingredient additions will still streamline your mealtime while providing enhanced flavor and texture along with any other ingredients you'd like to add.

While tomato paste, aromatics, and toasted breadcrumbs can provide a big help to your Hamburger Helper dish, you don't necessarily need all the ingredients to make a marvelous meal. Consider how many Hamburger Helper flavors there are and what additions would make the most sense. Consider what kind of pantry staples you have on hand and how these will provide an upgrade to your food.

For example, while panko style breadcrumbs are recommended, you can use any type that you happen to have. Toasting the crumbs first will certainly help to create a more crisp and pleasing texture, but it isn't a necessity if you'd rather streamline your cooking. Simply sprinkle them over your finished Hamburger Helper meal to serve, or try a portion of crushed up buttery Ritz crackers for a similar taste and texture.

As far as aromatics, you can try different types of onions between green, white, yellow, or red as well as swapping in shallots for a stronger flavor. Add garlic or onion powder in lieu of the fresh varieties if that's most readily available in your pantry. If you want to turn up the heat and swap in a spicier ingredient, try Gojuchang Korean red chili paste in place of tomato paste. However, you choose to prepare your Hamburger Helper, a little bit of finesse and creativity is all you need to make it a world-class meal.