Asian Hamburger Helper- Mongolian Style Beef

Who doesn't love Hamburger Helper? To not indulge in one of the quick and easy skillet dinners periodically is almost unAmerican.

Most Hamburger Helper meals are a combination of dried pasta with a sauce packet. All you have to do is add ground beef, chicken or tuna, and you have an instant meal. I tried the new Mongolian-Style Beef Hamburger Helper recently, a part of the Asian Hamburger Helper line. That was a big change from the classic Cheeseburger Macaroni which is a family favorite.

The Asian Hamburger Helper line also offers Chicken and Beef Fried Rice. I haven't tried any of the rice offerings from Hamburger Helper, but instead opted for the delicious looking Mongolin-Style Beef. The serving suggestion on the box shows a plate of chinese noodles, mixed with what appears to be carrots and peas. I imagined sitting in the comfort of my own home enjoying an Asian delicacy in 11 minutes, the cooking time listed on the back of the box.

A peek at the ingredients listed on the side intrigued me even more. Garlic, Onion, Peas, Carrots, pineapple and orange juice and jalapeno pepper stood out amongst less savory ones like gum arabic and disodium guanylate. After all, it is processed food so I can't be picky, right? Wrong.

After following all of the listed directions, my kitchen filled with aromas from the Far East. I looked at the "Helping Hand" suggestions at the bottom of the box for ideas to enhance my Asian meal. I decided against adding any additional ingredients. I wanted to enjoy my meal as originally intended. Unfortunately, the noodles tasted like a poor attempt of mixing Ramen noodles with the Hamburger Helper legacy. This particular pasta used screamed of being low quality. The sauce was more like the Stroganoff gravy, with a hint of ginger. I could have mixed beef gravy with spaghetti noodles and would have been more impressed.

All was not lost. Using my "Mommy to the rescue" mode, I quickly grabbed a pack of broccoli from the freezer, a little pepper and a dash more ginger- and dinner was saved. The crunch of the broccoli and the addition of slightly more ginger made the meal more palatable and the texture ALOT more pleasing. Never fear. I have not lost all faith in the Hamburger Helper lines. We still have the classic Cheeseburger Macaroni and Cheesy Hashbrowns to fall back on.