Hamburger Helper Cheesy Ranch Burger Review

I will admit it; sometimes I fail as a mom when it comes to cooking dinner. Most of the time, I'm able to come up with nutritious and balanced meals for my kids. Other nights? The convenience of Hamburger Helper and a fruit cup. Fortunately, I know this is par for the course for many other American families, too.

Of course, with the classic varieties of Hamburger Helper available, the flavors can get a bit boring. Cheeseburger Macaroni, Lasagna, Stroganoff... They are all quite similar and taste nearly identical.

So, when I saw the Hamburger Helper Cheesy Ranch Burger variety, I was intrigued. We're always looking for new options to fill the pantry and it just so happened I had a coupon for several different boxes, which helped bring down the cost. I was sold!

Unfortunately, I was unaware that this would be one of the worst Hamburger Helper types available! I'm not quite sure what the good folks at Betty Crocker were thinking when they decided adding a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise to the finished product would make it taste better.

Really, Betty Crocker? Mayonnaise? Yes, ranch dressing does contain mayonnaise. No, mayonnaise should not be served hot in a casserole. (Just, ew!)

Granted, it is important to note that the back of the box offers the idea to omit the mayonnaise. However, then the casserole just becomes the same as Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni, which eliminates the goal of trying a new variety.

In fact, it was so bad that my husband refused to eat it. My kids, who are sometimes kin to toddler garbage disposals, spit it out. That says a lot! I even had used high quality ground sirloin beef with the mixture, and the taste could not be improved.

Next time, I'm skipping the new, the improved, and the innovative and sticking to what I already know my family likes and will eat. At least when it comes to Hamburger Helper varieties.

Verdict? Hamburger Helper Cheesy Ranch Burger is terrible, unless you like the taste of hot mayonnaise. Definitely not worth the money spent on it, unless you like scraping an entire dinner (and money!) down the garbage disposal.