Kara's Sights and Bites: The ‘red box’ is from the past…let’s leave it there

By Kara Kimbrough 

One Skillet Creamy Chicken Pasta is the perfect dish to throw together when time is short but an enjoyable dinner still has to be made.

 Don’t ask me why…but someone, somewhere thought it was a good idea to make Hamburger Helper relevant again. Yes, you read that right…the bright red box adorned with the animated white glove character pointing to a pan of…well, I’m not exactly sure what the dish consists of…is being touted as the new “It” product.

    First, I saw the contents of the familiar red box being discussed on morning news shows as a “delicious meal.” Even more unbelievable, the anchors were actually served bowls of Hamburger Helper and expected to eat it at 8 a.m. Similar videos popped up online of college students describing it as the “perfect inexpensive meal,” I realized then that Hamburger Helper’s marketing team was working overtime to resurrect the product from the “it was good in the 70’s when we didn’t know any better” product line.

     I don’t remember Hamburger Helper ever being served on the family dinner table as I was growing up. I vaguely remember trying it once when I moved into my first post-college apartment. If memory serves, it only took one bite of the dish filled with tons of unpronounceable, tasteless ingredients for me to realize that taking a few minutes to make similar dishes from scratch would be well worth the time and effort.

   After viewing all the fuss about Hamburger Helper in recent days, I made a special trip to the supermarket to check out the infamous red box on the shelves. I learned that what Hamburger Helper lacks in taste, it makes up for in variety. Just a few of the “flavors” that can be created courtesy of a powdered sauce mix inside the box include Cheeseburger Macaroni, Cheesy Ranch Burger, Tomato Basil Penne, Deluxe Beef Stroganoff, Deluxe Philly Cheesesteak…and the list goes on. Each one sounds delicious, but reading the ingredients on the box curbed any interest I might have felt.

    I can’t in good conscience recommend Hamburger Helper as a healthy, tasty meal. However, I can share a couple of easy skillet meals that resemble photos on the “red box” but taste so much better. So, disregard the claims that the “red box is back” and instead, make your own delicious meals that are simple to make, better for your health and here’s the best part, don’t taste like they came from a box.

Skillet Cheeseburger

1 pound ground chuck or turkey

½ chopped onion

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups small rotini pasta, uncooked

1-1/2 cup water

¼ cup ketchup

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

     Add ground meat, onions and garlic salt to skillet and cook until meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain fat, then put back on heat and add tomato sauce, pasta and water; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.

   Stir in ketchup, then top with cheeses and leave skillet on low heat until cheese melts.

One Skillet Creamy Chicken Pasta

1 pound bow-tie pasta

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon butte

r1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (use tomato sauce if you can’t find this item)

1 cup baby spinach

   Boil pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Slice chicken into strips and season with salt and pepper.

   Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken strips and cook until golden brown on both sides and completely done. Remove chicken from skillet and add onions and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, then pour in broth. Let mixture bubble up, then reduce and cook on low for 2 minutes.

    Add heavy cream and Parmesan, whisking constantly until well combined. Allow liquid to thicken for a few minutes. Remove sauce from the heat, then return cooked chicken to the skillet along with the tomatoes, spinach and pasta. Combine all ingredients and serve immediately from the skillet.

Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.