How I remade my ‘guilty pleasure’ into a healthy meal

One of the few Hamburger Helper boxed dinners I used to make was their stroganoff.

When my partner Nan and I began dating, she went through my kitchen pantry and spied a box of Hamburger Helper and said: “I can’t believe you, of all people ― a chef ― would have that in your kitchen pantry.”

I explained that it was an infrequent guilty pleasure and that many professional chefs don’t always cook at home as they do in a professional capacity. Many have what they call a “guilty pleasure” food that is easy to prepare. Plus, even though the boxed mix includes dried mushrooms, I added canned mushrooms and used the canned mushroom’s liquid as part of the added water to boost the flavor.

At that time, I didn’t read the ingredient list on the box. Now, years later, I care about everything I eat, as well as making it as healthy as I can, which is why I try to use organic ingredients when possible.

With the rising cost of groceries, I’m paying attention to prices. Any cut of beef, especially steaks, disappeared from my menu quite a while ago. It is disappointing, but steaks are no longer affordable. If I want beef for dinner, hamburger is my choice, and my choice is organic.

Yes, organic ground beef costs more. Checking the average costs, depending on where you shop, I found that organic ground beef costs $2 to $4 more per pound. The supermarket I frequent often puts organic ground beef on sale, so it’s only $2 more per pound.

The goal: Keep my food costs down while doing my best to eat as healthfully and deliciously as possible. For dinner this week, I decided to make a hamburger stroganoff from scratch based on several internet recipes blended with my personal experience. I used my skillet to keep it as easy as possible.

When I made my stroganoff, I used organic egg noodles, organic flour, organic beef broth and organic sour cream. Dividing the extra cost of buying organic by six servings made the cost more palatable.

For the sauce, I tried a new trick: I removed some of the pasta water before draining the noodles and then used it to adjust the consistency of my sour cream-based sauce. It worked like a charm.

My stroganoff tasted perfect. Really. All the flavors balanced just right. Adding a tossed side salad completed the meal. Make it and see what you think.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

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Skillet Hamburger Stroganoff

1 pound 85/15 ground beef*

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

½ pound button mushrooms, cleaned, stem ends trimmed and sliced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour*

1 cup low-sodium beef (or chicken) broth*

1 cup sour cream*

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon roasted garlic powder (can be granulated); regular garlic powder may be used

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

6 ounces egg noodles*, cooked according to the package directions

Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Fill a 5-quart saucepan two-thirds with water and stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Place over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the egg noodles. Lower the heat so the water boils gently and cook, stirring occasionally, according to the package directions. When the pasta is fully cooked, remove 1 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the noodles and set aside.

Place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and, when hot, add the ground beef. Sauté the ground beef for 6-8 minutes, breaking it up with the edge of a spatula, until the ground beef loses its pink color. Carefully remove the cooked ground beef, leaving the beef fat in the skillet.

Add the butter to the skillet and, when it melts, add the onions and mushrooms and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until the onions are softened.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and ½ cup of the pasta cooking water and bring it to a gentle boil until thickened, about 1 minute.

Reduce the heat and add in the sour cream, stirring until smooth. Season with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the ground beef and cooked egg noodles. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serves 6.

*Organic preferred.

Nutrition values per serving: 360 calories (50.8% from fat), 20.3 g fat (10.2 g saturated fat), 24.6 g carbohydrates (23 net carbs), 4.2 g sugars, 1.7 g fiber, 20 g protein, 110 mg cholesterol, 323 mg sodium.

Suggestions: Omitting the butter trims the fat by 6 grams per serving.

― Don Mauer