Hamburger Buddy

I was starting to feel a little defeated on most of the healthy recipes I had done so far, so I didn't exactly have high hopes for this one. However, I am happy to say I was completely wrong! This recipe (which came from eatingwell.com) is definitely one of my favorites so far. It really is a good comfort food dish! This pasta is packed with vegetables and you would barely even know. The onion, mushrooms, and carrots are diced up so fine that kids will never think to 'pick them out.' The vegetables also serve as the base to the sauce, therefore you don't have to add pre-made soups, only low-sodium beef broth and water. This recipe turned out more soupy than I thought it would but it was so good! I made whole wheat french bread from scratch to go with this dish and it was great to dip it the excess juice. My picture doesn't do it justice, but I will definitely be making this dish again. The next day it had thickened up a lot and was more of a hamburger helper consistancy, but tasted a million times better of course.

Changes I made:

• I used extra lean ground turkey instead of ground beef
• I used whole wheat flour, rather than all-purpose
• I couldn't find whole wheat elbow noodles, so I had to use whole wheat shell noodles instead.

Hamburger Buddy

3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
10 ounces white mushrooms, large ones cut in half
1 large onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups water
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth, divided
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles, (2 cups)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or chives for garnish
 
1.Fit a food processor with the steel blade attachment. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced, then add carrots and mushrooms and process until finely chopped. Turn it off, add onion, and pulse until roughly chopped.

2.Cook beef in a large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.

3.Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

4.Whisk flour with the remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the hamburger mixture. Stir in the sour cream. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or chives), if desired.