Anonymous wrote:Hamburger helper helps your hamburger make a great meal.

Now I want cheesy hamburger helper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsx-ftPkAz8&t=10s

OT, but Bon Appetit's "All American Cheeseburger Pasta" is super yummy, and not especially difficult or time consuming.

As to the boxed stuff, try adding less water or a little corn starch slurry to thicken it.

Are you using a measuring cup or eyeballing it?

Anonymous wrote:Please describe to me. What is in Hamburger Helper? Is it a spice pack?

Here’s the manufacturer’s web page. They also make helper for chicken and tuna.
https://www.hamburgerhelper.com/products/

Hamburger helper helps your hamburger make a great meal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please describe to me. What is in Hamburger Helper? Is it a spice pack?

You know how you can buy boxed Mac n cheese from the grocery store vs. making it yourself with noodles, cheese, and bechamel sauce?

Hamburger Helper is a boxed version of stroganoff/goulash. (Meat, gravy-like sauce, and rice/noodles.) It was extremely popular in 70s/80s America.

It is a casserole in a pan.

Anonymous wrote:Please describe to me. What is in Hamburger Helper? Is it a spice pack?

You know how you can buy boxed Mac n cheese from the grocery store vs. making it yourself with noodles, cheese, and bechamel sauce?

Hamburger Helper is a boxed version of stroganoff/goulash. (Meat, gravy-like sauce, and rice/noodles.) It was extremely popular in 70s/80s America.

Please describe to me. What is in Hamburger Helper? Is it a spice pack?

Just add a half teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water to a small bowl (a slurry). Mix until smooth (no clumps of cornstarch). Pour into the hamburger helper at the end of cooking. Keep on the heat and stir until the "sauce" thickens up, then take it off the heat and serve.

As PP mentioned, it is important to keep the mixture on the heat until it thickens. You may be taking it off the heat too early and the cornstarch in the mix is not thickening up.

I assume Hamberger Helper has corn starch as a thickener. If you are following the recipe and it is still runny, it may be that you aren’t boiling the sauce long enough to activate the corn starch. It won’t do its thing and thicken until it reaches a high simmer/boil. So cook for another minute or two, or until you see it thicken.

If it's runny just keep simmering it. The sauce will thicken.

OP, follow the recipe exactly.

Also -- I googled it -- there are a bunch of recipes online for homemade Hamburger Helper. It looks very easy. I notice the recipes include corn starch, which is a natural thickener.

Maybe try adding a half teaspoon (to start) of corn starch (you can buy a box of it at any grocery store, it's not that expensive, I have a small box from Wegman's).

Stir in the corn starch on low heat while it is still cooking, and let it sit for a few minutes off the burner. Try a taste. If the mix is still too runny, add a little bit more corn starch to taste.

Corn starch should thicken it up. Another thickening option is tomato paste. You might add a small amount and it should thicken a bit. I use tomato paste in stove-top one-pan pastas or they come out too runny, as well.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

It's never been super runny for me, but try making it with milk and add some real shredded cheese at the end. I always do that anyway because it tastes better . And I add those fried onion thingys on top. YUM

I don’t know why people get so snobby about food.

I like Hamburger Helper, but it’s been years since I’ve made it. I’m no expert, but I’d suggest cutting the amount of water you add, and/or simmering uncovered until it reaches the desired consistency.

My daughter loves the cheeseburger macaroni hamburger helper but its runny (not creamy more watery) when I make it. Then one time instead of regular milk I used almond milk thinking it wouldn’t change the flavor but it did. It seems to taste a little better the next day warmed in the mircrowave.