I've Been Making This Easy Skillet Pasta on Repeat Since 2007—Here's Why You Should Too

The kitchen is my playground, and I have been known to tinker for days creating multicourse feasts for family and friends. Travel always incorporates farmers' market strolls and cooking classes. My usual course of action for weeknight meals, though, is the fast-and-fantastic one-pot wonder that can feed us all, and in shifts, if needed. Feeding a family of five night after night was my soul-nourishing ritual when my three daughters were growing up. This chapter, in which they were spread out across three schools (with activities to match), called for nutritious, delicious ingenuity. Back then, my EatingWell subscription answered the call.

Related: 31 One-Pot Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals

A greatest hit from these archives (from the September/October 2007 issue)—Copycat Hamburger Helper—made its first appearance at our table years ago. (The recipe has since been updated.) When everyone lands at the table at different times, this dish is ready when they are. It waits on the stove or can be refrigerated and reheated. It’s also great in a lunch thermos for a warming meal at school or the office. 

The recipe was inspired by Hamburger Helper, yet it's packed with almost invisible veggies. I am not in favor of hiding foods inside other foods, but in the name of providing a variety of colorful vegetables to kids who might otherwise pass, this fits the bill. It is parent-pleasing for its simple preparation and nutrition, as it’s rich in protein and fiber. It cooks up in a single pot and the food processor does all the chopping. Minimal washing up is a win for the person doing the dishes. Fast, fantastic, naturally delicious, from scratch and with love.

It goes like this: Brown some ground beef and tomato paste in a heavy skillet or large pot. Pulse garlic, onion, carrots and mushrooms in the food processor, and add it all to the browned meat with dried thyme, salt and pepper. Next, add beef broth, Worcestershire and a half-pound of whole wheat elbow pasta. It simmers to al dente perfection in about 10 minutes. To finish the dish, swirl in a flour slurry and some sour cream, and it is ready to serve. A shower of chopped fresh parsley on each plate makes it a little fancy. A green salad on the side ensures a well-rounded meal.

Related: Basic Green Salad with Vinaigrette 

Fast forward and my now-grown daughters are thriving far and wide in three different cities. They send pictures of their home cooking, often made with farmers' market finds. A month after my youngest graduated college and I was face-to-face with the dreaded empty nest, I decided to go to nursing school. Much to my pleasant surprise, nutrition was on the first-semester course list. I am overjoyed to be blending my passion for cooking with health care, and with a full schedule of classroom and clinical work, time for scratch cooking is, once again, at a premium. 

Related: 17 Four-Step Dinner Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less

My fast and fantastic recipe collection is back in action, and who would have thought that on a gray winter day, my home would be filled up with the faraway daughters? I cooked up a big batch of nourishing, nostalgic Copycat Hamburger Helper. To ramp up the nutrients even more, I used beef bone broth from my butcher shop, which provides anti-inflammatory glycine. I opted for half sour cream and half fat-free plain strained yogurt, which bumped up the protein a tad. The crowd went wild for the one-pot comfort food dish. I will send them all back to their homes with a handwritten recipe card, or if they prefer, the online recipe, so they can create their own version of Copycat Hamburger Helper when they need a comfort food fix and a taste of home.