Once upon a time I went to the grocery store and came home with a LIVING basil plant by accident. I don’t do plants because I live in an apartment with 3 kids and a husband and well… boys love dirt! I’ve tried and tried to love on a plant in my very own home but it never really seems to pan out the way I was hoping.
Like the time my mother in law sent me a plant when my middle son was born. I had such high hopes, I brought him home from the hospital with the new baby and he was like a new member of the family. We took him outside, we gave him a great home, and he even moved all by itself! Planty was his name and I have many fond memories of him brightening my day with his wonderful natural presence.
Then one fateful day my baby grew into a toddler and started tearing up my house. Little ol’ Planty never even saw the big bad toddler coming. All of a sudden Planty was flipped upside down all over the carpet, his dirt everywhere.
“What should we do with him?” I asked my husband, who kindly suggested Planty be banished to the porch forever. As the days grew shorter and the nights colder, Planty began to shrivel like a poor ol’ fellow and one day…. I knew it was his time. The plant I tried so hard to love on, was gone forever, his leaves shriveled and yellow. RIP Planty!
Now, what is a mom of 3 boys to do with a basil plant that will inevitably be ruined by one of them? For now Basil Man is sitting in a mason jar on a window sill, unharmed by any children. Here is sweet Basil Man now sitting pretty as a food prop! Isn’t he beautiful! 🙂
Speaking of basil, nothing puts a smile on my face like the smell of fresh basil. Why buy something in a box and miss out on such a wonderful smell and taste? With this recipe you will never have to miss that perfect fresh basil smell again. Just like my Unprocessed Hamburger Helper recipe, this is the all REAL ingredient version of a processed classic that contains nothing but awful ingredients.
Speaking of ingredients it is time for me to go all ingredient freak on you because this is important stuff, right? OF COURSE! The boxed version of this includes partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), MSG, monoglycerides (potential hidden trans fats), GMO cornstarch, hydrolyzed soy protein, artificial colors, and a few other questionable ingredient. For reals General Mills? Like are you trying to kill people or are you trying to kill people?
Thankfully, we never have to turn to General Mills again for this delicious dinner. It is SO SIMPLE and easy to make yourself and the ingredients are quite obvious. Cheese, buttermilk, basil, tomato, salt, spices, VIOLA! This is made just like the old classic…. brown the beef, add the other stuff (except the basil), bring to a boil, let simmer, enjoy the goodness.
Unprocessed Lasagna Helper
By Published: June 12, 2014
- Yield: 5 Servings
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Ready In: 30 mins
Once upon a time I went to the grocery store and came home with a LIVING basil plant by accident. I don't do plants because I …
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 2 Tbsp lemon Juice
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat noodles Rotini or Malfandine work great!
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup strained tomatoes no salt added. If you want to use just one tomato product substiute 2 more Tbsp of tomato paste and 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion salt
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 8-10 fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- pink himalyan or kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Add lemon juice to milk to make buttermilk and set aside to add with all other ingredients after beef is browned. I don't use buttermilk often but always have regular milk and lemons on hand so this was the best option for me.
- Brown beef and drain.
- Add all other ingredients except fresh basil. Bring mixture to a light boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and cover for about 12-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir frequently while pasta is cooking.
- Stir in fresh basil.
This looks SO yummy! I bet this is a thousand times better than Hamburger Helper. And I agree about fresh basil, it’s pretty much one of my favorite smells ever (aside from fresh real lemon). 🙂 Thanks for sharing, love your site.
Thank you Ashley! Speaking of lemon, lemon and basil go quite nice together. Sounds like a new recipe plan!
I just made this and it was extremely delicious. My boyfriend has been bothering me to make homemade hamburger helper and I’m so glad I tumbled over this recipe! I refuse to buy the box stuff, we try and stay away from anything processed. Thank you!