Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper
(As of May 2011, this product is no longer gluten-free, click here for update) There’s something I thought I’d never buy again—Hamburger Helper. It was a common item I’d buy in college and my early 20’s but especially after Emma’s celiac diagnosis. I walked right past those boxed dinner things. But there it was staring me in the face the other day– Cheesy Hashbrown Hamburger Helper labeled Gluten-Free. How could I pass it up?
So I purchased it thinking it would be a quick meal for me and the girls or my husband and the girls…and Thursday night we did it. Although it says a package serves five, I think for regular humans it probably serves four. Emma didn’t really love it, Grace thought it was pretty good, as did I although very salty (and I didn’t use all of the cheese sauce). I’ll be honest I never really thought any of those Hamburger Helper things were fabulous, and they all seemed salty. My husband had the meal as leftovers and wasn’t too impressed. Although I know he’d eat it in a pinch.
Here’s why I would buy it:
- I love having something easy like this that’s handy and widely available: You could bring this to the cabin, to a hotel with a kitchen, camping (if you have a gas stove and a pan), or even a relative’s house who may not know much about gluten-free cooking.
- If you’re newly gluten free– this may be one step for you to ease your way into the diet.
- It may make you feel like what you’re eating isn’t so “out there”.
- Easy for a home day care? (maybe — I don’t know the nutrition guidelines there)
- Your newly-diagnosed celiac child wants NOTHING to do with anything gluten-free– this one should slide under the radar.
Either way, it’s worth at least a one-time try. You should be able to find it by the other Hamburger Helper in your local store. There’s also an “Asian Helper” for you to try that’s gluten-free.
Tags: gluten-free, Hamburger Helper, review
December 4th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Just stumbled on your blog via Hey, That Taste Good. Great. Love it, great, informative posts! I am probably not a hamburger helper kinds of cook but you have some compelling reason to give it try! That trip to Betty Crocker looked like a tun of fun and how lucky for them to have all of you there giving input!
December 5th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
I came across this product a few weeks ago when my team at work volunteered to sort food for the Emergency Food Shelf Network. We sorted enough food to feed over a thousand people and out of that there were only five items that were specifically labeled gluten free. And not many more unlabeled but still safe items.
I wonder if there are organizations out there who will donate food to those in need with special dietary restrictions. I never thought I’d say this, but Hamburger Helper really got me thinking!
December 6th, 2010 at 10:46 am
@Elizabeth. In Loveland, Colorado there is an organization called http://www.honservice.org/ that serves as a gluten-free food bank. 🙂