What to Do with Hamburger Helper Leftovers? 10 Ideas
Hamburger Helper is one of the best solutions to have a warm and cooked premade meal in an instant. If you are in a rush, you only need a few minutes to have some delicious and juicy pasta that will feed and satisfy you taste-wise. It offers instant macaroni, spaghetti, rice, and mashed potatoes with delicious sauces that will certainly feel like a home-cooked meal. Still, sometimes you cannot finish the entire box, and once it gets cold, it isn’t as tasty as it was. However, instead of throwing it away, there are things you can do to bring the dish back to life. So what to do with Hamburger Helper leftovers?
Turn Harburger Helper leftovers into a lasagna, store them in the fridge or freezer, use them as stuffing, make a pizza fix, make burritos, make tacos, use them for scrambled eggs, whip them into muffins, make cheesy breadsticks, or use them for a salad.
There are a few good ideas on how to reuse leftover Hamburger Helper. So, in this article, I’ll share with you the top 10 go-to ideas to use that leftover you have.
Lasagna
Whether you have leftover Hamburger Helper pasta, rice, or potatoes, you can easily turn them into a lasagna. Use the leftover Hamburger Helper as a filling and layer the lasagnas and Hamburger Helper.
For some extra creaminess, you can cover each lasagna layer with grated cheese, whichever you like best, but I would recommend gouda. Before popping the pan in the oven, make an egg, sour cream, and milk mixture and pour it over the top lasagna layer.
You will get an entirely different meal in just 15 minutes.
Store Them in the Fridge or Freezer
When it comes to leftovers, the most obvious alternative to throwing them out is storing them in the fridge or freezer. If you feel full and don’t plan on having any more Hamburger Helper in the next few days, place the leftovers in an airtight container and put them in the fridge.
You can also use a regular plastic container if you seal the lid with plastic foil. The fridge air may add moisture to the leftovers, which is not bad if you don’t keep them there too long.
For long-term storage, always use the freezer; your Hamburger Helper leftovers will easily retain their shape, structure, and taste. However, avoid freezing Hamburger Helper rice, as the water significantly damages its structure.
Freeze your Hamburger Helper leftovers in small batches, and don’t stuff them tightly in the container. Always use an airtight container, and don’t place other things from your freezer on top of it. Before reheating your frozen Hamburger Helper leftovers, let them thaw, and never pop them directly at high temperatures.
Stuffing
You can easily turn your Hamburger Helper leftovers into stuff you can use in many different ways. You can stuff a whole chicken or stuffed chicken breast rolls. You can also make stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage or vine leaf rolls.
Take some large mushrooms and stuff them with your Hamburger Helper leftovers, and you get fancy finger foods, or empty some potatoes and stuff them with your leftovers for a family meal.
A Pizza Fix
You can transform your Hamburger Helper leftovers into a delicious pizza topping. Heat it up and add any other ingredients that you want. You can make a cheesy pasta pizza topping or rice and mushroom topping with delicious sauces.
The potato Hamburger Helper leftovers are also great pizza toppings. You can mix them with cheese, eggs, and sour cream and get a Shepherds’ pie pizza.
Burritos
Burritos are another great one-second idea about what to do with your Hamburger Helper leftovers, especially if you have leftover rice. You can add anything you want, but I recommend pairing it with fried chicken.
Still, you don’t have to listen to me, as this option is wide open to experimentation. It will still work even if you have Hamburger Helper pasta or potato leftovers. Enrich the leftovers with some cream and cheese, and wrap them comfortably in a tortilla.
Tacos
This list wouldn’t be complete if I failed to mention tacos. All you need is a leaf of lettuce and your leftover Hamburger Helper. The Hamburger Helper fix features many tastes and varieties in the packs, so you can have Stroganoff tacos, pasta tacos, rice tacos, etc.
The meaty flavor of the Hamburger Helper leftovers, combined with some cheese and hot sauce, will scream fiesta in your mouth. The taco solution is one of the best things you can do with your leftover Hamburger Helper leftovers.
Scrambled Eggs
Hamburger Helper is the best lazy person solution for your leftovers. The process is nothing more than just whipping your leftovers with the eggs and sizzling them on the pan. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes altogether.
You can also scramble the eggs and pair them with your Hamburger Helper leftovers without cooking everything together. Extra cheese is always welcomed, but some extra bacon bits or mushrooms can also add excellent flavor to your Hamburger Helper scrambled eggs.
Muffins
Instead of whipping your Hamburger Helper leftovers with eggs and throwing them in the pan, place the mixture into cupcake molds and make Hamburger Helper cupcakes. The best thing about this is that you can add anything else you like to the cupcake mixture.
I, personally, like adding spinach, cheese, and seeds, but you can add anything you like. For some extra substance, add a little white flour or, even better, corn flour to make your muffins more pastry-like.
Cheesy Breadsticks
If you like pastries and love working with flour, kneading, and baking, this is definitely for you. Make a mixture of your leftover Hamburger Helper, flour, cheese, eggs, and just a tad of baking powder.
Knead everything well. I know that kneading potatoes, pasta, or rice is a little weird on the hands, but don’t be afraid to give it some work. Make the breadsticks and pop them in the oven. About two minutes before taking them out, make a mixture of melted butter and cheese and smear them.
Enjoy!
Salad
If you want healthier food choices, your Hamburger Helper leftovers have covered you. Take out whatever vegetables you got in your fridge and chop them into a salad. This idea works exceptionally well with lettuce, arugula, and tomatoes, but everything else works too.
You can make yourself a delicious pasta salad, potato salad, or rice salad. Add some balsamic cream or vinegar on top to give it some zing, and you are done.
How Long Are Hamburger Helper Leftovers Good For?
In the fridge, your Hamburger Helper leftovers are good for five days. For longer storage, you should freeze them.
In the freezer, they will be safe and sound for up to a month or a half. After this period, they will still be safe to eat, but the cold temperature will significantly diminish their flavor and structure. The Hamburger Helper pasta leftovers are the most resilient, while the other types are more easily degradable.
What to Do with Hamburger Helper Leftovers
Ingredients
- leftover Hamburger Helper
- 2 cups all-purpose white flour
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 2 eggs
- tad of baking powder
Instructions
- Make a mixture of your leftover Hamburger Helper, flour, cheese, eggs, and just a tad of baking powder
- Knead everything well
- Don't be afraid to give it some work
- Make the breadsticks and pop them in the oven
- Preheat oven to 470 °F and bake for 10 minutes
- About two minutes before taking them out, make a mixture of melted butter and cheese and smear them
