Not your Mama's Hamburger Helper

Let's just get right to it- I found this recipe at Chaos in the Kitchen. I changed it around a little- added my own little twist- but I love this blog!

Brown 1 pound of Italian seasoning. While I do this I bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and I prep the broccoli for steaming.

 I charred the pepper on the stove- (once it was done- I put it in a plastic bag until it was cool enough to handle- then I pulled all the skin off and get rid of the seeds. Cut the pepper into small strips and set aside) and this is what Wes looked like when he saw it-

 He actually thought I didn't know what I was doing- he told me how I could really cook the pepper.

 Remove the sausage, and most of the oil. At the end I only left 2 tsp of the sausage fat.

Add 3 cloves of garlic- I use the Trader Joe's frozen garlic and cook on low until it is golden brown. 

I steamed 2 small heads of broccoli at this point in my Pampered Chef Micro-cooker bowl thing- and added the pasta (3/4 of a pound of rotini- or whatever pasta you like) to the water.

 I added the steamed broccoli to the golden garlic

 Then came the roasted red bell peppers

 The meat

 Then the noodles- right out of the pot. A little water ends up in the pan also, that's good- you need that little bit of liquid.

 Finally I added the juice of 1/2 of a lemon and a handful of Parmesan cheese. At this point check for seasoning- and stir

 My boys were asking for some hamburger helper- this is what they got. I did not hear ANY complaints. The best part, 2 days of lunches for me!

My handsome little guy giving me his sweet face. How can you say no to that face.