Healthified Hamburger Helper

February 8, 2025 Amanda Plott

Who said comfort food can’t be healthy? Hamburger Helper has long been a staple for busy weeknights, but let’s face it – we all know that it can be a bit heavy on the not-so-great ingredients. Fear not! With a few tweaks and a sprinkle of kitchen magic, we can give this nostalgic dish a major health overhaul while keeping that ooey-gooey goodness intact.

So there you have it – a healthified take on a classic that will make your tastebuds dance and your waistline rejoice. Whether it’s a weeknight rush or a cozy dinner, this Healthified Hamburger Helper is sure to become a new favorite in your home. Dig in and enjoy guilt-free!…

Extra Cheesy Baked Macaroni (Mac Hack)

January 30, 2023 Amanda Plott

Sometimes you just have to be a little cheesy. But today, we’re going to be extra cheesy! This Extra Cheesy Baked Macaron is made all in ONE PAN and is tossed together to bake up in the oven in just over half an hour. The best part is? It’s some of the most rich, creamy, decadent macaroni dishes that you’ll ever make. That blue box of powdered crap has nothing on these noods!

I’ve heard about this hack before of being able to one pan macaroni in the oven, but I’d never tried it until today. I’ll be honest in saying that I was super impressed that it worked so well! I mean, why would you make macaroni any other way?…

Vegetarian Meatloaf & Macaroni Casserole

July 13, 2021 Amanda Plott

So, I saw the idea for this casserole the other day and just knew that I was going to have to make it myself and in my own way. First of all, I didn’t need a 13x9'“ dish casserole since my family unit is small and, while I force leftovers, there’s only so many days in the week. That’s why I halved the recipe right off the bat.

I also work really hard to limit the amount of meat we eat, so I thought it would be pretty fun to try and make a meatloaf into a vegetarian dish. I guess you can just call me crazy. But, I’m happy to report back that it totally worked out and it worked out SO well…

One-Pot Goulash

April 18, 2020 Amanda Plott

We’re all trying to be a lot more mindful about how we are cooking and eating these days. I know that in my house, we’re trying to get as much use as we can out of every item in the pantry and fridge. Very little is allowed to go to waste and using up pantry staples has become the name of the game. Goulash is one of those old-fashioned tried and true recipes that is versatile, easy, and of course… delicious!

This One-Pot Goulash is pretty standard as far as a goulash goes. Beef, lots of tomatoes, and noodles. It cooks up in just over half an hour and is enough to feed a large group or a small family twice over…

Healthified Cheeseburger Helper (Instant Pot)

August 21, 2019 Amanda Plott

You know you’re getting older when you start saying things like ‘back in my day…’ But, back in my day, when my mom was the one in charge of dinner, we ate a lot of that infamous boxed ‘burger helper’. It was good stuff too. I’m not about to lie, that and fast food tacos are still a guilty pleasure of mine.

These days, now that I’m the mom and I’m in charge of dinner, I try to stay away from the boxed and pre-made options as much as I can. This Healthified Cheeseburger Helper is a nod to the classic boxed ‘burger helper’. It’s cheesy, meaty, full of noodles and… dare I say it, better for you too!…

Healthified Broccoli Mac-N-Cheese

February 13, 2018 Amanda Plott

I still can't believe that The Skinny Fork is almost 5 years old! As time goes on, I continue to go back and revisit older recipes, and this is just one of them that desperately needed an update in the looks department. As usual, everything else has remained the same!

Mac-n-cheese is purely a comfort food. It is one thing that is always in stock in my home and one of the few things that I can count on my daughter readily filling her belly with - without any epic battles...