Spring Cleaning: How to dress up dry, packaged mixes

by Nicole Weston, Posted Mar 30th 2006 @ 5:39PM

There are lots of packaged mixes at the store that can make cooking a meal for your family fast and easy after a long day at work. Generally speaking, these mixes are grains with spices and sometimes vegetables and include favorite brands include Rice-A-Roni and Zatarains. Hamburger Helper operates along similar lines, but calls for the addition of meat. These options are already a cut above precooked frozen foods, but there is still something commercial about them. Many new gourmet mixes, with fresher vegetables, original spice combinations and unusual grains are coming out, like the Trader Joe's Spelt with Red and Green Peppers mix pictured here, which make for a lovely change on the dinner table.

To add a touch of homemade flavor to what is essentially a meal from a box, without taking too many extra minutes out of an already busy evening, try sauteing some garlic in the bottom of the pan before adding the mix, or dicing an onion or a shallot and tossing it into the pot with the cooking liquid. Read the ingredients and see what might pair well. This spelt mix, for example, would be good with extra peppers or, since it was well spiced, a vegetable like sweet potatoes or squash to round it out. Or, for heartier fare, take an example from Hamburger Helper and heat up some sausages while the grains cook and toss them in before serving.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Filed Under: Spring Cleaning, Ingredients, How To
Tags: 30 minute meals, dinner, fast dinners, food, grains, home cooking, how to, HowTo, packaged, quick, rice, sausage, spring cleaning, vegetables

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-30-2006 @6:11PM Bruce Dearborn Walker said... Too much salt and preservatives. It really doesn't take much if any longer to make something like these from scratch. While the noodles or rice are boiling, add ons can be easily thrown together. (Lemon, tuna and capers, anyone?)

That said, occasionally there really isn't any spare time, in an emergency you have to dress or clean while the food is boiling. In that case I'd rather get fast food takeout.

There is never any excuse for hamburger helper. Hamburger and dried onions and spices? Anybody on these boards can do that in their sleep.
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3-31-2006 @1:56AM Barzelay said... I've tried Zatarain's, and found it to be quite horrible. After trying several alternatives and being very disappointed by all of them, I was suddenly astounded when I tried Luzianne's Etouffee mix. I can't always find it at grocery stores, but it is great. Strictly speaking, it isn't just a boxed meal. It calls for the addition of butter and some meat--it works quite well with chicken, sausage, or seafood of any sort.
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