Tempeh Helper: Just Like Mom Used To Never Make
I have a few guiding principles and one is “You’re never too busy to update your blog.” I mean, spacing out over a game of Facebook Scrabble rather than talking about split pea soup is pretty much the extent of it. So I am not going to start this by saying I’ve been too busy, more like it’s fallen to the wayside and every time I think about it I get this little pang of guilt. Which brings me to another guiding principle which is “No one cares if you update your blog.” I mean, really. With that weight off my shoulders, it was a lot easier to update this god forsaken thing.
Okay, so maybe I’m not busy, but my mom sure as hell was. Three kids, two jobs, no husband to speak of (well, none that was any help)…you know the story. So most of the action that our stove top saw came from a box. Still, it was fun to help her put away groceries, open cartons and put together dinner. And because chopping veggies and throwing a bunch of spices and pasta into a pan would take 15 minutes of time and energy she didn’t have, we’d dump in the box of Hamburger Helper and that was that. So yeah, I was practically raised by that happy little oven mitt with a face.
Is this a good father figure?
Now, of course, I know better. That box is wasteful and full of nasty ingredients and that happy face oven mitt is actually planning on strangling you. And of course meat is murder. But I still get a taste for the helper; the comforting aroma, the meaty bites, the chewy pasta that maybe gets a little burned on the bottom of the pan. And oh yeah, let me top that off with a velvety processed cheese food product.
My version still comes together in one pot. I use tempeh for a succulent bite and, although I usually cringe at the idea of granulated garlic and onion flakes, that’s what really gives this authenticity. Tiny quinoa shells are quick cooking thanks to their diminutive size, and a nice healthy (and gluten free!) alternative to semolina pasta, but you can use whatever kind you like (even though I just totally looked down on all other pastas.) No chopping or prepping required, just throw a handful of frozen peas in at the end to give a little green. If you’d like to quadruple this mix to have on hand, keep it refrigerated and just scoop out a heaping 1/4 cup full whenever you get the hankering.
The cheezy sauce is super simple, too, and because the whole meal is so very Rachael Ray, I gave it a silly sounding title. What I really love about the sauce is that there is no added fat, because we all love that New Farm recipe, but we don’t necessarily need a stick of margarine for dinner. If tempeh is usually too bitter for you, you can steam the tempeh for 10 minutes before proceeding. Make the sauce while the pasta is is cooking and you should have this on the table in about 30 minutes.
Tempeh Helper
Makes 4 roughly one cup servings (serves 2 if you’re super hungry)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz tempeh
3 cups water
6 oz small shell pasta, or about a cup (I used quinoa pasta)
A handful frozen peas, about 1/4 cup
For the seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon broth powder (I used Frontier chicken-style broth)
2 teaspoons arrowroot or corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Have a lid at the ready because you’ll need to cover it at some point.
Drizzle the oil in the pan and tear the tempeh into bite sized pieces, adding them to the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes, until tempeh is lightly browned. In the meantime, mix the seasoning together in a mixing bowl.
Add a few tablespoons of water to the tempeh to deglaze the pan. Add the 3 cups of water and seasoning mix, giving a good stir to get it all mixed in. Add the pasta and cover. Bring the heat up to a boil. Once boiling, you can reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once. Remove the lid, and cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened to your liking, usually about 3 minutes. Taste for salt.
Serve topped with Eazy Breezy Cheezy Sauce.
Eazy Breezy Cheezy Sauce
Makes 2 cups
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/8 ground turmeric
2 tablespoons broth powder (I used Frontier chicken-style broth)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
Add nutritional yeast, flour, garlic, onion flakes, salt, turmeric and broth powder to a bowl and mix together. Add 2 cups water and use a fork to mix and beat out any big lumps. Once relatively smooth, pour into a 2 quart sauce pot. Turn heat up to medium high and stir often for about 5 minutes. Once boiling, bring it down to a slow boil. It should start bubbling and thickening. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until it has a thick, smooth melted cheese consistency.
Mix in mustard and taste for salt. Serve hot or warm.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Yum! We don’t have Hamburger Helper here in Aus but I want to try Tempeh Helper anyway.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
oh my god. this gets printed out and promptly placed on the very top of the “recipes i must try” pile!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
This is totally reppin’ my childhood right now!! The memories are sure to flood back when I make this! yuuuum!!!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Tempeh needs all the help it can get. :p
August 19th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Looks so good, even though I’ve never had real Hamburger Helper!
August 19th, 2009 at 1:48 am
oh, I am just getting to know the elusive Tempeh (honestly, - why don’t the few Asian Stores around carry it ???) and am always glad for any suggestion, - and this looks totally like itstartedwithafish-family-food !
Thanx !
August 19th, 2009 at 3:53 am
Yep, I think I’m pretty in to this for nostalgia’s sake.
August 19th, 2009 at 5:19 am
need to try this!!
August 19th, 2009 at 5:34 am
I’ve never heard of hamburger helper but your version sure looks delicious!
August 19th, 2009 at 8:18 am
We were too poor for meals that came in boxes–we just had dry, baked hamburgers made with the really fatty, cheap meat. They needed help for sure, but never got it.
I love tempeh, and a little garlic and onion powder never hurt anyone. Sounds like comfort food to me! I’ll save this recipe for winter when I’m not melting.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Oh my word, we ate tons of Hamburger Helper when we were kids. And don’t get me started on the other things we ate…probably why I’ve been vegetarian for 15 years! Dare I say it…potted meat? Vienna sausages? Bologna? Anyway, I’m always looking for a new way to use tempeh, and this looks awesome!
August 19th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I can’t wait to try this. I made a “taco night pasta” recipe from family circle that used crumbles, pasta, beans, tomatoes and sauce-totally reminded me of when my dad made hamburger helper for us when my mom worked nights. I love to take forever in the kitchen but I don’t always have the time-so the dad’s night/lazy recipes are great. Take RR to school!
August 19th, 2009 at 10:06 am
My kids will definitely go for this; I’m making it the minute the weather cools off!
August 19th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Mm, looks pretty good. This is something to save for the fall, which, in Austin, will get here by…December.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:41 am
My mother tried several times introducing HH during my childhood, but I was never keen to the taste. Sad to say it but box spaghetti dinner was my dinner of choice.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Looks wonderful! I have about 532 packages of tempeh in my fridge right now, so definitely will give this a try. I used to love hamburger helper. My other favorite past dish was tuna noodle casserole. Creamy, dreamy and delicious!
August 19th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I’m among those who’ve never had Hamburger Helper, and it never sounded appealing to me… but Tempeh Helper? That’s another story entirely! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
August 19th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
i have honestly never had hamburger helper in my life (unless it was before i can remember) but this is still exciting. hamburger helper commercials make me cringe, but i’m all for homemade! thanks for the recipe.
August 19th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
I assume that’s supposed to be 3/4 cup of nooch?
August 19th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
isa- you are wrong: we do care if you update your blog! i love your humor and joy and fun recipes… and i check more often than i want to admit! now i just have to go update my own blog! aloha, andrea
August 19th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Thanks Skyla, I fixed it!
August 19th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
i’m all too familiar with hamburger helper…. and what a chuckle I got out of this post!
Love your cookbooks!
August 19th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Not a fan of tempeh (sorry all you tempeh lovers!) but I may give this a try with garbanzos or tofu. And I’m definitely looking forward to making the cheese sauce!
August 19th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Amanda, I think it would totally work with tofu or seitan, no prob. If using beans, maybe add 1/4 cup less liquid since it won’t absorb as much.
August 20th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Awesome. I made it last night! Even pleased my picky husband. Comfort food indeed. Thanks!
August 20th, 2009 at 9:51 am
This brings back SUCH childhood memories! My father banned Hamburger Helper in our house (because of chemicals, not meat) so we never had it at home, and it was a super treat to have it at my best friend’s house (whose mom served it almost daily). I cannot wait to try this tempeh version! I already love tempeh–I’m sure this will make it that much better.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Just have to say, freaking loved your post - really. Funny and true. But not funny. This will be delicious.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I always wanted my mom to buy hamburger helper when I was younger, but darnit, she was just too health conscious and I was never ‘lucky’ enough to stay for dinner at a friend’s place when they were having it. So, seeing this recipe here got me pretty excited to try a veganized version of the stuff. I enjoyed it. It didn’t remind my taste buds of anything sadly, but I can see how something like it would be considered comfort food. The seasoning probably tastes quite a bit like what comes in the box, though I oversalted a little bit. Really liked the cheezy sauce and the tempeh turned out really nice.
So thanks for satiating my curiousity!
August 20th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I, too, was raised on the Helper! My mom is an awesome cook, but some nights, she just wasn’t feelin’ it. And that was cool, cause I loved Hamburger Helper as much as mom’s home cookin’ anyway. Is that blasphemy? I felt typing it just now.
Oh well. I also lived on this stuff made with ground Morningstar crumbles when I was a college-age vegetarian living on, like, $10 a week.
So I’m very, very thankful for this recipe! It’s so going on the top of my “things to make soon” list.
August 20th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I mean, “I felt bad typing it just now.” God, I’ve gotta start proofing my comments before hitting submit.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:50 am
I don’t remember eating hamburger helper - we ate our hamburger straight up - but Rice-a-Roni - oh yeah.
August 23rd, 2009 at 8:43 am
oh yes…this rocks. i love that things such as this will be my daughter’s childhood staples. then again, think she’ll end up blogging about how her mom spent too much time in the kitchen and share with the world meals she discovers from boxes? yeah…probably.
thanks, isa!
August 23rd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Wow, nice one. Looks effin’ delishes!
August 24th, 2009 at 9:59 am
[…] most recent post was super-awesome for writing and cooking inspiration both. I mean, c’mon. Tempeh Helper: Just Like Mom Used To Never Make? Brilliant. Also, her chickpea-noodle soup was pretty much the best thing ever while I was rocking […]
August 25th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I didn’t have the hamburger helper as a kid, I remember the velveeta shells and cheese. So I’m a big fan of shells with any saucy dish and look forward to yet another use for tempeh. It’s magical.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Yes, I too grew up on hamburger helper. My Mom was a single mom that worked and tried to put a hot meal on the table every evening for my brother and me. I even remember making it myself when she was too busy working.
Thanks!
This is a version I can eat and it will bring back memories of my Mom.
August 25th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
yahhh! im so glad your back…i missed reading about your cooking adventures!
August 26th, 2009 at 1:04 am
Love the recipe. Thanks for that. But now I’m going to have nightmares tonight about that creepy hand.
August 27th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Eating it now. Pretty dang tasty. I’m assuming the frozen peas get thrown in the pot with the pasta? That’s what I did and it seemed to work.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
This looks so good! We’re definitely going to make it. My husband is practically drooling. Thanks for sharing, Isa!
August 28th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
“that happy face oven mitt is actually planning on strangling you”
LOL!! Hilarious! Great looking recipe too!
-A
August 29th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Wonderful recipe. It made a very rich and comforting meal. The broth powder that I used already had salt in it (I didn’t realize this when I made it) so the final product was a bit too salty. Otherwise, it was delicious.
August 30th, 2009 at 5:19 am
This was so good paired with a nice simple tomato soup for last night’s meal. I now have a tempeh helper thought balloon that refuses to pop. Midnight snack, anyone?
August 31st, 2009 at 10:21 am
YUM! I’ll have to leave out the peas. The men in this house do not eat peas.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:28 am
I know that this is not a place to gush about your awesomeness, but I have been enjoying two of your cookbooks. I got so excited that I wrote an ode to you: http://beastmomma.squarespace.com/life-from-the-belly-of-the-bea/ode-to-isa-chandra-moskowitz.html
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I am going to attempt this tomorrow… alas with some variations as I don’t have the onion/garlic powders or small shell pasta, but I do have chopped garlic/shallots and oversized penne pasta lol. Oh and no peas… But tempeh plus garlic/onion/herbs tastes amazing anyway
September 10th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
This was great. I am having the leftovers as I type. I had to use rotini, and I only had the veggie broth paste, but it came together perfectly and i love it. Woo!
September 15th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Sounds delicious. Will try it tonite.
September 20th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Thanks for this alternative version of HH. I must admit, I’m still addicted to HH (we make it with Lumen instead of cow, and add a handful of “healthy pasta” and peas to the mix, but otherwise follow the box). So easy to fall into old habits when everyone is tired at the end of the day. The kids liked your tempeh version, so hoping we can break the HH habit. Will probably premix the seasonings for future use to make it more convenient for those busy nights. Can the cheezy sause be premixed too (with exception of the water), or would it go funny?
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
[…] one for Vegan With a Vengeance. So cute! So awesome! And speaking of that book, I made Isa’s Tempeh Helper for dinner last night, and it was comfort food-alicious (bear in mind, however that I don’t […]
January 19th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
I haven’t made this recipe so I don’t know if this cheese sauce would keep well if mixed in advance (probably will if you just mix the dry ingredients) but I thought I’d direct you to this recipe that I use all the time, which is good for a couple weeks in the fridge, if you can go that long without eating it all.
http://www.yourveganmom.com/your_vegan_mom/2008/10/vegan-cheese-sauce-mix.html
Even though we hardly ever ate Hamburger Helper growing up, I’d still like to give this a try because I’ve been meaning to eat more tempeh and anything that involves few pots and pans is a must try for me!
February 12th, 2010 at 10:45 am
A Complete Blog about how to cook LACTO-OVO-VEGETARIAN dishes.