Recipe Swap Day and Hamburger Buddy with Balsamic Mushroom Reduction

Last night was recipe swap night again..woo hoo!!!  My friend Justine chose Eating Well's Hamburger Buddy.  We are both trying to get away from the tomato sauce so this was a nice change and something kids will love.


I asked Justine how her son liked it and if she changed anything up.  Here is her response:


"Carson (her son) ate the ground beef part of the Hamburger Buddy. He likes spaghetti noodles and elbow macaroni. I couldn’t find whole wheat elbow so I had to use penne."


"What I (also) changed…."
"The reviews stated it was bland, so I sautéed the onions with the ground beef instead of pureeing it with the mushrooms and carrots. Added to extra cloves of garlic to the mushroom puree. I also grabbed my opened bottle of red wine and kept adding a few splashes of red wine and letting it reduce. When it came time to mix the flour with the beef broth I added another splash of wine to that. I also sprinkled in some reduced fat cheddar cheese and let it reduce to give it the hamburger helper feel I was going for. "

Last night while balancing my daughter on my hip and fatally burning a grilled cheese (and almost a second grilled cheese) I popped the HB in a casserole dish, cranked the oven to 350 and baked it for 30 minutes covered.  I added the cheese and then baked an additional 7 minutes.

While that was baking I had some fresh Portobello mushrooms I needed to cook up so I decided to reduce those with some Garlic Garlic and Balsamic vinegar.  It was a nice sweet savory taste alongside the beef and wine added into the recipe.  My husband Chris and our friend Jim went back in for seconds.

Balsamic Mushroom Reduction
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

EVOO spray
1 (8 oz) package of pre-sliced baby Portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Garlic Garlic, to taste
2 packets Splenda with fiber (or sweetener of your choice)
2 Tbsp of chicken broth or water

Directions

1. Spray a small skillet with EVOO spray and heat over medium heat.

2. Pour the mushrooms in the skillet and season with Garlic Garlic.  Pour the vinegar and Splenda over that mixture.  Stirring frequently reduce for about 15 minutes or until the vinegar is absorbed. 

3. Pour in the chicken broth or water and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom.  Let the most of the liquid reduce down and enjoy! 

p.s. They are SO good I was licking the spatula and the caramelized mushrooms almost tasted like candy.  Mmmmm.