5 Minutes to Lunch
With the help of a (vegan) hamburger. And a butternut-squash trick.
Katie, how can it be “5 minutes” if one of the ingredients is butternut squash? Those things take ages to cook! True, but here’s what I like to do: Buy the BIGGEST butternut squash you can find.
Roast the whole thing (see: How to Roast a Butternut Squash… sorry in advance for the creepy photo! :-?). Then portion it out into single-serving amounts and freeze whatever you don’t plan to use within a few days. Unlike spaghetti squash, butternut defrosts quite well.
Hamburger Veggie Burger Helper
- Steamed Broccoli (or other veg)
- Roasted Winter Squash (or sweet potato)
- Burger, crumbled (I highly recommend these burgers)
- Optional: Nutritional Yeast for topping
Mix everything together, season with salt, and sprinkle nutritional yeast on top, if desired. Try to mix/chop everything well enough that you get a little of each component in every bite :). (You can even pulse with a hand blender a few times if you wish!)
For a gourmet twist, try drizzling with coconut milk immediately prior to eating.
Seriously, why bother with complicated recipes that take hours when simple things can taste just as good? My dessert was just as easy and quick-to-prepare as lunch.
Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
Life is too short to spend it slaving over a stove (unless, of course, you enjoy the cooking process. I just don’t happen to be one of those people.)
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Question of the Day:
Do you ever freeze leftovers?
I love to cook in bulk and freeze extra servings of things. Cook once, eat twice… or three or four times! Soup is a favorite meal to freeze. But I like freezing foods like pancakes as well. The only problem is that my freezer can get pretty crowded! 😕
Other question: Have you ever eaten Hamburger Helper?
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That looks mighty tasty. I’m a fan of crumbling veggie burgers over all kinds of dishes. As for freezing, I ALWAYS freeze leftovers. Those portioned leftovers make up my daily lunches, and I never have to buy overpriced frozen meals. And yes, I used to eat Hamburger Helper all the time in my vegetarian days. I’d always use veggie burger of course, but I didn’t think twice about cooking from a box back then.
I never freeze leftovers and I should since I’m cooking for one!
I LOVE freezing leftovers! It comes in handy when my “cafeteria lady syndrome” comes out! Anytime I break out the crock pot I end up with 6+ servings! I also like to freeze baked goods, but like you, my freezer gets SUPER full! I can never find anything in there without digging for it!
Oh, and I’ve never had hamburger helper before…just the thought of it makes me wanna gag for some reason! :-/
Freezing leftovers is a godsend for me! When there are no hungry fiances lurking around I’m always left with extra food, but I get kind of excited about it because then later that week (or month if frozen) it’s like second meal without the effort!
I need to try those burgers…
Just had butternut squash today for the first time at whole foods SOOOO DELICIOUS!
That sounds amazing. HH is an old childhood favorite. I will definitely try this out. You should try it with my recipe for my Quinoa Black Bean burger!
Ooh those sound delicious :).
http://www.wellsavannah.com/marathon-burger-how-i-have-missed-you/
They are delicious! Give them a try. I promise they are a cinch to make and freeze very well so you won’t have to restock your frozen veggie burger supply for a while. 🙂
This looks super tasty!
I always freeze desserts and breads, otherwise I am just picking at them all day 🙂
I’ve never had a hamburger helper, but it sounds nasty. I will have your instead, thank you!
I don’t usually freeze leftovers because everybody eats it up so fast!!! I just use da fridge!
I love this!! Your recipes always look delish and have such short ingredients lists, which I LOVE!! 😀
I love your recipes Katie! The “hamburger” helper and peanut butter balls both look amazing.
PS. I made your tortilla soup…it was indeed the easiest EVER and SOOO GOOD!!! I’ll be making it often, thanks! 🙂
Oh Lauren, I’m so excited you tried it!!
That Vegan Hamburger Helper looks delicious. I hate to admit it, but I still eat Hamburger Helper once in a while, despite my healthy eating journey. It’s so easy and tasty! 😛
I often freezer leftovers when I cook meals that have more than one serving. It is great to have meals that just need to be defrosted and heated up. 🙂
This looks great! I had hamburger helpers as a kid 🙂
Looks amazingly delicious- Could soo go for one of those right now!! If only there was a kitchen in my dorm room!! lol
To answer your question of the day, I like to freeze vegan muffins and cookies
i have indeed eaten hamburger helper but it’s been about 15 years haha. it’s difficult for me to find a veggie burger i like. i usually go with something mushroom burger-esque if i’m not eating bison burgers (my fave).