Basic items help hamburger

We may not harbor fond memories of family dinners gathered around a steaming skillet of Hamburger Helper, but there's no doubt that most of us have a soft spot for comforting one-pot meals. When everyone's working -- even the kids -- casseroles are a necessary convenience. Convenience, however, often comes at a price, hence the popularity of almost-prepared dishes like the hamburger one. But you can still help your ground meat and make a great meal without opening a box.

One-pot meals work by building flavor right in the skillet, starting with the most basic ingredients -- onions and garlic, for instance -- and finishing with spices. In this dish, macaroni is cooked right in a tomato-based sauce, which is seasoned with chili powder and cumin, then sprinkled with cheese. The pasta-cooking technique allows the noodles to absorb lots of the flavors in the sauce. It also means you don't have to wait for a huge pot of water to come to a boil, or worry about all that draining business. The best part comes after dinner, when there's only one pot to clean.

Though this dish stands on its own, garnish it with sour cream, scallions, slices of avocado, crumbled tortilla chips, or anything else your kids love. -- KERI FISHER