Hamburger Helper, Cheesy Italian Shells, 6.1 oz box

This is my most favorite flavor of Hamburger Helper and I've not been able to get it at the grocery store lately. Was glad to find it on Amazon. Quick shipping.

Although I have been steering my family away form eating processed foods, this is one "meal in a box" dish we turn back to about once a month. We both love this flavor variety, and though I do add a bit of Italian seasoning to it when I make it, it tastes great made as per the directions as well. Its definitely one of the best Helper flavors available.

These have a spice to them that isn't clear in the description. Not a good taste

Sadly no longer available on subscribe and save but a good product none the less. I typically cook this with the johnsonville mild italian sausage (1lb) and it is very tasty.

Spices are always your fiend when it comes to these. I recommend some Italian seasoning and some black pepper. Experimentation is a key word to remember. I also use turkey for this and add a little Worcestershire sauce to it.

Too expensive

Item: Italian ShellsBrand: Hamburger HelperPurchase Offline, In StoreThe quality of the product itself was very good. The cost per amount really wasn't.The cooking process of the meal is easy and efficient. It comes with quick steps and it a fast meal that tastes good. Hamburger Helper is very well known for that. As a tip, if you keep the grease from the meat and add it to the mix during the noodle stage it tastes even better, IMPO, because the package doesn't have as much spice and kick as it could.The finish texture, if cooked for the correct time, it very good. The noodles do get a bit soft and larger than planned, if you stop too early they get hard and stiff and don't cook all the way, but that is a price you pay for swift meal and quick boil noodles.The taste is always amazing.The only real problem I have with product, which is what kicks it down to a 4 out of 5, is that there isn't enough product in it. On TV they always show a family of 3 to 5 enjoying it as a meal and having good portions but honestly it doesn't make enough for two to eat fully. At almost two dollars a box it really isn't an affordable meal. I only get them when they are on sale in multipacks, or are discounted at the Grocery Outlet because they are a few days past their sale date; since they are a dry food they are still good for a while after their sale date. (I don't feel this way about all food though; I honor the Milk sale buy dates like they are federal laws.)I would suggest it to a friend, but not to a friend who has a large family, or even a family of more than two. I also wouldn't suggest it to a male friend because my male friends, mostly all in their 20's, could eat two boxes in one sitting and that isn't cost effective.

Hamburger Helper has helped fill a specific niche in my poor dinner planning skills for an uncomfortable to admit length of time in my life. The Cheesy Italian Shells version was, by far, the only flavor that I would crave/enjoy, and thus was the one that stayed on my shelf, for "those" nights. A few months ago, my SO was preparing our once in a fortnight cheesy burger bit filled pasta offering, and I noticed an very pungent plastic-like odor permeating the house. Our initial assumption was that a small piece of the plastic pasta bag had fallen onto our high end metal coil electric stove heating element. We laughed it off as we aired out the house, only slightly less ravenous for our All-American meal. Imagine us, smiling, happy, slight double chin jiggle (I'm an American who eats Hamburger Helper, do I need to paint you this picture?) As we raise our cheese sauce dripping pasta goodness to our mouths, the steamy scent rose to our nostrils....and that's when we knew the plastic MUST have fallen into the pot with our meal. Dejected and forlorn, we resigned to dumping out theeal and starting again, dinner was still on, just 30 minutes later. We meticulously accounted for all packaging, sauteed our beef, added the liquids, plunged the pasta shells, and then opened the packet filled with processed dehydrated cheesy flavor powder. THE SMELL, OH GOD THE SMELL. We found our demon, the entire packet REEKED of chemicals. Our evening was salvaged through scrounging up partial cheese bits, taco seasoning, and various other seasoning and spices to amalgamate a home made Hamburger Helper reminiscent of my childhood with a single, criminally under paid, mother.As any good Karen trainee (I'm a male, maybe that makes me a Chad or Keith, idk), I co tactrd the company through their email customer service. They replied with a lovely semi customized auto response and sent a coupon to replace the meal. I admit, I was gunshy for a couple months, but the alluring red and yellow package just was not to be resisted and we took home our old friend, the twin pack of Cheesy Italian Shells. Wary, we returned home, and made the meal. Now, I assure you, it stilled smelled like chemicals as we prepared it, but I'm not above experimentation. So I bargained, maybe the smell is not what it tastes like? Maybe it will get better if we let it "air out" a bit after cooking? I know, wishful thinking. The look on the faces of my family were clear that no amount of explanation or denial could mask the horror we had just put in our mouths. It was as if we had all just found out a dear friend has died. Our beloved cheesy shells were no more.