I am unemployed, and my dear grandparents, afraid I’d starve myself to save money, sent me food in the form of Lipton Noodles and Sauce (Alfredo and Stroganoff). I don’t really feel like eating them as a mere main or side dish, and all the “official” recipies that I could find using them use them as a base for baked chicken or something.
Can anyone suggest something else to do with them? Even just some good stir-ins would be cool. Thanks!
Get ham, Chicken, Ground Turkey or Ground Beef to put in. Put in Veggies, Corn, Carrots, Peas, Etc. Mushrooms are good to put in. You can add Spices to liven them up.
Ground beef and onions are good to add in to the stroganoff. Brown the beef, stir in some chopped onion, drain it at some point, then add in the mix according to the directions. I got through college doing exactly that for 50% of my meals.
And as Intaglio already suggested, ham and peas are good add-ins for the Alfredo. I’m not proficient enough in the kitchen to do anything with bone-in chicken, and the filets are always way too expensive to be worthwhile for me, so I never used chicken unless it was the version in a can (which is only really good for chicken salad). Using ham doesn’t have to be that big an effort; I just cut a few pieces of sliced ham into smaller bits and fried them, then mixed them in – the end result was somewhat bacon-ish. Also, dicing a tomato and adding it at the end can go a long way.
Until I read this, I’d forgotten how much a stable those two varieties of Noodles & Sauce were to my college diet. Most of the time I’d just make it as-is, with a single-serving can of peas and/or corn on the side, and that was plenty filling, and cheap. Plus, they’ve got plenty of sodium, which is something my body needs anyway. I like that.
Err, that should be “how much a staple those two varieties…” I have a cold.
And also: YMMV, but I could never get the Alfredo version to turn out correctly if I followed the directions exactly; it was still too soupy. If I remember correctly, I always had to use like 3/4 of whatever liquid they recommended (milk or water). Good luck, in the kitchen and otherwise!
Ahhh… Lipton Noodles and Sauce bring back many cash-strapped memories for me. 
I usually went the mix-in route. For alfredo, any kind of cooked chicken or turkey is good, ham or tuna are good, too. I’m not big on veggies in the sauce mix, but broccoli and peas would work well. Stroganoff is not as versatile (IMO) but any cooked beef or pork works well, just buy whatever is cheapest. Kielbasa might be good, too (and it keeps longer than fresh meat).
If you get really tired of them or are feeling adventurous you might try to use the stroganoff as a base for a stir-fry type of dish with lots of Asian veggies (and spices) and bits of meat or even mix it with a vegetable broth or tomato soup base for a beefy, noodley soup.
Good luck in all!
one more thing: I agree with SolGrundy about reducing the amount of water called for. I did that for all varieties.
The cheapest thing you can add is tuna. Be warned: not everyone likes tuna alfredo!
My favorite “cheap” meal is boxed macaroni and cheese with tuna. I really like the flavor, but some people find it repulsive.
If you think you would like tuna, make the noodles and put just a little in a bowl, with some tuna. Then if you hate it you haven’t ruined the whole batch.
Anything you want… but for God’s sake don’t eat 'em!!!
Seriously if it is economics there are more interesting, and healthier things to do with rice. But seeing as you did get them, I’d suggest adding diced veggies (frozen or fresh) and Hamburger (a la that other heart stopping dish Hamburger Helper) but make sure you use the Strganov as the Alfredo won’t go well with Burger.
Just like Tums!
It really livens them up to just put a dollop of sour cream on top. If you have some french-fried onions, those go great on top of the sour cream.
For a fresh taste, cook it normally and then stir-in some uncooked green onions. Or, sprinkle the green onions over the top of the sour cream (can you tell that I like my dairy, yet?)
Peas, carrots and mushrooms are great stir-ins, because you only need a little. A sparse handful of frozen peas, 1/2 a carrot or 2 mushrooms are enough for a whole packet.
Yeah, ick, I’ll eat those Lipton things if I’m feeling lazy, but rice and fresh veggies will go a long way and be a lot cheaper and healthier. There’s a little country store near us that sells a 50# bag of potatoes for $5.
Ah, but that’s not what you asked. Pretty good suggestions so far. I usually eat them as is, but I do sometimes make Tuna Helper Cheesy Alfredo or something, and I’ll stir in some extra frozen corn and/or peas so it’s not ALL fatty cheesy glop.