Y’all, today we are taking a major trip down memory lane. If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, there is a good chance your mom had a few trusty boxes of Hamburger Helper tucked away in the pantry for busy weeknights. My Mom sure did, and of all the varieties she would whip up for dinner, the Rice Oriental flavor was easily one of our absolute favorites.

There was just something so incredibly comforting about that savory gravy, the seasoned ground beef, and the tender rice cooking together in one big skillet.

But if you’ve walked down the boxed dinner aisle anytime recently, you’ve probably noticed a glaring omission. The beloved Rice Oriental box is completely gone!

What Happened to Rice Oriental?

Believe it or not, Rice Oriental was actually one of the original five Hamburger Helper flavors introduced way back in 1971! General Mills rolled it out alongside classics like Beef Noodle and Hash to help families stretch a pound of ground beef during meat shortages.

It survived for decades, becoming a staple on Southern dinner tables. But sadly, General Mills quietly discontinued it in the 2000s without any official announcement. It made a brief final appearance under an “Asian Favorites” banner before vanishing from grocery store shelves forever.

Well, I couldn’t let a favorite childhood meal stay lost. I’ve been testing and tweaking until I got this copycat recipe just right.

The Quick & Easy Copycat (Minute Rice Version)

For this version, I’m keeping it as close to the “quick weeknight meal” spirit of the original as possible by using Minute Rice. You can have this bubbling away in your favorite skillet in almost no time.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 cup Minute Rice / instant white rice (do not rinse)
• 1 low sodium gravy packet
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat: Over medium heat, brown the ground beef and drain the grease.
2. Season: Add the ground ginger, onion powder, and garlic powder to the beef and stir to combine.
3. Add the liquids: Mix the soy sauce into 1 cup of the beef broth and pour it into the skillet. Mix the gravy packet with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of beef broth, whisk until smooth, and pour that into the skillet as well.
4. Boil and thicken: Stir everything together and bring to a boil. Let it bubble for 2–3 minutes so the gravy has a chance to thicken up a bit.
5. Add the rice: Stir in the Minute Rice.
6. Cover and rest: Immediately remove the skillet from the heat. Cover it with a tight-fitting lid and let it sit undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
7. Serve: Remove the lid, stir the mixture well, serve, and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Note: Estimates assume 4 servings using 85/15 lean ground beef (grease drained).

Nutrient	Per Serving (1/4 of recipe)	Total Recipe
Calories	405 kcal	1,620 kcal
Protein	32 g	128 g
Fat	17 g	68 g
Carbohydrates	26 g	104 g
Sodium	660 mg	2,640 mg

How to Make it Gluten-Free

Now, I know some of y’all might need to avoid wheat, and you might think this meal is off-limits. To make this completely gluten-free, we just need to swap out two sneaky ingredients that almost always contain wheat: the soy sauce and the gravy packet.

Gluten-Free Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth (Check the label! Ensure it’s certified GF, as some brands use wheat-based flavorings.)
• 1 cup Minute Rice / instant white rice
• 1 gluten-free brown gravy packet (McCormick and Pioneer both make great gluten-free versions)
• 2 tbsp tamari OR coconut aminos (Excellent gluten-free alternatives to traditional soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

The method is exactly the same as the original recipe above! Just substitute the tamari or coconut aminos when adding the first cup of broth, and use your GF gravy packet for the rest.

A Quick Note on Sodium:

Swapping the standard soy sauce and gravy packet for gluten-free options keeps the calories, protein, fat, and carbs virtually identical. The only big variable is the sodium content, which will change depending on your soy sauce substitute:

• If using Tamari: Expect sodium to rise to roughly 850–900 mg per serving. Standard tamari generally contains more sodium than low-sodium soy sauce. (You can fix this by purchasing low-sodium tamari!)
• If using Coconut Aminos: Expect sodium to drop to roughly 500–550 mg per serving, as coconut aminos are naturally much lower in sodium.

Gluten-Free Nutritional Information

Nutrient	Per Serving (1/4 of recipe)	Total Recipe
Calories	405 kcal	1,620 kcal
Protein	32 g	128 g
Fat	17 g	68 g
Carbohydrates	26 g	104 g

Did you enjoy this as a child? Tell me about it in the comments.