This Healthier Homemade Hamburger Helper is a delicious one-pot spin off on your favourite childhood meal – it’s got extra veggies, too!
I love taking a classic childhood fave and giving it a healthy twist. This healthier homemade hamburger helper hits all the comfort-food vibes we grew up loving.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Childhood favourite, made healthier: All the nostalgia of classic hamburger helper with extra veggies packed in.
- One-pot convenience: Everything cooks together in a single pan for easy prep and cleanup
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – Any neutral oil like avocado or canola.
- Extra-lean ground beef – ground turkey or chicken work too.
- Yellow onion – red onion, sweet onion or shallots.
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic in a pinch.
- Celery – swap for bell peppers, zucchini, or carrots.
- Red pepper – Any bell pepper or poblano for some heat. I just add it to sneak extra veggies in there!
- Beef broth – chicken or vegetable broth.
- Diced tomatoes – freshly diced tomatoes.
- Dried basil – use dried thyme or Italian seasoning.
- Dried oregano – use dried thyme or Italian seasoning.
- Rotini pasta – any short pasta like penne or macaroni.
- Sour cream – Greek yogurt or add a bit of heavy cream.
- Cheddar cheese – use any shredded cheese of your choice.
- Parsley – basil would be another great garnish.
How to make homemade hamburger helper
Step 1: Sauté the base.
Add onions and garlic and sauté, then add the ground beef.
Step 2: Cook the beef and veg.
Cook until ground beef is browned then add celery, red pepper and seasoning.
Step 3: Add liquids and pasta.
Add broth, diced tomatoes, stir then add dry pasta. Bring to a boil and cook until pasta is done and liquid is absorbed.
Step 4: Finish with sour cream and cheese.
Stir in the sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Make This Meal Even Healthier
This homemade Hamburger Helper is packed with real meat, cheese, and a few sneaky veggies, making it a hearty and wholesome twist on the classic boxed version. Here’s how to make it even more nutritious:
- Use extra-lean ground meat – Swap in ground turkey or chicken for a leaner option.
- Add more veggies – Celery, red pepper, zucchini, carrots, spinach, boost nutrients and fibre.
- Choose real cheese – Provides protein without the preservatives found in boxed powder mixes.
- Go whole grain – Swap regular pasta for whole wheat or other high-fibre pasta.
- Use fresh herbs – Finishing with fresh herbs like parsley and basil add so much flavour.
Frequently asked questions
How healthy is hamburger helper?
Store-bought Hamburger Helper is convenient, but it’s full of preservatives and not much else nutritionally. This homemade version takes just as little effort, has extra veggies, and is way better for you. Plus, it tastes even better in my opinion!
How do I prevent the pasta from getting mushy?
Keep an eye on it as it cooks and stop once the pasta is tender so you don’t overdo it. I also recommend cooking it without the lid on, since covering the pot traps steam and adds extra liquid, which can make the pasta too soft.
How do I make this dairy free?
I haven’t tested this recipe with dairy-free swaps yet, but you could use a plain dairy-free yogurt in place of the sour cream and a plant-based shredded cheese instead of cheddar. It should still come out creamy and tasty!
Storing and reheating
Storing: This recipe is great for meal prep! Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Sprinkle a little water over the portion and microwave for 2–3 minutes, or reheat on the stovetop until warmed through.
Freezing: Divide into individual or family-sized portions and store in airtight freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
Defrosting and reheating: Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat as usual, or reheat from frozen for 6–8 minutes, stirring halfway and adding a splash of water to prevent drying out.
More easy one pot recipes
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Equipment
- Glass meal prep bowls for storing leftovers
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef or ground chicken
- 2 small yellow onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 6 cups beef or chicken broth
- 1 796mL can Finely diced tomatoes if you can't find finely diced, use an immersion blender to roughly blend them for a second or twice – you still want some chunks but you want it to be in between a dice and puree
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 lb dry rotini pasta (4 cups of dry pasta)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Stovetop instructions
- In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic, sauteeing for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add ground beef and cook until browned, another 2 min. Add celery and red pepper, sauteeing for another 2-3 min.
- Add dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper, sauteeing another 30 seconds before adding broth and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine, then add dry pasta and bring to a boil, cooking on medium heat and stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes until pasta is completely cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in sour cream and cheese, then remove from heat. Top with parsley (optional), then serve and enjoy!
Instant Pot instructions
- Add olive oil to Instant Pot and turn to saute mode. When oil is hot, add onions, garlic and ground beef, breaking up with a spoon and sauteeing for 4-5 minutes until browned.
- Add in remaining ingredients in order that they are listed except for sour cream, cheese and parsley, adding in pasta last.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes (Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to preheat then cook the 3 minutes). Do a quick release of the pressure, then stir in sour cream and cheese, garnishing with parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Bev says
I made this tonight and my husband loved it! Thank you for your recipes 🙂
Dawn says
This sounds so good! I have to admit that I used to always have at least 2 boxes of Hamburger Helper in my cabinet for just in case. Sometimes they just came in handy and then you get to a point where you feel you always have to have them around.
I started cooking more in the Instant Pot and I have been straying away from the feeling of needing boxed foods for busy nights. I can’t remember the last time I bought Hamburger Helper 🙂 So proud of myself! Don’t get me wrong, I was never a every night boxed meal person. I think that habit would take more for one to break. But I was one that it was my go to for busy nights, like my comfort food for those nights.
I have almost everything needed for this, so I will definitely be making it very soon!
Allie says
Just wanting to check. For the instant pot version, do we need to brown the beef before throwing the rest in? I ask cause I know on another recipe like the chili Mac and cheese, we are to brown the meat before adding the rest.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Allie – I’ve done it both ways and it works either way. If you are concerned about draining the fat, you will want to saute first. However, if you’re using extra-lean ground beef this isn’t as much of an issue and the meat will still get cooked through without adding too much extra fat to the dish. You are welcome to either brown ahead of time or just dump and cook.
Dona Perkins says
Is the amount of pasta correct in the recipe? Does 1 lb of pasta really equal 4.5 cups?
Taylor Stinson says
Depending on the exact size and shape of the pasta, it can be anywhere from 3-4.5 cups, yes. I do recommend a 1 lb box of pasta is used, but sometimes pasta comes in 2 lb bags so I’ve tried to give an approximate amount in cups as an alternative.
Julie says
I am wondering what happens to the hamburger fat….is it just part of the finished dish? That seems like a lot of extra fat. I suppose you could brown the beef then drain and then add to dish.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Julie – you are using extra lean ground beef so there’s less fat. If you’re concerned about the fat levels you can brown ahead of time and drain as you said!
Natalie says
It says diced tomatoes in the list of ingredients then crushed tomatoes in the directions. Which is it?
Taylor Stinson says
So sorry Natalie – diced tomatoes! I have updated the recipe to reflect that 🙂
Kaylyn says
Why is there two different hamburger helper pictures?
Is the one in the pot with elbow pasta your recipe as well?
Sandra says
Soooo.. can I ask a dumb question..? I already have 2 slow cookers; can I use them instead of the instant pot? ( tbh the ‘pressure cooker’ element has me a smidge uncomfortable …. but I love the convenience of throwing things in a pot in the morning and coming home to yummiess! )
thx ! X
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Sandra! Unfortunately I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker before. I’m starting to create more Instant Pot recipes that you can also do on the stovetop or in the slow cooker but I can’t adapt all of them to all three methods. If you want to try the stovetop instead of the Instant Pot this recipe should work perfectly. I haven’t tested how pasta would work in the slow cooker but that’s something for me to think about for future recipe development!
Cathy says
America’s Test Kitchen had a cookbook called “The complete slow cooker : from appetizers to desserts–400 must-have recipes that cook while you play (or work)” that I think had recipes for the slow cooker which included pasta. I found a copy at my local library.
Ana says
Solid recipe and I love that it has taken care of cooking dinner for the rest of the week!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to hear that Ana!!! Love it!
Lesley Metcalfe says
This looks so good! Gonna make it tonight! (Speaking of childhood indulgences, I have a mega-weakness for Nacho Doritos and Oreos.)