This Healthier Homemade Hamburger Helper is a delicious one-pot spin off on your favourite childhood meal – it's got extra veggies, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – any neutral oil will work in place of olive oil. Neutral oils can be grapeseed oil, canola oil, avocado oil, etc.
- Extra-lean ground beef – ground turkey or ground chicken can also be used in this recipe.
- Yellow onion – red onion, sweet onion or shallots can substitute yellow onion.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic in this recipe.
- Celery – use any vegetables of choice (like red or orange bell peppers, zucchini and carrots) for this recipe.
- Red pepper – use any bell pepper of your choice or substitute with a poblano pepper for additional heat; you can also leave it out, I just add it to sneak extra veggies in there!
- Beef broth – chicken or vegetable broth can also be used.
- Diced tomatoes – freshly diced tomatoes can be used as a substitution.
- Dried basil – use dried thyme or Italian seasoning.
- Dried oregano – use dried thyme or Italian seasoning.
- Rotini pasta – any short pasta (like penne, scoobi doo, macaroni, etc.) can be used in this recipe as a substitute for rotini.
- Sour cream – Greek yogurt will work instead; or you can add 2 tbsp of heavy cream.
- Cheddar cheese – use any shredded cheese blend of your choice.
- Parsley – use any fresh herbs you'd like. Basil would be another great garnish.
How to make homemade hamburger helper
Step 1: Sauté the onions and garlic.
In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic, sauteeing for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Step 2: Brown the ground beef.
Add ground beef and cook until browned, another 2 min. Add celery and red pepper, sauteeing for another 2-3 min.
Step 3: Add the veggies.
Add dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper, sauteeing another 30 seconds.
Step 4: Stir in the rest of the ingredients and cook for 15 minutes.
Add 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.
Step 5: Stir in sour cream and serve.
Stir in sour cream and cheese, then remove from heat.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Top with parsley (optional), then serve and enjoy!
How can I improve my hamburger helper?
This hamburger helper homemade healthy recipe is filled with real meat, cheese and even sneaks a couple veggies in there so this is a hearty, wholesome and nutritious version of the boxed meal.
Here's how to make this healthy hamburger helper better for you:
- Using extra-lean ground beef – even better if you use ground chicken or turkey.
- Adding celery, red pepper and parsley – veggies will round out the meal to make it healthier. You could also add in some carrots and spinach to make it even more nutritious.
- Using real cheese instead of the powdered stuff – you'll add more protein and won't be adding any preservatives.
- BONUS – use whole wheat pasta to add even more nutrients and fibre.
Frequently Asked Questions
Boxed Hamburger Helper is filled with preservatives and really has no nutritional benefits whatsoever. You buy a box with dried seasoning and pasta, add ground beef and call it a day. Don't get me wrong, indulging a craving for it every once in a while is perfectly fine but this healthier homemade hamburger helper takes the same amount of effort, is way better for you and in my opinion tastes better.
This healthy hamburger helper recipe has 589 calories per serving.
To make healthier homemade hamburger helper, you can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef, and swap out the regular sour cream for low-fat sour cream. You can even use whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta!
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers of this healthy hamburger helper in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Once stored, it will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, making it a great meal prep recipe.
To reheat, take a portion from the fridge and sprinkle some water over top, then microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or reheat it in a pot on the stovetop.
Freezing this recipe
Divide any leftovers of this healthier homemade hamburger helper into individual-sized or family-sized portions. Separate it into portions to make for easier reheating. Place the portion into airtight freezer-safe containers or in freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to reheat, place the frozen hamburger helper into the refrigerator to thaw overnight and then reheat as normal. You can also reheat from frozen for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring halfway through. Just make sure to sprinkle some water over top first so it doesn’t dry out.
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More easy one pot recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 is the version I use in this recipe.
- This is the pasta I use for the Instant Pot version.
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for your leftovers.
- And of course I get all my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Homemade Hamburger Helper {One Pot}
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!
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.)