You’ll be making this homemade hamburger helper recipe for dinner at least once a month. It’s a hearty and comforting dish and jam packed with secret veggies. Not that we need to keep veggies a secret but… sometimes we do. Let’s make classic Helper from scratch! Your kids (or the child inside your heart) will just love it!
If you were raised in he 80’s and 90’s, I feel like you sat down to a dinner table of either Hamburger Helper or Stouffer’s Lasagna. We were a Hamburger Helper family. That little cartoon oven mitt had me convinced I was an actual chef and clearly I ‘ve drawn that feeling out into a lifestyle. With a little finesse (aka getting the seasoning pack lumps out), and some extra grated cheese, I would argue that I was a chef and there’s no use telling me different at this point.ย ย Honestly, God bless the meal that your kids can cobble together for the whole family.ย That must have been truly liberating for my parents.
Let’s make one of my childhood favorites, from scratch, with extra zucchini and cauliflower (because we’re grown and we know what’s good for us).ย This pot-o-pasta is so dang comforting you’ll want to keep the recipe printed and taped inside a kitchen cabinet. That’s the level.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this homemade hamburger helper recipe:
โขย ground beef (or you could use ground turkey – dark meat will give you the most flavor – or ground chicken for the leanest option.)
โขย diced onions
โขย shredded zucchini
โขย minced cauliflower (or broccoli if you’d like the green option.)
โขย elbow macaroni pasta
โขย olive oil
โขย sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
โขย shredded sharp cheddar cheese
โขย chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder
โขย milk (or heavy cream for a very decadent option)
โขย beef broth or chicken broth or vegetable broth
โขย fresh parsley or chives
The beauty of this hamburger helper recipes, aside from it’s ultimate comfort, is that it’s also an easy stovetop one pot meal.
In a large dutch oven, stock pot, or large skillet with high sides –ย heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add ground beef and onions.ย Stir around the hot pan to brown, breaking up the beef with the edge of the spoon.
Once the beef is cooked through, add all of the spices, salt and pepper and stir until fragrant – about 2 minutes.
Once the beef is cooked through and fragrant, add the elbow pasta, shredded zucchini and minced cauliflower. Give a stir and add the broth and milk.
Next we’ll simmer all that goodness until the pasta is al dente.ย Here’s the thing, we’re not working with a ton of liquid here but you want as much of that uncooked pasta in contact with the simmering liquid as possible.ย I used the back of a spoon to press the pasta into the sauce, cover the pot, and bring to a low boil for 8 to 12 minutes over medium heat. Remove the lid and give the mixture a good stir and again press the pasta into the liquid halfway through simmering.
Remove the lid when the pasta is just cooked through and add handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese.ย Stir until the mixture is melty, creamy and otherwise irresistible.ย Remove from the heat and place the lid on the pot until ready to serve (within the hour or so).
Serve this hamburger helper recipe sprinkled with fresh parsley or chives (or skip them if it feels fussy).ย This is a bowl on the couch sort of meal so act accordingly.
Scratch that tastes better than the box and is just as comforting (knowing those sneaky veggies are adding added nutrients).
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. The leftovers are fantastic reheated with a splash of water or milk.ย I’ve also been known to eat a few spoonfuls cold from the fridge with absolutely zero complaints.
Share your Helper on Facebook or Instagram if you make this recipe!
More One-Pot Dinner inspiration here!
One-Pot Marry Me Chicken – we’re doubling the cream sauce, adding green olives, and serving with rice. I LOVE this chicken dish!
One-Pot No-Chop Chicken Meatball Dinner – it’s the ‘no-chop’ for me. Sometimes cutting an onion is just too much.
One-Pot Chocolate Sheet Cake – chocolate cake but fewer dishes.
One-Pot Vegan Hamburger Helper– a vegan version of this recipe made by one of my favorite bloggers Timothy.
Print
One-Pot Healthy-ish Hamburger Helper
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: dinner
Description
The most comforting 90s dinner – homemade.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup of chopped onion)
- 1 pound ground beef, leaner is better
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon spicy smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound short pasta, like elbow or ditalini
- 1 zucchini, grated on a box grater
- A few handfuls of cauliflower chopped finely
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Parsley for serving
Instructions
- Place a large pot (I love my dutch oven for this) over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, and ground beef and break the beef into the onion as it browns. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Allow the meat and onions to brown and cook through, breaking up to fine bits, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the chili powder, paprikas, and garlic powder and cook for another minute.
- Add the dry pasta, zucchini, and cauliflower and toss to combine. Add the broth and milk and stir to combine.ย Press the pasta into the liquid as best you can. It won’t all be submerged but don’t worry, it’ll all soften eventually.
- Place the lid on the pot and simmer over medium-high heat for 8-12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Remove the lid to stir the mixture once or twice during cooking to ensure all the pasta softens.
- Remove the lid and stir in the cheese until well combined and melty and the pasta is completely softened. Taste and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the pasta between bowls and top with a sprinkle of fresh parsley before serving.
35 Responses
So comforting on this rainy night, thanks for sharing! Will definitely make again.
Hearty, comforting, & easy. Comes together quite effortlessly and is a hit in my home. Thanks for sharing!
My mom is Italian so I never had hamburger helper as a kid but was always so curious to know what it was like. So I couldnโt resist. Delicious and such an easy recipe to play with. Used pimentรณn (sweet and spicy) instead of paprika and TJโs mushroom powder generously. Was generous with the chopped broccoli stems and florets (loved the texture in it) and pork instead of beef (that was an accident I defrosted the meat without checking carefully! So good. Thank you, Joy, for fulfilling my childhood dreams :-). I will for sure make again.
Delicious! I grated two zucchini and was probably a bit generous with the cauliflower and it turned out great. My only note is that I probably could have been heavier handed with the chili powder and paprikas… I also added cayenne pepper which was great.
Please note I made some substitutions, I made this with ground chicken instead of beef (I donโt eat cows) and I used both broccoli and cauliflower (I like my veggies) and this was a great, fairly quick dinner! Perfect for a cozy night like tonight and was a hit! I definitely recommend making this as is or with your own substitutions
Iโm looking at adding butternut squash to this, but I know thatโs got a longer cook time than zucchini. How would you recommend prepping it to add it in?
Otherwise I make this recipe as is ALL the time and itโs so cozy and delicious and reheats so well I eat it all week long.
The veggies are SO sneaky, and Iโm so on board. My husband and I enjoyed this with extra red pepper flakes and had happy bellies