Is hamburger helper healthy? Is it good for you?

If you buy the boxed version, no. It has preservatives, sugar, and MSG – none of which are good for you . Homemade recipes hamburger helper have simple, real food ingredients – a much better choice!

Can I make hamburger helper without meat?

Instead of beef, use two cups of cooked brown lentils . It’ll be very similar to my Cheesy Lentil Pasta recipe ! Or if you’re just trying to use less meat, make a batch of Stretched Ground Beef first and use that in place of the meat.

Can you use ground chicken in hamburger helper recipes?

I personally haven’t used ground chicken for cheeseburger helper recipes, but you definitely can! You can also use cooked shredded chicken or ground turkey.

Homemade Hamburger Helper | Easy 1-Pot Meal (+Video)

Homemade Hamburger Helper

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Make homemade hamburger helper (or cheeseburger helper!) for an easy one pot meal that’s on the table in less than 20 minutes! Ground beef, pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese plus a few pantry staples make a simple, delicious dinner.

Author: Tiffany
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Category: Main Meals
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb ground beef
28 oz tomato sauce (try my homemade recipe)
1–2 cups chicken stock (try my homemade recipe)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
8 oz small pasta (i.e. macaroni or shells)
2 cups frozen peas
1–2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

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Instructions

Place ground beef in large, 5-6 quart pot. Turn the heat on medium and break it up into smaller chunks using a wooden spoon. You don’t have to actually brown the beef; it’s just easier to break it up into smaller pieces at this point.
Add the tomato sauce, 1 cup of broth, spices, and pasta, and bring the mixture to a medium simmer. The sauce should be bubbling, but not splattering.
Let the mixture simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, breaking up the meat, and making sure the noodles are submerged in the sauce as much as possible.
Check the pasta for doneness at the 10-minute mark and continue to cook until the noodles are al dente. Add additional chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, if the sauce becomes too thick before the noodles have had a chance to cook.
When the noodles are just about done, stir in the frozen peas. When the peas are warmed through and the pasta is done, remove the hamburger helper from the heat.
Gently stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Taste and add more cheese as desired.
Serve warm.

Notes

Tomato Sauce. This can be actual tomato sauce, or it can be whole or diced tomatoes you pureed. It doesn’t matter really what you start with, but give it a whiz in your blender (I have this one) so that it becomes a sauce.
Chicken Stock. Vegetable stock or even water would work too (here’s how to make homemade stock).
Pasta. Macaroni is the most popular, but I’ve used rotini, shells, and penne too. Gluten free pasta works if you need it!

Nutrition

Calories: 512

Find it online: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/homemade-hamburger-helper/