Healthy Hamburger Helper

A close up of a bowl of homemade hamburger helper on a grey background

Ditch the box and make this healthy Hamburger Helper recipe instead! This one-pot, lean ground beef pasta dinner is comfort food at its best!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Servings: 2-cup servings

Calories: 507kcal

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
½ cup finely chopped onion
3 cups dry rotini pasta sub penne or medium shells (10 oz)
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Heat a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with olive oil cooking spray.
Brown the ground beef and onion in the pan for about 10 minutes, until the beef is completely cooked and onions are translucent.
Add in the pasta, beef broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper and salt. Stir together, cover the pan and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, remove the cover and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 12-14 minutes or until pasta is done and liquid is mostly reduced.
Move the pan off the heat and add in the shredded cheese. Stir until combined.

Video

Notes

For pasta, you can use rotini, penne or medium shells (cook time is all similar). We don't recommend gluten free pasta for this recipe. This recipe is a one pan pasta recipe and gluten free pasta can get very mushy. Use at your own risk!

You can use any type of broth for this recipe or even water, chicken broth and beef brother are our favorites.

Nutrition