Hamburger Helper
a healthy homemade version of the classic!
Happy Thursday meal preppers! It is finallyyyyy cooling down here in Texas, so this cozy recipe is going to come in clutch. It’s the healthy, homemade version of the classic comfort food- Hamburger Helper.
Perfectly spiced ground beef, hidden veggies, pasta, and a creamy cheese sauce- what more could you want?! And of course we lighten it up and make it high protein so you can feel good eating it all week.
One way we do keep this meal true to the classic is that it’s super easy and delicious and it only takes 30 minutes to prep.
For my paid subscribers- the meal plan for this week is easy delicious meals for you- think crockpot, sheet pan meals, alllll the quick and easy goods.
YOUR MEAL PLAN
Meal Plan- Here’s an idea of how to build out a week of meals. You can swap things out, move things around- tailor it to your liking!
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Not into these meals or the recipe for this week? You can always check out the archive of all previous recipes and meal plans here!
THE RECIPE
Hamburger Helper
Macros per serving:
473 cal/ 15g fat/ 44g carbs/ 4g fiber/ 39g protein (I used 1.25 lb ground beef 96% lean)
Servings: 4 servings
Time: 30 mins
Tools:
Cutting board
Knife
Large skillet
Large pot
Ingredients:
1-1.5lb ground beef
1/2 onion
1 red bell pepper
1-2 zucchini
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup beef broth
8 oz tomato sauce
2 tbsp cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
6 oz dry noodles (I used brown rice elbows from Jovial Foods)
Instructions:
Heat a large pot of water for the pasta.
Chop the onion.
Add the ground beef and onion to another large pot on medium heat.
While it cooks, chop the bell pepper and shred the zucchini. Add them to the pot.
Continue to cook and break apart the meat. When the meat is cooked through, add the minced garlic, paprika, chili powder, oregano, and onion powder. Cook for 1 more minute.
Add the beef broth and tomato sauce and cook on low while you complete the next steps.
Add the dry noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
Drain the pasta. Add the cream cheese and shredded cheese to the sauce and stir to combine. Add the pasta. Salt to taste.
LAZY VERISION
Use a food processor to chop the veggies. This is also great if you are feeding this to picky kids, because the veggies kind of disappear!
SUBSTITUTIONS
Sub for ground beef: ground turkey, ground pork
Dairy free: use a dairy free cream cheese and dairy free shredded cheese, or omit the shredded cheese and add 2 tsp of nutritional yeast
Sub for zucchini: shredded carrots, cauliflower rice
Sub for red bell pepper: any color pepper
STORAGE
Allow everything to come to room temp and then store in airtight containers in the fridge. I like using these containers.
REHEATING
Add about 1 tsp of water to the noodles. Reheat for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
GROCERY LIST
PRODUCE
1/2 onion
1 red bell pepper
1-2 zucchini
3 cloves garlic
MEAT/DAIRY
1-1.5 lb ground beef
2 tbsp cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
PANTRY
1 cup beef broth
8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz dry noodles (I used brown rice elbows from Jovial Foods)
SPICES/STAPLES
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste
MACROS
Per serving, 4 servings total.
473 cal/ 15g fat/ 44g carbs/ 4g fiber/ 39g protein (I used 1.25 lb ground beef 96% lean)
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