This homemade vegan hamburger helper recipe is healthy and the perfect family friendly meal. Can be made gluten free too!
This post was sponsored by NOW Foods but the content and opinions expressed are fully my own.
This post was originally published on March 26, 2017.
Anyone else NOT grow up on hamburger helper? I never ate it as a kid because my mom was from Greece and made all the classic Greek dishes. But as an adult, I obviously needed to recreate this as a tad healthier version to stuff my face with!
Top reasons why this vegan hamburger helper is actually good for you:
- Protein packed with meaty chickpea crumble.
- A cheese sauce made primarily of veggies.
- A pasta made from naturally gluten free whole food ingredients.
- No processed trickery.
Ingredients
No boxed processed cheese food product here. Only real, wholesome ingredients! Here's what you need:
- Macaroni pasta
- Ultimate Cheese Sauce
- Chickpeas
- Sweet or yellow onion
- Veggie broth
- Diced roasted tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Seasonings
My favorite trick is using dried soaked chickpeas, then chopping them into a fine crumble and cooking them with broth and spices. The texture is awesome and the flavor is amazing.
Couple that with my Ultimate Cheese Sauce and a bowl full of pasta and it doesn't get much better. But here's the thing, I am a pasta snob. There is nothing worse than digging into noodles that plain suck.
So what kind of pasta do I like? This. Living Now Organic Quinoa Macaroni. If you're looking for a macaroni that looks like the real deal and tastes like the real deal, this is it.
No weird color. No weird texture. No weird flavor. Just the good stuff. When I found this stuff, I knew I'd hit the gluten free, whole food, full of nutrients jackpot.
How to Make Vegan Hamburger Helper
This recipe for homemade Vegan Hamburger Helper is seriously almost as easy as the box! Here's what to do:
- Crumble soaked chickpeas in a food processor.
- Sauté onion, then mix in the rest of the meaty crumble ingredients.
- Once cooked, add cheese sauce and mix well.
- Stir cooked pasta into the hamburger cheese mix.
- Serve!
Tips and tricks
These suggestions will come in handy when you're making your own healthy hamburger helper:
- The Cheese Sauce recipe makes 4 cups, but you'll only need about 2 cups. Save the rest for later! Make nachos, plain macaroni and cheese, a dip for veggies, cheese fries, and more. It also freezes well.
- If using canned chickpeas, skip the broth or water and just drain, rinse, and chop.
- Make sure to use gluten-free pasta if needed.
- The homemade cheese sauce actually is made from veggies, bu you can still mix in extra nutrition. Add finely diced mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, or spinach to the dish.
- Prepare this ahead of time by making the cheese sauce and soak the chickpeas.
- Save leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
- You can also freeze for up to 3 months by sealing the cooked and cooled hamburger helper in an airtight freezer safe container.
Common Questions
Add in some onion and garlic and veggies along with more seasonings to your taste.
You sure can! Plant based meats, crumbled beans or lentils, or veggies work great as a vegan option.
Yes you can, just follow the directions and skip the meat.
Use a dairy free milk alternative or water, just know that the flavor and consistency will change a bit.
Serve hamburger helper with fresh sides. Crisp salads, or veggies like broccoli, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini make great options.
More Vegan Family Friendly Recipes
These plant based meals have something for everyone in the family, plus they're nutritious, and easy to make!
- Vegan Pigs in a Blanket
- Burrito Bowl
- Healthy Taco Salad
- Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Burrito
- Vegetable Bolognese
- Vegan BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
Healthy Vegan Hamburger Helper Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces macaroni pasta , gluten free if needed
- 2 cups Ultimate Cheese Sauce , adjust this amount to make it as cheesy you prefer it
Meaty crumble:
- ½ cup dried chickpeas , soaked overnight (see note for canned)
- ¼ cup sweet or yellow onion , finely chopped
- veggie broth or drizzle of oil to sauté
- 1 cup veggie broth , low sodium if needed
- ½ cup diced roasted tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Chop soaked chickpeas in a food processor until you get a nice crumble.
- Saute onion with broth or oil until it gets translucent. Add the rest of the meaty crumble ingredients and mix well.
- Cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the beans are cooked, stirring often. Watch closely because the beans can stick, especially if not using oil. If they begin to stick, lower heat and continue to mix.
- Once done, add cheese sauce and mix well. You can add less or more cheese sauce to make it as cheesy as you prefer. I added 1 ½ cups
- Meanwhile, cook your favorite pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse, then add to the hamburger cheese mix. Stir to incorporate.
- Serve!
Notes
- The cheese sauce recipe makes 4 cups. Save the leftovers for another use, such as nachos, plain macaroni and cheese, a dip for veggies, cheese fries, etc. It also freezes well.
- If you use canned chickpeas, skip the broth/water and just drain and rinse about a can of chickpeas (you need around 1 ½ cups) and chop.
- Make cheese sauce. Soak chickpeas.
- Best kid food ever. Overcook pasta for young baby and mash well.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
The Vegan 8
I love this much healthier homemade version of hamburger! Even though hamburger was terribly processed and unhealthy, I always loved it because it was so good and so bold in flavor, not bland. Plus, easy and quick! I'm drooling over your version...looks healthy, hearty and so filling!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Brandi! It's amazing how you can make the same flavorful dishes with all whole foods.
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes
OMG! Yum! This looks so incredibly good! Great idea on making a vegan version of this 😉 I think my boys would love it!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Vanessa!
Mandy
I've never actually had hamburger helper, but I'm really impressed with how meaty this looks! What a genius way to do the crumbles. And anything involving your ultimate cheese sauce is a winner! This looks amazing, Sophia! I'll definitely give this a try for my family! xo
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Mandy! Let me know if you try it! It's one of those meals that makes you think you are eating totally bad. LOL!
Dianne
This reminds me of my childhood. I want a big bowl of it right now!
veggiesdontbite
I love doing healthy makeovers!
Becky Striepe
Holy moly! I can't believe how healthy this makeover is. I'd totally make this for my kid, and I bet he's going to love it!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Becky! Let me know if you try it!
Hope
This looks like perfect comfort food and I love that you have made it into a healthier version! Quinoa macaroni sounds pretty good!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks!! You don't taste the quinoa at all!
Dreena
I've never had hamburger helper! I think it's bigger in the US. Whatever! Your dish looks FAR better anyhow. I do the same with chickpeas - it's such a great texture, I use it in tacos too. I'll have to keep an eye out for the quinoa pasta, it looks terrific.
Debra C.
Big bowlful of delicious goodness! I don't think anyone would miss the meat in this lovely dish. One bowl please! 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thank you!
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ
This looks amazing. I need to look for that gluten free pasta since I following a gluten free diet. I've never saw a more Yummy looking healthy bowl of pasta...Yummm.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! It's great pasta!
Angela
This looks lovely, I've never had chick peas with pasta before. I love how rich the sauce looks.
Linda @ Veganosity
My oldest sister used to make Hamburger Helper for my brother and I, and I hated it! It was so salty and just yuck. Your copycat recipe looks and sounds so much better.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
Finally a really healthy pasta! This looks like a giant bowl of comfort food - and the chickpeas are genius!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Lisa!! I love the versatility of chickpeas!
Laurel
I was so excited to find this recipe! Hamburger helper was a childhood favorite of mine, and I can't wait to make this healthy version!
veggiesdontbite
Oh yay!!! It was not an easy task but the family loved it! I haven't had that stuff in forever but this healthy version hit the spot! Let me know what you think!
Chloe Beneke
Can you use canned chickpeas?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Chloe! You can use canned chickpeas but you will not get the same meaty texture. Dried chickpeas, once soaked, have a much firmer and meatier type texture once chopped up and cooked than canned chickpeas, which tend to be soft and get more mushy. I have experimented a lot with achieving that perfect crumble and the dried chickpeas lend to a much better result. The flavor will be good either way, but the texture will be different.
Casey the College Celiac
I love adding chickpeas to my pasta (or using chickpea pasta as a base), but I never thought of making a chickpea crumble. Delish!
veggiesdontbite
They are so versatile!! They are by far my favorite whole food way to achieve a meaty crumble texture.