This Vegan Hamburger Helper is flavorful, easy to make, and filling. A little healthier, but still a meal that everyone can enjoy.
I didn’t grow up eating Hamburger Helper, but becoming an adult means I want to live out my childhood whims. And one of my food dreams has been eating hamburger helper. But of course, I made it vegan and it still tasted just as delicious.
This is great for a quick meal and one that everyone can enjoy. It has a lot of seasonings, but most of them you would already have. Try it out!
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Ingredients for Vegan Hamburger Helper
- Pasta. Elbow pasta is the most traditional, but make sure whatever pasta is used, it can hold the sauce well. I wouldn’t recommend spaghetti or linguini.
- Vegan Ground. You can any one that is your favorite. I used impossible because it has more of a neutral meaty taste.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Nutritional yeast. This has a slightly cheesy taste and it adds to the flavor of the overall dish.
- Turmeric. This isn’t entirely needed, but it adds a lovely yellow color to the dish.
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Hot Sauce. I used Cholula hot sauce because it is very vinegar-y and its acid and spiciness cuts through the richness.
- Beefless broth. This is a vegetarian beef base that has more umami than regular vegetable bouillon. I recommend this brand, but you can also use vegetable broth if you have nothing else.
- Vegan Cheddar shreds. Vegan cheese is notorious for not melting, but this brand is finely shredded and I find it works great in pasta dishes.
- Vegan Sour cream. Sour cream is used to add creaminess to the dish without adding more liquid. You can use vegan cream cheese or yogurt if you can’t find vegan sour cream.
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Vegan Hamburger Helper
Materials
- 8 oz elbow pasta
- 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) vegan butter, divided or oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 garlic, minced
- 1 pkg vegan ground I used impossible ground
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard not whole grain
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1/2 cup beefless broth or veggie broth Or water with 1 tsp of beefless bouillon
- 1/2 cup pasta water (reserved from the pasta)
- 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds I used the follow your heart brand
- 1/4 cup vegan sour cream or unsweetened yogurt
- chopped parsley as garnish
Instructions
- In a pot, fill a pot with water and bring to a low boil, pour the pasta in and cook until just before al dente. You don't want it too soft because it will continue cooking with the meat.
- In a large pan, heat the butter (or oil) and sauté the onion for a minute until translucent in color. Then add the garlic and mix in. Cook without burning.
- Add the vegan ground and cook until browned.
- Mix in the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the broth and pasta. Cook until pasta is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.
- Add the cheese and stir to melt. Then mix in the sour cream.
- Serve hot and garnish with chopped parsley.
I hope you try this recipe. If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below.
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lots of ingredients in recipe. all to my delight. i love the garlic flavoring.