Ditch the field and make this lightened-up do-it-yourself Hamburger Helper recipe! It’s a fast and simple one-pot dinner with all of the acquainted flavors, made with seasoned floor turkey, melty cheese, and entire grain macaroni.
I like remaking traditional dinners from my childhood, from Hamburger Helper to beefaroni, to creamy hen stroganoff and mac and cheese. Prompt consolation, and family-friendly!

I’ve been making this Hamburger Helper recipe for years, and it at all times brings me straight again to the dinner desk as a excessive schooler. My mother and father typically labored late again then, and my sister and I’d deal with ourselves to a field meal a minimum of as soon as per week.
After all, immediately’s model is do-it-yourself and never from a field. It’s filled with scrumptious components you can truly pronounce! I make my Hamburger Helper with entire wheat pasta, floor turkey, and vegan cheese with out sacrificing any of the creamy, comforting flavors we all know and love.
Why I Love This Hamburger Helper Recipe
- One pot. Similar to the unique Hamburger Helper from a field, this do-it-yourself model cooks multi function pot. Clear-up is a snap afterward.
- Straightforward. Hamburger Helper has at all times been the OG weeknight dinner. This recipe is fast and easy to arrange, good after I want a tasty dinner in a rush.
- Higher than a field combine. I make this recipe with turkey as a substitute of hamburger meat, but it surely nonetheless has all of the wealthy, creamy, savory flavors of the unique. It tastes even higher should you ask me! A number of easy seasonings, hen broth, and a touch of Worcestershire sauce are all it takes to pack within the taste.


Elements You’ll Want
The unique Hamburger Helper was a cheap, family-pleasing dinner, in order that’s what I got down to recreate with this recipe. The components under are simple and pantry-friendly, and I’ve included some notes to get you began. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card after the put up for a printable components listing with the total recipe directions.
- Olive Oil – Or your selection of cooking oil, for sautéing.
- Onion and Garlic – I take advantage of diced yellow onion and freshly minced garlic. Any gentle onion is nice. If it’s essential to substitute recent garlic, change every clove with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Floor Turkey – I take advantage of 99% fat-free “further lean” floor turkey, however any floor meat will work right here. You can also make this do-it-yourself Hamburger Helper with hamburger meat (the traditional), floor hen, floor pork, or floor sausage.
- Seasoning – Chili powder and candy or smoked paprika, plus salt and black pepper to style.
- Elbow Macaroni – I make my hamburger helper recipe with whole-grain macaroni noodles, however you should use any kind of short-cut pasta you’d like. Different good selections are penne, small shells, rigatoni, cavatappi, and fusilli.
- Cheese – Any dairy or non-dairy shreddable cheese works on this recipe. I’ve typically used Daiya vegan cheddar. You should utilize common cheddar, Monterey Jack, or gouda cheese. For the perfect outcomes, shred the cheese recent from the block because it melts smoother this fashion.
- Flour – To assist thicken the cheese sauce. All-purpose flour works completely. You possibly can additionally change the flour with half the quantity of cornstarch.
- Milk – Any kind of milk you’d like, whether or not that’s almond milk, soy milk, common milk, and so forth.
- Rooster Broth – I like to make use of low-sodium fat-free hen broth. You should utilize both hen or vegetable inventory, it’s as much as you.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Just a bit goes an extended method to richen up the flavors within the sauce. You can even use soy sauce.
How one can Make Hamburger Helper
Similar to related one-pot pasta dinners, like my hen broccoli pasta, this recipe comes collectively in a single pan on the range in about half-hour. Right here’s the right way to make it:








- Sauté. First, get your onions and garlic sautéeing in a scorching skillet with oil.
- Brown the meat. As soon as that’s softened and aromatic, add the bottom turkey. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and paprika, and brown the meat for 4-5 minutes. Take it off the warmth afterward and drain any extra liquid.
- Mix. Add the dry macaroni to the skillet together with the cheese, flour, milk, and hen broth. Give it a sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce and produce it to a boil.
- Cook dinner. Decrease the warmth to a simmer, then cowl and cook dinner for 8-10 minutes, till the pasta is al dente. Stir, style for seasonings yet another time, and serve!
Use Leftovers!
When you have leftover roast turkey within the days after Thanksgiving or Christmas, that is the right meal to place it to make use of! Shred the cooked turkey and stir it in on the finish, after the pasta has cooked. You can even do that with poached hen or pulled pork (much like a pulled pork mac and cheese).


Suggestions and Variations
- Cooking occasions may range. Your Hamburger Helper might have kind of cooking time relying on the kind of pasta you employ. You additionally may want to make use of extra liquid for various pasta shapes. One thing to bear in mind.
- Add tomatoes. Stir a spoonful of tomato paste into the sauce, or add a can of diced tomatoes should you like a tomato-y Hamburger Helper.
- Add bacon. Sauté diced bacon with the onions, or stir in cooked crumbled bacon proper earlier than serving.
- Change up the seasonings. Be happy to regulate the seasonings to fit your tastes. Add kind of garlic and chili powder, or, should you desire a bit of kick, sprinkle in cayenne pepper, crushed pink pepper flakes, or scorching sauce.
- Add greens. When you’d like so as to add in greens like spinach or kale, you possibly can chop these up and wilt them in on the finish. Frozen peas or a frozen vegetable medley are additionally fast, simple methods so as to add in further veggies.




How one can Retailer and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer any leftover Hamburger Helper in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. It turns into a bit drier because the pasta absorbs extra of the sauce, but it surely nonetheless tastes nice.
- Reheat. Heat your Hamburger Helper within the microwave or on the stovetop, stirring sometimes, till it’s warmed by means of. I like so as to add a splash of broth to assist skinny out and loosen up the sauce.
Extra One Pan Pasta Dinners
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Sauté the onions. Warmth the olive oil over medium-high warmth in a deep-sided, nonstick skillet or a Dutch oven. Add onions and cook dinner for 3 minutes, stirring ceaselessly. Stir within the garlic and cook dinner for 20 seconds.
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Brown the turkey. Add the bottom turkey and season with chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook dinner for 4 to five minutes, stirring sometimes, till the meat is browned. Then, take away from warmth and drain out the liquid.
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Mix. To the browned turkey meat, add the pasta, cheese, flour, milk, hen broth, and Worcestershire sauce and stir to mix.
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Cook dinner. Carry the combination to a boil, stirring ceaselessly; decrease to a simmer and canopy with a lid. Proceed to cook dinner for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring ceaselessly, till the pasta is tender and totally cooked.
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Serve! Take away your hamburger helper from the warmth and style for seasonings. Alter accordingly, after which serve.
Energy: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 27g | Fats: 10g | Saturated Fats: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 2g | Trans Fats: 0.01g | Ldl cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 494mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary data is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could range in keeping with the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.