• Recipe Index
    • Cooking Method
      • Air fryer
      • Grill
      • One Skillet
      • Pressure Cooker
      • Slow Cooker
      • Stove + Oven
    • Courses
      • Apps + Snacks
      • Beverages
      • Breakfast
      • Desserts
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Salads
      • Sides
      • Soups, Stews + Chilis
    • Diet
      • Dairy Free
      • Kid Friendly
      • GF + DF
      • Gluten Free
      • Paleo + Whole 30
      • Vegan + Vegetarian
    • Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Cauliflower
      • Chocolate
      • Hidden Veggies
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry
      • Seafood
      • Squash
    • Seasonal
      • Fall + Thanksgiving
      • Winter + Christmas
      • Spring + Easter
      • Summer + BBQ
  • Meal Plans
    • Weekly Dinner Plans
    • Full Meal Plans
  • Shop
    • Amazon Store
    • Ebooks
    • Gift Guides
  • Tips + Resources
    • At Home Workouts
    • 21 Day Fix | Ultimate Portion Fix Resources
    • Other Beachbody Programs
    • Cooking | Kitchen Tips
    • Meal Prep
    • Instant Pot 101
    • Our Autism Story
  • About Me
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • Privacy Policy | Disclosure
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About Me
  • Work With Me
  • Legal
    • Privacy Policy | Disclosure
  • Contact
  • Shop

Confessions of a Fit Foodie

  • Recipe Index
    • Cooking Method
      • Air fryer
      • Grill
      • One Skillet
      • Pressure Cooker
      • Slow Cooker
      • Stove + Oven
    • Courses
      • Apps + Snacks
      • Beverages
      • Breakfast
      • Desserts
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Salads
      • Sides
      • Soups, Stews, + Chilis
    • Diet
      • Dairy Free
      • Kid Friendly
      • Gluten Free
      • GF + DF
      • Paleo + Whole 30
      • Vegan + Vegetarian
    • Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Cauliflower
      • Chocolate
      • Hidden Veggies
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry
      • Seafood
      • Squash
    • Seasonal
      • Fall + Thanksgiving
      • Winter + Christmas
      • Spring + Easter
      • Summer + BBQ
  • Meal Plans
    • Weekly Dinner Plans
    • Full Meal Plans
  • Shop
    • Amazon Store
    • Ebooks
    • Gift Guides
  • Tips + Resources
    • 21 Day Fix | Ultimate Portion Fix Resources
    • Other Beachbody Programs
    • At Home Workouts
    • Cooking | Kitchen Tips
    • Meal Prep
    • Instant Pot 101
    • Our Autism Story
You are here: Home / All Recipes / Ingredient / Beef / Homemade Hamburger Helper

April 23, 2020 By Nancylynn 13 Comments

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This homemade hamburger helper is a mix between my Cauliflower Cheeseburger Mac and my Mac and Cheese and, guys, I am here for it.  So cheesy and delicious, this Instant Pot Hamburger Helper has hidden cauliflower veggie power that makes it extra creamy without tons of cheese!  Gluten free and 21 Day Fix Approved, too. 

High angle of a white plate of healthy, homemade, gluten free hamburger helper garnished with parsley.

These past few weeks, pasta has been my BFF.  

Anyone else?   

And then one night I was craving both my  Mac and Cheese and my Cauliflower Cheeseburger Mac and had like the most genius idea ever.  Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I swear it felt like I had just cracked some code of healthy comfort food deliciousness. 

Overhead view of an Instant Pot full of browned ground beef, topped with spices. There is a slotted wooden spoon stirring the meat.

I basically took both of those recipes and made a new, delicious recipe baby – a Healthy Homemade Hamburger Helper that uses the cauliflower puree sauce from the  Mac and Cheese but also includes the ground beef from the Cauliflower Cheeseburger Mac.

Heaven. 

Also, thanks to my Instant Pot, this Healthy Hamburger Helper recipe is a one pot meal!  If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t worry!  You can make this Hamburger Helper Recipe on the stovetop, too. 

Overhead view of an instant pot full of a layer of raw gluten free elbow noodles on top of cooked hamburger meat, in process of making a healthy hamburger helper recipe.

Ingredients For Homemade Hamburger Helper 

  • 1 lb ground beef – I love using Butcher Box’s ground sirloin for this recipe, but you can sub ground chicken or ground turkey in this
  • 2 cups of gluten free elbows – you can sub whole wheat if you aren’t gluten free
  • 3 cups of chicken or beef broth – either is yummy
  • 4 cups of cauliflower florets – small head or frozen bag 
  • freshly shredded cheddar cheese – freshly shredded cheese is the answer to super creamy mac and cheese.  Tip: you can shred it in your food processor super quick!
  • Pecorino Romano – optional, but it gives it a nice punch of flavor.  You can also sub parmesan or just use extra cheddar.
  • garlic powder – a must 
  • dry mustard – if you don’t have any, you can omit
  • Himalayan salt or sea salt 

Offset overhead view of an instant pot with cooked gluten free elbow noodles, topped with cauliflower puree, ready to be mixed.

Tips and tricks for making Instant Pot Hamburger Helper:

  1. Be sure you read the whole recipe first before starting!  (That’s a great tip for any recipe!). 
  2. After browning your meat, scrape the bottom of your pot to make sure nothing is burned or stuck on the bottom.  If you feel that food is stuck, deglaze with a 1/4 cup of broth.
  3. Be sure to layer the pasta on top of the meat but do not stir.  And when you add the broth, try to add it evenly over your noodles if you can. 
  4. Use a steam basket to cook your cauliflower right in the instant pot! 
  5. If your pasta doesn’t feel cooked all the way or evenly after cooktime, don’t panic!  Stir it all up and then just lay the lid on the pot.  In a couple of minutes, the heat from the pot should finish your pasta!  You can also put it on saute to help this!

Close up overhead view of healthy hamburger helper ready to be eaten! There is a wooden spoon to the right side of the image stirring the pasta, cheese, and hamburger meat.

Looking for More Easy Instant Pot Pasta Dishes?  Check these out:

Instant Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta (21 Day Fix)

Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta [21 Day Fix | WW | Gluten Free]

Healthy Instant Pot Baked Ziti | 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Baked Ziti [Gluten-free]

Healthy Instant Pot Chili Mac [21 Day Fix | Gluten-Free | StoveTop Option]

21 Day Fix Pumpkin Pasta with Spicy Sausage (Gluten Free | Instant Pot Option)

Two photo food collage with Text on a white background. Top photo- close up photo of hamburger helper garnished with parsley; Middle- white background with pink and black text overlay, Instant Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper | 21 Day Fix | Gluten Free; Bottom photo- close up of hamburger helper being stirred with wooden spoon.

 
Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon

Healthy Hamburger Helper

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Nancylynn
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 minutes
  • Total Time: 8 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Instant Pot | Stove
  • Cuisine: American
Print
Pin

Description

This homemade hamburger helper is a mix between my Cauliflower Cheeseburger Mac and my Mac and Cheese and, guys, I am here for it.  So creamy and delicious, but with hidden cauliflower veggie power that makes this dish extra creamy without tons of cheese!


Scale

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

2 cups of gluten free elbows 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp Himalayan salt

2 1/4 cups chicken broth or beef broth, divided use

4 cups of cauliflower florets – small head or frozen bag 

2 cups of freshly shredded cheddar cheese (About 1 block) 

2 T pecorino romano (optional)


Instructions

Instant Pot

  1. Set Instant Pot to Saute and add in ground beef.  Brown meat, then stir in garlic powder, dry mustard, and salt.  Layer pasta on top, but don’t stir, then top with 2 cups of broth.  Then place the cauliflower florets in a steam basket on top of the beef and pasta mixture.  Lock lid. 
  2. Set Instant Pot for 3 minutes. After cook time, do a quick release.  
  3. Remove cauliflower and place in a blender with ¼-½ cup of broth and puree. You should have about 2 cups of the puree; if you have more, freeze to use later. Stir in the puree, stir it into the pasta mixture along with the shredded cheese.  Keep stirring until all the cheese is melted. 
  4. Serve and enjoy!

Stovetop

  1. Brown the ground beef in a large pot or dutch oven.
  2. Stir in the seasoning and then add the 2 cups of broth and bring to a boil.
  3. Add pasta to the pot, and cook according to the directions on the box or until tender, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking.  Do not drain.
  4. Meanwhile, steam your cauliflower in a separate pot or microwave until fork tender.
  5. Remove cauliflower and place in a blender with 1/4 cup of broth and puree.  You should have about 2 cups of the puree; if you have more, freeze to use later.
  6. Stir in cauliflower puree and cheese into pasta and keep stirring until all the cheese is melted. 
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

Steam Basket

Buy Now →

Ninja Foodi

Buy Now →

Instant Pot

Buy Now →

Notes

Recipe makes 6 servings

21 Day Fix Containers – 1 yellow, 3/4 green, 3/4 Red, 1 blue (per serving)

WW: Green- 11 points; Blue- 11 points; Purple 11 points (per serving) – calculated using 95% lean ground beef and reduced fat cheese


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 3/4 cup

Keywords: Homemade Hamburger Helper, Hamburger Helper, Hamburger Helper Recipe, Instant Pot Hamburger Helper, Gluten Free Hamburger Helper Recipe, WW Hamburger Helpe, Hamburger Helper with Cauliflower

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @confessionsofafitfoodie on Instagram and hashtag it #confessionsofafitfoodie

Related Recipes

Instant Pot Cauliflower Cheeseburger “Mac” | Instant Pot Low Carb Hamburger Helper
Summer Garden Vegetable Frittata - a 21 Day Fix recipe on ConfessionsOfAFitFoodie.com
Garden Vegetable Frittata
Festive Holiday Bruschetta with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds, and Goat Cheese
Holiday Bruschetta Appetizers

Filed Under: All Recipes, Beef, Cauliflower, Cooking Method, Courses, Diet, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Hidden Veggies, Ingredient, Kid-Friendly, Pasta, Pressure Cooker, Stove + Oven

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Teresa says

    May 2, 2020 at 5:15 pm

    The last ingredient is listed as “2 T pecorino romano (optional)”. What is a “T”? Tablespoon?

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      May 4, 2020 at 12:39 am

      Yes!

      Reply
  2. Tracey says

    May 8, 2020 at 1:45 am

    TOTAL success in our household (with two picky kids). Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Shannan says

    May 13, 2020 at 11:56 pm

    This recipe was SO easy. SO EASY! And it turned out delish! I added a bit of hidden valley ranch seasoning to my bowl which gave it a little extra pump. I had a hard time not going for thirds!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      May 17, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      Yippee!!! Thank you so much Shannan – makes me so happy to know this was a hit for you!!

      Reply
  4. Joyce says

    July 22, 2020 at 11:29 am

    My bf is NOT a fan of hamburger helper at all, but after looking over your recipe he agreed to try it. SCORE!! He loved it!! (Me, too!!) Yummmmmy!!! Another definite keeper in our meal planning repertoire!!! Thanks, Nancylynn!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Margaret says

    July 22, 2020 at 2:16 pm

    So I am OBSESSED with this!! It’s soooo good!! But I have a silly question lol. How does a 3/4 cup serving get all those container counts in there? I’m totally fine if I have to eat more of this 😂

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      July 22, 2020 at 4:49 pm

      The magic of math and combining food! Lol!

      Reply
  6. Lisa says

    August 22, 2020 at 11:28 am

    how would you make this on the stove/ or oven?

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      August 31, 2020 at 10:11 pm

      Hi! There are stovetop directions in the recipe card 😊.

      Reply
  7. Kelly Hansen says

    November 8, 2020 at 11:37 pm

    If I have a bag of rice cauliflower at what point would I incorporate that? With the instant pot and not stove top

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      November 23, 2020 at 1:57 am

      Hi! You have two options- #1 is to steam the riced cauliflower first, according to the directions on the bag, and then add to the pot when the directions say to add the puree. Or #2 put the uncooked riced cauliflower in the pot before layering the pasta on top and then cooking it that way. Both methods will not be quite as creamy as using the cauliflower puree, but should work fine! Let us know how it goes!

      Reply
  8. Carrie says

    December 15, 2020 at 4:41 am

    We loved this! I added sautéed onions and mushrooms to the recipe cuz I just love them too much not to invite them to the party! Another scrumptious recipe, NancyLynn! Delicious (maybe even better) as leftovers! Thank you!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Nancylynn

Trending Recipes

Instant Pot Jambalaya
Meal Plan & Grocery List {Week of 1/25/21} | 21 Day Fix Meal Plan | WW Meal Plan
Healthy Banana Bread | Gluten Free Banana Bread
Healthy Freezer Meals [Instant Pot | Slow Cooker | Oven]
Asian Chicken Meatballs
Updated 21 Day Fix Food List - Free Printable

Subscribe to My Newsletter

and get FREE recipes delivered to your Inbox!

    We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    More Deliciousness

    Footer

    Top Posts & Pages

    Instant Pot Jambalaya
    Meal Plan & Grocery List {Week of 1/25/21} | 21 Day Fix Meal Plan | WW Meal Plan
    Healthy Banana Bread | Gluten Free Banana Bread
    Healthy Freezer Meals [Instant Pot | Slow Cooker | Oven]
    Asian Chicken Meatballs
    Updated 21 Day Fix Food List - Free Printable

    Copyright © 2021 · Brunch Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · Design by Stephanie Jones