Betsylife

Bay Area Food Stylist available for Print, Digital and Video

  • Portfolio
    • Commercial
    • Editorial
      • Sweet
      • Savory
      • Drinks
      • Conceptual
  • contact
  • More
    • PHOTO + VIDEO SERVICES
    • Blog
    • Shop
      • Login
      • Account
      • Logout
    • about
Betsylife » Recipes » Homemade Hamburger Helper (Healthier version!)

Homemade Hamburger Helper (Healthier version!)

October 1, 2018 By betsy 6 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The best hamburger helper recipe is homemade hamburger helper. If you make it yourself at home, you never have to wonder about the nutritional content. Ground turkey lightens up this version, but the recipe makes it easy to customize to your tastes. 

blue bowl of homemade hamburger helper on a dark background with a white napkin. Serving bowl on the side along with sliced bread

Hamburger helper reminds me of babysitting when I was a teenager. It’s the standard meal that parents leave for you to feed their kids when they go out. Its a crowd pleaser, even for small children, and easy enough for a teenager to prepare.

It’s also delicious. It’s one of my secret, nostalgic, favorite foods, but as I got older, I’ve started to become increasingly concerned with things like trans fats, hidden sugars and organic ingredients.

pan of browned ground turkey

How adult of me.

Well who knew it was just as easy to prepare hamburger helper from scratch without the pre-packaged box of ingredients? That’s right, DIY homemade hamburger helper makes it easy to know exactly what you’re eating.

pan of ground turkey and dry pasta with sauce being poured over the top

Recently I posted a poll on Facebook about what to do with ground turkey. I mentioned that I thought ground turkey was one of the most boring ingredients out there. It seems that my Facebook fans disagreed, and came back with all kinds of awesome recipe suggestions on how to use ground turkey.

Whoa! Who knew people had such strong feelings about ground turkey?

I stand corrected folks.

I guess I have no choice but to listen to the masses and use some ground turkey in this lightened up version of hamburger helper. (Turkeyburger helper?)

pan of dried pasta and ground turkey with white liquid being poured over the top

This is a classic Betsylife recipe in that it was born out of the randomness that was on hand in my freezer and pantry.

Ground turkey, a box of Banza chickpea pasta, some leftover Mexican cheese blend, one pan…….voila!

Dinner is served.

pan of cheesy homemade hamburger helper being stirred with a red spatula

Good enough for a small child or a hungry Hubs, and ready in under 30 minutes. Plus, it tasted nearly identical to the classic boxed version.

The best part is that I know all the ingredients that are going into this. There’s no shelf stabilizing, chemically, preservative stuff snuck in there. There’s no hidden sugars. It’s just meat, (real) milk, (real) cheese, spices and chickpea pasta.

blue bowl of homemade hamburger helper on a white linen

No doubt this will roll into our regular dinner rotation moving forward. I love being able to enjoy a childhood favorite made in a way that makes me feel good as an adult.

If you decide to give this recipe a try make sure to post a pic and tag me @betsylife on Facebook or Instagram! I love seeing your creations and sharing it with my fans. blue bowl of homemade hamburger helper with a fork taking a bite

 

**This post was updated with new photos 10.01.18

4 from 16 votes
Print

Homemade Healthier “Hamburger Helper”

The best hamburger helper recipe is homemade hamburger helper. If you make it yourself at home, you never have to wonder about the nutritional content.

Course Main Course, pasta
Cuisine American
Keyword hamburger helper, one pot meal
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 363 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1-1/4 lb lean ground turkey
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 8 oz package Banza chickpea pasta
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking meat apart with a wooden spoon while it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. 

  2. Add dry pasta to browned meat. 


  3. Whisk together hot water with cornstarch. Add to skillet with meat and pasta.  

  4. Whisk together milk and spices. Add to skillet with meat and pasta. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to low and simmer. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Healthier “Hamburger Helper”
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 363 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Sodium 388mg16%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 31g62%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.


More easy pasta recipes

One Pot Vegetable Pasta Primavera

Pasta with Bacon, Peas and Edamame 

Healthy Kale and Poached Egg Pasta 

 

 

About Betsy

WHY FIT IN WHEN WE WERE BORN TO STAND OUT?

Let's collaborate to create eye catching content that refuses to fade into the background.

FOOD STYLING SERVICES READ FOOD BLOG
PHOTO + VIDEO SERVICES SEARCH RECIPE INDEX
WORK WITH BETSY

Filed Under: 30 Minutes or Less, Home Page, Meat/Seafood, Pizza/Pasta, Recipes

Comments

  1. holly says

    December 4, 2014 at 1:15 pm

    oh no! the recipe isnt showing up for me and this is one of my families favorites! can you please email it or repost it? thanks!

    Reply
    • betsy says

      December 4, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      Hi SORRY!!! I’m updating my recipe plugins. Everything should be restored soon. Please check back tomorrow

      Reply
  2. Bri says

    July 22, 2015 at 7:23 pm

    1 star
    Note to self: cook pasta separately next time and omit the water. I was so excited for my husband and I’s dinner–looked great, just like boxed hamburger helper. It tasted like water. =\ I was shocked that I couldn’t taste the cheese or spices!

    Reply
    • Miriam says

      December 6, 2020 at 9:08 pm

      Tasted like water for me too 🙁

      Reply
  3. Mia says

    October 5, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and loved it. I added some chopped bell pepper and zucchini because they were on sale and, you know, vegetables. Added spices to taste because we like things extra spicy! I loved that the recipe didn’t call for tomatoes (they give my husband heartburn) or onions (he just doesn’t like the texture of onions). Will put this one into regular rotation.

    Reply
    • betsy says

      October 6, 2016 at 11:39 am

      So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Join the BetsyLife List

bundt of the month!

check out my book!

so hot right now

Wooden dinner table with a green striped linen covered with sliced plated beer can chicken, and bowls of side dishes

search a bit

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
AVAILABLE SERVICES
FOOD STYLING
PHOTO + VIDEO

CATEGORIES

  • Appetizers
  • Meals For One
  • Bundt Cakes
  • Pizza + Pasta
  • Meat + Seafood
  • 30 Minutes or Less

JOIN BETSYLIFE

FREE RECIPE DELIVERY
RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

BETSYLIFE

  • FOOD STYLING SERVICES
  • PHOTO + VIDEO SERVICES
  • ABOUT BETSYLIFE
  • BRAND AMBASSADOR
  • SPONSORED CONTENT
  • contact
  • Privacy Policy
GET IN TOUCH
© 2023 BetsyLife • All Rights Reserved • Website by Anchored Design + Development

  • 83
  • 83
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset