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Hamburger Helper has never tasted so good! This homemade, vegan version is full-of-flavor, hearty, and down-right delicious. It’s simple to make and requires just one pot and about 30 minutes!
This post is sponsored by Kroger.
We teamed up with Kroger to bring this recipe to life using their Simple Truth Plant-Based Line, and wow, we are so impressed! We used their new Emerge Plant-Based grounds as the centerpiece for this Hamburger Helper, and it was PERFECT for this recipe!
Growing up, hamburger helper was a staple for so many of us, so being able to create a vegan version with wholesome ingredients was a lot of fun. If you are in the minority and have no idea what hamburger helper is, it’s essentially a cheeseburger pasta dish. Who wouldn’t love that, right?
If you have a Kroger store near you, this new Simple Truth Plant Based line is a total game changer. With products ranging from plant-based cream cheese, to meat alternatives and cookie dough to a full line of plant-based milk, there is no shortage of options. Did we mention that everything is super affordable too? Whoever said eating vegan is expensive, hasn’t been to a Kroger store recently.
Here are a few other one-pot pasta recipes that you may also like:
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Vegetable Noodle Soup
- Taco Pasta (7-Ingredients)
- 5-Ingredient Hummus Pasta
- Minestrone Soup
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! + If you post any photos on Instagram, make sure you tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so that we don’t miss it, we love seeing your photos!
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One-Pot Vegan Hamburger Helper (Cheeseburger Pasta)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Vegan Hamburger Helper is the ultimate comfort food staple. It’s hearty, packed with flavor, and the perfect copycat of the classic boxed pasta many of us grew up with. All you need is one-pot, 30-minutes, and 11 simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 lb. vegan ground beef alternative
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 cups warm unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened milk of your choice)
- 1 cup warm vegan beef broth (see notes; we use this brand or you can use vegetable broth)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups rotini pasta (or pasta of your choice)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded vegan cheddar cheese (or vegan cheese of your choice)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add in the oil, onions and garlic. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions have softened and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in the emerge grinds (vegan ground beef alternative) and break them up with your cooking utensil. Cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Drain any excess fat in the pan if needed.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, oregano, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until uniform. Sprinkle the mixture over the mixture in the pan and stir well to distribute.
- Mix in the almond milk, broth, tomato sauce, and pasta, and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Remove from heat. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools.
- Sprinkle the shredded vegan cheese over the cooked pasta and stir until it has melted through.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to take this to the next level, replace 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth with 1/2 cup of tomato sauce.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Entree, Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Kroger but all opinions remain our own. The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
I make this regularly, it really is like the standard Hamburger Helper! I use a full can of puréed tomatoes/tomato sauce and powdered veggie broth bouillon. So far unsweetened plain cashew milk works well.
When do you put the pasta in?
In step 4!
This recipe is addictive! I have made it twice in two weeks. I am 6 months pregnant and am really loving this right now. My vegan dad loved it when I made it for him and my omni husband loves it too! I sent my dad home with leftovers for my mom and selfishly wish i saved it all for myself. I’m so into it that I have no patience for heating up my leftovers of this recipe before digging into it. Haha
Such a good recipe! Followed the directions to a T and it came out perfectly! Opt for the vegan beef broth – it’s a game changer.
Will the dish turn out as well if I leave out the corn starch? Unfortunately I cannot digest it very well once refinded.
The corn starch helps the sauce thicken, so it will work without it, but might be a little runnier.
This was very good! Even my meat eating boyfriend loved it and requested it again!
I’ve honestly made this SO many times (I can’t even count!!) since it came out a couple months ago. This is my go to for my boyfriends lunch on some days or even an easy dinner night. Growing up my mother would always make us hamburger helper so being able to make this brings me so much comfort. ❤️
what brand do you recommend for the Vegan Cheddar cheese? I want to cook this recipe for a grandson who is allergic to dairy. Thank you.
any vegan shreds would work! We recommend either Follow Your Heart or Violife. Daiya is also good and more accessible.
Omfgggg tasted just like hamburger helper! Soo excited, I missed it even though I have only been vegan for 5 months 😀 I used Impossible meat (found at Albertsons), Daiya cheddar cutting board shreds and follow you heart parmesan. 10/10 will make again.
For some reason, I never comment on recipes once I’ve tried them, but I felt like I needed to for this. This is probably my favorite vegan comfort food dish. Like of all time. It’s so simple to put together and tastes amazing. I’ve only made this twice so far, but it’s been perfect each time. Highly recommend that everyone tries this!!!
This was AMAZING! Taste just like the real deal. I used flour instead, impossible meat, and a box of Annie’s vegan cheddar mac instead seeing I didn’t have any cheese on hand. It was perfect and easy. Even my non vegan family (who usually doesn’t like any of my vegan dishes) loved it!
This was SO delicious and amazing!!!!! After try the dish, my bf told me it was his favourite thing I’ve cooked for him yet. I will be using this recipe A LOT!! Thank you!!
OMGoodness!! Delicious…this was a hit with the entire family (2 picky kids included!)
Very good!! A really nice change to have. Thank You!! I was concerned about it, but it tastes good!!
What can u use in place of chili powder
You can just leave it out if you’d like!
You can substitute the things chili powder is made from: cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Roughly equal amounts of all, and adjust until you get the flavor you’re looking for. If you don’t have all of those ingredients, you can get by with just cumin, cayenne and paprika.
So good! I was really hesitant about this, but my whole family (which includes two picky non vegan kids) loved it!
I don’t have any beef-less crumbes on hand, but I have everything else!
Would you suggest any easy alternatives? Or would I be okay with leaving that out? Thank you!
We definitely recommend using some type of veggie ground if possible. If you don’t have any, cooked lentils may work as well.
I’m very bad in general at cooking, so I was unsure about having that “much” chilipowder. But I trusted the recipe and WOW. I don’t think I’ve ever made anything this tasty for myself!
I’ll definitely be making this recipe again!
Made this tonight and it will definitely be added to the usual rotation. So good and a dead ringer for our childhood comfort food favorite before we went plant based. Highly recommend the tomato sauce substitute, was delicious! Thank you!
I loved this recipe. I used Beyond Meat and added seasonings and it was so delicious. Total comfort food. Took me back to my childhood when all we ate was Hamburger Helper. But this was sooooo much better than that. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a keeper.
I made this tonight and it is better than cheeseburger macaroni hamburger helper! I added the half a cup of tomato sauce like suggested at the bottom and turned out amazing.
Great recipe! Tha k you for sharing. I made it and it was amazing!