Homemade Dairy Free Hamburger Helper
Homemade dairy free hamburger helper is a dish the whole family will love. This one-pot meal is a flavorful dish that’s great for busy weeknights and is way better than store-bought. This recipe is also gluten free if you use gluten free pasta.
Looking for more dairy free comfort recipes? Try my creamy vegan mac and cheese (no cashews), quick and easy taco soup, or marry me chicken pasta.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this gluten free hamburger helper:
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion – could also use a white onion or red onion.
- Cremini mushrooms – these do two things: they add more vegetables and also add more depth of flavor with their umami notes. You can’t even taste them in the end result.
- Garlic cloves
- Ground beef – I used 80/20 ground beef, but you can also use lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
- Tomato paste
- Nutritional yeast – adds a cheesy, umami flavor.
- Beef broth – adds tons of flavor to the dish.
- Spice mixture – kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, ground mustard.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Macaroni noodles – elbow noodles are used in traditional hamburger helper, but you can use another similar size pasta shape.
- Tapioca starch/flour or corn starch – to thicken the sauce.
- Sliced green onions, chives, or minced parsley – (optional) to garnish for a pop of color.
How To Make Dairy Free Hamburger Helper
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
1. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add in the diced onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the mushrooms have reduced in size by half, stirring occasionally.
2. Add in the ground beef and cook until no pink remains then stir in the tomato paste, nutritional yeast, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, and ground mustard until well mixed.
3. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and uncooked pasta. Stir the meat mixture with the Worcestershire sauce and dry pasta thoroughly before pouring the beef broth in. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the starch and cold water until the starch has completely dissolved then pour it into the pot and give it a good stir.
5. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium (it should be at a rapid bowl so it can thicken) and cook until some of the broth has cooked off and the pasta is al dente according to package directions. Stir occasionally.
Helpful Tips
- I like to use the same type of broth for whatever my ground meat source is. For example, because I used ground beef, I prefer to use beef broth for the most flavor. If you’re using ground chicken or ground turkey, I recommend using chicken broth.
- To make it extra creamy, add a little bit of dairy-free cheese (I like Miyoko’s cheddar cheese shreds).
Quick Tip: Initially, it’ll look like a lot of mushrooms, but they cook down and lose most of their volume.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this homemade hamburger helper recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- Make it gluten-free – use gluten-free macaroni pasta or something similar. I like brown rice noodles or chickpea pasta for more protein.
- No ground mustard? – sub dijon mustard.
- Add-ins – diced carrots or celery for more vegetables or hot sauce for a bit of heat, dairy free parmesan cheese, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the store-bought hamburger helper has milk, whey, and cheese powder.
You can serve it with salad such as Italian green bean salad or butter lettuce salad, roasted vegetables, or quick sauteed broccoletti.
For fewer dishes, you can always add extra vegetables to this dairy free hamburger helper such as diced carrots, celery, bell pepper, etc.
More Dairy Free Comfort Recipes
I hope you love this Dairy Free Hamburger Helper! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating so I know how you liked it!
Homemade Dairy Free Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1½ teaspoons diamond crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste start with ¾ tsp if using anything else
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste if needed
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce use gluten free if needed
- 12 ounces dry pasta shapes of choice
- 4 cups beef broth
Slurry
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch/flour or corn starch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
For Serving
- 1 cup shredded dairy free cheddar or parmesan cheese optional
- sliced green onion, chives, OR minced parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add in the diced onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the mushrooms have reduced in size by half, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the ground beef and cook until no pink remains then stir in the tomato paste, nutritional yeast, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, and ground mustard until well mixed.
- Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and uncooked pasta. Stir the meat mixture with the Worcestershire sauce and dry pasta thoroughly before pouring the beef broth in. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the starch and cold water until the starch has completely dissolved then pour it into the pot and give it a good stir.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium (it should be at a rapid bowl so it can thicken) and cook until some of the broth has cooked off and the pasta is al dente according to package directions. Stir occasionally.