Vegan Hamburger Helper is a one-pot, super easy, 25 minute recipe that the whole family will love. It's "meaty", cheesy, saucy and SO good!
PREP TIME: 5 minutesminutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutesminutes
Servings: 6servings
Ingredients
1tablespoonolive oil, or a little water for oil-free
1packvegan ground beef, pack sizes of vegan ground beef vary. Anything between 12 - 16 oz is fine (Or use 1½ to 2 cups (300-400g) of cooked green or brown lentils)
1medium onion, diced
4clovesgarlic, minced
2½ cups (600mls)vegetable stock
1½ cups (360mls)plant milk, unsweetened and unflavoured
1½ cups (360mls)canned crushed tomatoes, or passata
2teaspoonsAmerican style chili powder, see recipe notes if in Europe/UK
2teaspoonsItalian seasoning
1½teaspoonssea salt
¾teaspoonblack pepper
1lb (453grams)macaroni, uncooked (use gluten-free if necessary)
1 to 1½ cups (120-180grams)shredded vegan cheese, optional. It's still good without
INSTRUCTIONS
Warm the oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat then add the vegan ground beef/lentils, onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the "beef" is browned and the onions are translucent.
To the pot add the stock, milk, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and stir to combine, then drop in the macaroni.
Stir well to break up any clumps of macaroni, then bring to a simmer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the macaroni is just tender with a little bite and the sauce has thickened.
Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir it in then cover with a lid or upturned baking tray and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
NOTES
Feel free to add up to 2 cups of diced easy cook vegetables such as bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, peas or corn.If using lentils see the FAQs for how to cook them before adding them to the recipe. Important note RE the chili powder - The chili powder used in this recipe is North American style. If you are in the UK or Europe DO NOT use 2 teaspoons. UK chili powder is 100% chili and is spicy and hot. The chili powder in the US and Canada is very different. It is mild and contains a mix of spices. In this recipe you can either use 1 to 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika instead of the chili powder, or use ½ teaspoon each of paprika (smoked or regular), cumin, coriander and a big pinch of cayenne.It won't be exactly the same but will be close enough. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I haven't tried freezing it but I would think it should be ok. Reheat in a microwave or in a pan on the stovetop. The macaroni has a habit of sucking up all of the moisture while it's in the fridge so I add a little water before reheating to moisten it up.