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Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni

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Taking your favorite old school comfort food from bad to healthy. This vegan hamburger helper is made from all whole foods but you wouldn’t know it!

Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni in a blue bowl garnished with parsleyThis post was sponsored by NOW Foods but the content and opinions expressed are fully my own.

Old school comfort food gone healthy. It IS actually possible while keeping the amazing flavor. Taking what my tastebuds love and finding real foods to get there is one of my favorite things to do. It takes some trial and error but I love the sweet (or salty) taste of success! So here you go, vegan hamburger helper cheeseburger macaroni at your service.

An overhead shot of Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni in a bowl with a spoon

Truth be told, my mom never bought the boxed stuff. So my experience with the Betty Crocker original hamburger helper is limited. That being said, I love creating plant-based whole food meat alternatives.

My favorite trick is using dried soaked chickpeas, then chopping them into a fine crumble and cooking them with broth and spices. The texture is awesome and the flavor is amazing. Couple that with my Ultimate Cheese Sauce and a bowl full of pasta and it doesn’t get much better. But here’s the thing, I am a pasta snob. There is nothing worse than digging into noodles that plain suck.

A process shot of Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni getting mixed into sauce in a pan

There’s No Weird Stuff Involved Just Plain Goodness

So what kind of pasta do I like? This. Living Now Organic Quinoa Macaroni. If you’re looking for a macaroni that looks like the real deal and tastes like the real deal, this is it.

No weird color. No weird texture. No weird flavor. Just the good stuff. When I found this stuff, I knew I’d hit the gluten free, whole food, full of nutrients jackpot.

An overhead shot of quinoa macaroni pasta to make vegan hamburger helper

So how do I transform this pasta into America’s favorite comfort food?

Easy, I take my signature whole food based meaty crumble and combine it with my favorite cheese sauce. Add some spices and bingo. Heaven in a bowl. Get those stretchy pants ready! Does it get any better than bad for you food that’s actually good for you? Nope.

A close up of Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni pasta in a bowl

Top reasons why this vegan hamburger helper is actually good for you:

  1. Protein packed with meaty chickpea crumble.
  2. A cheese sauce made primarily of veggies.
  3. A pasta made from naturally gluten free whole food  ingredients.
  4. No processed trickery.
5 from 2 votes
Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni
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Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 
Taking your favorite old school comfort food from bad to healthy. This vegan hamburger helper is made from all whole foods but you wouldn't know it!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheeseburger macaroni, hamburger helper
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 296 kcal
Author: Sophia DeSantis
Ingredients
  • 16 ounces macaroni pasta , gluten free if needed (I use Living Now Organic Quinoa Macaroni)
  • 2 cups Ultimate Cheese Sauce , adjust this amount to make it as cheesy you prefer it
Meaty crumble:
  • ½ cup dried chickpeas , soaked overnight
  • ¼ cup sweet or yellow onion , finely chopped
  • veggie broth or drizzle of oil to sauté
  • 1 cup veggie broth , low sodium if needed
  • ½ cup diced roasted tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Chop soaked chickpeas in a food processor until you get a nice crumble.
  2. Saute onion with broth or oil until it gets translucent. Add the rest of the meaty crumble ingredients and mix well.
  3. Cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the beans are cooked, stirring often. Watch closely because the beans can stick, especially if not using oil. If they begin to stick, lower heat and continue to mix.

  4. Once done, add cheese sauce and mix well. You can add less or more cheese sauce to make it as cheesy as you prefer. I added 1 1/2 cups

  5. Meanwhile, cook your favorite pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse, then add to the hamburger cheese mix. Stir to incorporate, plate and serve fresh!
Recipe Notes
  • The cheese sauce recipe makes 4 cups. Save the leftovers for another use, such as nachos, plain macaroni and cheese, a dip for veggies, cheese fries, etc. It also freezes well.

Tips to prep ahead:

  • Make cheese sauce. Soak chickpeas.

Baby/toddler food idea:

  • Best kid food ever. Overcook pasta for young baby and mash well.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni
Amount Per Serving
Calories 296 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 654mg 27%
Potassium 898mg 26%
Total Carbohydrates 51g 17%
Dietary Fiber 10g 40%
Sugars 13g
Protein 9g 18%
Vitamin A 682.5%
Vitamin C 34.9%
Calcium 11.7%
Iron 15.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you like this recipe, please consider rating it with the star rating system and leaving a comment below. I love hearing from you and seeing your awesome remakes! Find me on Instagram and tag me @veggiesdontbite and #veggiesdontbite, or you can also find me on Facebook, and Pinterest. Thanks for helping me spread the word about delicious food!

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate. Please read more about that here.

This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. For more information on this, please click here.

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Comments

    • Hi Chloe! You can use canned chickpeas but you will not get the same meaty texture. Dried chickpeas, once soaked, have a much firmer and meatier type texture once chopped up and cooked than canned chickpeas, which tend to be soft and get more mushy. I have experimented a lot with achieving that perfect crumble and the dried chickpeas lend to a much better result. The flavor will be good either way, but the texture will be different.

      Reply

    • Oh yay!!! It was not an easy task but the family loved it! I haven’t had that stuff in forever but this healthy version hit the spot! Let me know what you think!

      Reply

  9. I’ve never had hamburger helper! I think it’s bigger in the US. Whatever! Your dish looks FAR better anyhow. I do the same with chickpeas – it’s such a great texture, I use it in tacos too. I’ll have to keep an eye out for the quinoa pasta, it looks terrific.

    Reply

  10. This looks like perfect comfort food and I love that you have made it into a healthier version! Quinoa macaroni sounds pretty good!

    Reply

  13. I’ve never actually had hamburger helper, but I’m really impressed with how meaty this looks! What a genius way to do the crumbles. And anything involving your ultimate cheese sauce is a winner! This looks amazing, Sophia! I’ll definitely give this a try for my family! xo

    Reply

    • Thank you Mandy! Let me know if you try it! It’s one of those meals that makes you think you are eating totally bad. LOL!

      Reply

  15. I love this much healthier homemade version of hamburger! Even though hamburger was terribly processed and unhealthy, I always loved it because it was so good and so bold in flavor, not bland. Plus, easy and quick! I’m drooling over your version…looks healthy, hearty and so filling!

    Reply

  18. I’ve never tried hamburger helper before it’s not something you can buy in the UK but this recipe looks to die for! Considering the packaged stuff will no doubt contain nasty ingredients I think I’ll just stick with your recipe.

    Reply

  19. Alrighty then. Wow is how I’m going to start this off. I doubled the “meat” part and kept pasta the same. Hubby had 2 huge bowls and kept talking about the texture and flavor. This is really good!!

    Reply

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