This healthy hamburger helper is the one-pan meal your family will love time and again (made in under 30 minutes). It’s every bit nostalgic as it is delicious with fresh ingredients you can feel good about!
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Hamburger Helper
Recently, I saw an article that old-school Hamburger Helper was a trending item. And while I enjoyed this packaged food classic as a kid, it got me thinking of ways I could put a fresh, healthier spin on it. It’s an iconic dish for sure, but as I was testing my new version I couldn’t help but think, “If only we had cooked more with fresh ingredients back in the ’70s!” The amount of thickening agents, flavor enhancers, and preservatives in classic Hamburger Helper is wild to me now. But good news—simple and wholesome ground beef recipes like this healthy hamburger helper or my chili, meatloaf, and meatballs are easy to make at home. So here’s what makes this dish special:
- It’s healthier than store-bought. Instead of pasta or rice, I’m adding white beans for nutritious fiber and an extra boost of protein.
- It’s customizable. I love tossing in roughly chopped baby spinach for extra greens, but it’s also delicious served with roasted vegetables.
- It’s quick and easy. Everything cooks in one pan and takes even less time than the packaged version. So it’s the best meal to make when I’m feeling a bit lazy!
Hamburger Helper Ingredients
- Ground beef: I prefer to use 93% lean ground beef, so that I don’t have to drain off any excess grease.
- Aromatics: A mix of fresh garlic and onions lends better flavor and texture than powdered spices.
- Seasonings: Tomato paste, chili powder, salt, and black pepper give the beef that rich, bold flavor.
- Butter beans: If you can’t find butter beans, you can also use other white beans. Though I do love that the bigger size of butter beans look more like macaroni to me!
- Beef broth: As always, I like to use a low-sodium beef broth. You can also use bone broth if you prefer!
- Sharp cheddar cheese: This type of cheese gives that classic Hamburger Helper vibe, but feel free to use other kinds as well. You can leave this off if you’re dairy-free.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Healthy Hamburger Helper
Step one: First, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the ground beef and onion, and cook for about 5 minutes until the beef is nicely browned.
Step two: Next, add the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Give it a good stir for another minute so all those flavors start to come together.
Step three: Pour in the beef broth and stir everything together. Bring it to a gentle simmer, and once it’s heated through, stir in the butter beans.
Step four: Lastly, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese until it’s melty and creamy. Top it off with some freshly chopped parsley before serving, and you’re ready to dig in!
Ways To Serve
- Serve over rice. For a heartier dinner, this is great served over rice, mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes.
- Serve over veggies. For a lighter approach, you can serve this over cauliflower rice, broccoli rice or sauteed cabbage.
- Add more veggies. You can add leafy greens or even grated zucchini or spaghetti squash into the mix as you’re cooking everything in the pan. Alternatively, this is great served over or alongside roasted vegetables.
Storage Tips
Leftovers of this healthy hamburger helper are my favorite kind of meal prep. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. For an easy grab-and-go lunch, portion it into individual containers!
If you want to save some for later, this also works as a freezer meal! Let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container and storing for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Ground Beef Recipes
- Taco soup: The ultimate taco night upgrade!
- Sheet pan nachos: Everyone’s favorite appetizer.
- Stuffed pepper soup: Cozy, comforting, and delicious.
- Zucchini lasagna: Best veggie-forward lasagna!
- or check out more of my favorite ground beef recipes!
If you make this healthy hamburger helper recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 (15-ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- finely chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the beef and onion. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat with your spatula, until the meat is browned.
- Season the beef. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir for another minute.
- Add the broth and beans. Add the beef broth, stir together, and bring to a simmer. Then stir in the butter beans.
- Make it cheesy. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the cheese, and stir until melted. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- I prefer to use 93% lean ground beef, so that I don’t have to drain off any excess grease.
- The butter beans release natural starches as they cook, creating a creamy, thick, and silky consistency without the need for added milk, flour, or cornstarch. If you’d like a thicker sauce, you can always mash some of the beans directly in the sauce and add even more beef broth to make it extra saucy! Conversely, because the beans do release more starch the more they’re stirred, if you’d like an end result that looks more like the photos above, don’t over-stir it.
- Storage tips: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Behind The Scenes
I always love when a random recipe I have in my brain turns out! Sorta like my creamy pesto ground turkey skillet meal (that has now become a reader favorite)—ha!
Though I do love “greening up” this recipe and usually add a few very generous handfuls of roughly chopped baby spinach. They wilt down quickly and mix in perfectly. Because many of you know I’m just not a fan of a sea of beige and brown on my plate. 😉
This recipe was easy and sooo delicious. Thank you.
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Linda!
Loved this recipe!! It was so easy and delicious!
Glad you loved this hamburger helper, Katie!
it was delicious and so easy to make. I felt like I was cheating on my healthy meal.
But it’s actually healthy! Enjoy, Norma :)
This is a great cool-weather meal. I was not an active participant in the hamburger helper community in the 80’s and 90’s, so I can’t compare the two, but this recipe made everyone happy!
Hi Christine – I’m so glad you loved it! And don’t worry, you aren’t missing much not having eaten hamburger helper in the 80’s and 90’s, haha. ;)
This was great. I didn’t have butter beans so I used black beans, and I threw in some diced carrot and frozen peas for some extra veggies. I then used slightly different spices (smoked paprika, cumin, etc) to take it in a little more of a Tex Mex direction. I served over a small handful of airfryer fries, added some sour cream and pickled jalapenos. Was easy, filling, and delicious!
Love the Tex-Mex twist you did on this dish! Sounds like something I need to try :) Enjoy, Jennifer!
This was DELICIOUS! I love the butter beans. I also added pasta and potatoes. I will make this again! So easy and satisfying.
The perfect hearty meal! Glad you enjoyed this hamburger helper, Anna.
I am so surprised by this recipe. Simple and delicious. An easy, hearty recipe when I don’t know what to make.
You can always count on this dish for something easy and healthy. Enjoy, Michelle!
This was absolutely delicious!!! It was a hit with friends and family! I will definitely be making this again. : )
Wonderful! I’m happy you and your friends loved the recipe, Demetria!
Another great recipe! Quick, easy and delicious.
I’m happy you loved it, Belinda!
Absolutely delicious! My husband and I loved this recipe. Easy, cozy and elevated enough to serve to guests.
Glad this hamburger helper was a hit with everyone, Liz!
Yes I have made this and love it! I have made it twice and will make it again in the future. Thank you Lisa!
Thrilled to hear you really enjoyed this healthy version, Jean!
can I make it with ground lamb?
Yes, you could use any ground meat in this recipe. Enjoy!
Thanks for your reply! I made it with ground lamb and it was amazing! My husband ate it over rice and I enjoyed it by itself. Delicious!
Delicious, I have already made this 3x in past few weeks. I’ve recommended this recipe to all my friends. Yet another winner.
Hi Clark – I’m so happy to hear this recipe has been a winner for you! And thanks for sharing this recipe with your friends, I sincerely appreciate that. :)
The healthy hamburger helper is so delicious as is!! I also made it with dry, crumbled, tofu browned in place of the ground beef and vegetable broth for the beef broth. This is now a keeper for me and my husband as a great prep meal once or twice a month.
Hi Laurie – thanks for sharing your tweaks the the tofu version. That sounds amazing as well!
So delicious! Definitely going to be in the rotation—checks allllll the boxes
Yay, I’m glad it ticks all your boxes! Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious and quick too
So glad you enjoyed it, Steve! Quick and delicious always makes for a great meal. :)
I think I may have added that I put yellow hominy in this. I did not. I’m currently making the Pozole and was side tracked with cooking and football! Sorry about my mix up!
Awesome recipe! It’s really good and very easy to make! I used lean organic ground beef and the butter beans creamed up perfectly. I used yellow hominy since I couldn’t find white hominy as well as extra sharp white cheddar cheese since that was the only sharp cheddar cheese we found at the market (all cheddar was on sale). I’ll be making this again! Thank you again Lisa for another wonderful recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Susan! And I saw your other note about the hominy mistake, haha. No worries! I get my recipes confused all the time as well. ;) But happy you loved this new ground beef recipe!
I made Healthy Hamburger Helper! Fast, Easy, and Delicious! Divided it into four servings, ate one and froze the rest. Thank you!
Perfect! It’s such an easy meal to reheat and enjoy again in the future.
Yes, yes, yes!! This recipe is lit! Easy to make, delicious, healthy – yes, please! Omitted the cheese for my son …. A+ recipe!
I’m so happy you think so! Thank you, Christina!
I was so happy to see your Hamberger Helper recipe. I have been looking for one for a while. I do like the butter beans, however, I do prefer pasta (shells or bow ties). Would one cup of pasta be sufficient?
Thank-you !!
The minute I read “hamburger helper” I had to try it! So easy, quick, and delish. I added a splash of Worcestershire sauce and swapped small elbow macaroni for the beans, and thyme for the parsley. So good. Thank you for another yummy recipe.
I’m happy you loved it with those tweaks, Kelli!
Delish and super fast! Easy weeknight choice
This looks great, but my husband can’t stand beans. Could I cook some elbow macaroni separately and then toss it in towards the end?
Hi Alison – yes, you could do that. Enjoy!
Absolutely fun recipe and delicious! This whole meal was so fast to make and definitely nostalgic for us! Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight! DELICIOUS!! I was worried it wouldn’t have too much flavor, but I was wrong! Only thing I added was a red pepper and a few extra garlic cloves. Made it over quinoa because I didn’t have rice. Yum! Will make again!
Thanks for sharing your tweaks! I love the addition of the red pepper and garlic. Enjoy!
I made this for dinner tonight and everyone enjoyed it! It’s easy and quick to make, filling, and a nice hearty meal for colder weather. I’m glad we know what butter beans are now, my husband kept asking me”what are butter beans” 🙄 I’m going to try mashing some of the beans and adding more broth and spinach next time. I appreciate these skillet meals when there’s not a lot of time after work to cook for 4 people, thanks Lisa!
You’re more than welcome, Amy! So happy you and your family loved it! Quick skillet meals are the best and I’m definitely trying to add more of them to the website. And tell your husband that it’s okay he didn’t know what butter beans were. I didn’t know that they’re the same as lima beans until recently, haha! ;)
Oh my goodness! This is such a comforting dish. I followed the recipe as is and served with mashed potatoes. It was delicious and one I will keep in my back pocket! Thank you Lisa 😊
Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed it with mashed potatoes, Pamela!
Are your nutrition facts per serving or is it for the entire recipe and then divide by the number of servings?
Hi Alicia – as listed it’s per serving. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Made this tonight — it’s so good, very filling, quick to make, and easy on the budget. Thank you!
Yay, thanks so much for giving it a try, Alicia. I’m thrilled you loved it!
The healthy hamburger helper is soooo delicious!! Just made it tonight, for dinner. My family loved it. Thanks so much for your great recipes!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Danielle!