Jump To Recipe // December 8, 2023 // 39 Comments »
AIPGluten-FreePaleo
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This copycat one pot hamburger helper tastes just like the real thing made healthier! It’s gluten-free, paleo, and can even be made AIP!
What is Hamburger Helper?
Hamburger helper is a serious throwback! Hamburger helper comes in a box that includes pasta, and dry seasonings, and sauce so all you have to do is add ground meat like the ground beef for a meal. Needless to say, it’s not necessarily the freshest one-pot meal. However, it can easily be made healthier and homemade while still being super simple!
This healthier hamburger helper is gluten-free, dairy-free, and can even be made paleo and AIP-friendly! It’s made with simple ingredients and all in one pot for an easy weeknight meal.
The Ingredients for the Hamburger Helper
- Ground beef
- Canned coconut milk. I like to use the native forest simple variety!
- Tomato sauce. Or you can use nightshade-free marinara sauce to keep it AIP.
- Onion.
- Seasonings. Like parsley, oregano, and nutritional yeast.
- Elbow pasta. I like to use the Jovial cassava pasta to keep this recipe grain-free or you can also use their rice pasta!
How do you make Hamburger Helper gluten-free?
- Use gluten-free pasta. I love using Jovial gluten-free pasta, but you can very easily modify this recipe with any gluten-free pasta of your choice. Simply keep an eye on the pasta and adjust the cook time or liquid if it needs more time to cook!
- Use arrowroot starch to thicken the sauce.This is used as a thickener for that sauce that’s also grain-free and gluten-free!
- Combine the sauce. Using a large bowl, stir the coconut milk, broth, arrowroot, and oregano. Set aside.
- Brown the ground beef and onion. Use a large, deep pot to brown the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Add the onion and garlic and saute.
- Combine the sauce with the beef mixture and pasta. Add the beef back to the pot and stir in the broth mixture, tomato sauce, and pasta. Stir well to combine.
- Simmer. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, bringing the pot to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce is reduced.
- Serve! Serve topped with parsley.
Tips and Tricks for Gluten-free Hamburger Helper
- Keep an eye on the pasta to make sure it’s cooked to your liking. Cook times can vary depending on the pasta you use, so keep testing to make sure it’s cooked to your preference!
- Drain the excess fat from the beef if needed. You don’t necessarily need to do this if you’re using lower fat ground beef but if you’re using something like an 80/20 beef, you may need to drain some of the excess fat.
- Add vegetables if desired. This recipe is great with some finely chopped broccoli, or you can opt for Hamburger Helper Stroganoff with mushrooms instead!
Can you make this recipe ahead of time?
For sure! It’s great for meal prep. I recommend slightly reheating on the stove.
Can you use a protein other than beef?
Beef is the classic for this recipe, but you could also use ground turkey.
What pasta should you use?
The jovial grain-free cassava pasta is a game-changer and it perfect for this recipe to keep it paleo! You can also use the jovial rice pasta if you can have grains, which is another favorite of mine and what I used in this recipe.
You’ll also love…
- Paleo One-Pot Lasagna
- Crispy Italian Chicken Nuggets
Copycat Gluten Free Hamburger Helper (Paleo & AIP)
- Author: Michelle
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This copycat hamburger helper tastes just like the real thing made healthier! It’s grain-free, paleo, and can even be made AIP!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/4 cup tomato sauce (sub nightshade-free marinara sauce)
- 2 cups gluten-free elbow pasta (Jovial rice pasta for gluten-free, or jovial cassava pasta for paleo/AIP)
- 1–2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Using a large bowl, stir the coconut milk, broth, arrowroot, and oregano together. Set aside.
- Use a large, deep pot to brown the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Set aside, leaving about 1-2 tbsp of fat in the pot to cook the vegetables.
- Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes or until lightly translucent.
- Add the beef back to the pot and stir in the broth mixture, tomato sauce, and uncooked pasta. Stir well to combine.
- Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, bringing the pot to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce is reduced. See notes in the pasta needs more time to cook to your liking.
- Stir in nutritional yeast to taste and serve topped with parsley.
Notes
All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.
If the pasta needs more time to cook to your liking, add about 1/3 cup of broth and simmer for 2-3 more minutes until the pasta reaches your desired doneness.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: One Pot
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 517
- Fat: 16.9g
- Carbohydrates: 55.2g
- Fiber: 3.7g
- Protein: 36.3g
Keywords: gluten free hamburger helper, gluten free pasta, hamburger helper
This recipe was published in 2020 and updated in 2023. Photos by Modern Food Stories.
Fall Main Dishes Take out fake out Winter
posted by Michelle on December 8, 2023
39 Comments / Leave a Comment »
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39 comments on “Homemade Gluten-Free Healthy Hamburger Helper”
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Judith Kutz — August 12, 2020 @ 6:24 pm Reply
Loved it! My husband and I had this recipe for dinner last night and it was delicious!
★★★★★
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Michelle — August 13, 2020 @ 2:52 am Reply
Yay! Thank you, Judith!
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Lisa Wilson — August 12, 2020 @ 11:31 pm Reply
I made this tonight and it was delicious. My husband enjoyed it too. I will definitely be making this again in the near future.
★★★★★
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Bernadeta — August 12, 2020 @ 11:55 pm Reply
Very tasty! Made this recipe for dinner tonight.
★★★★★
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Lisa Kelly — August 16, 2020 @ 7:25 pm Reply
This was great! We added a block of plain goat cheese to make it creamier/higher protein. Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
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Nicole — August 17, 2020 @ 3:43 pm Reply
Good for the whole family!
★★★★★
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Kim — August 19, 2020 @ 10:37 pm Reply
I highly recommend holding off on the oregano depending on what type of tomato sauce you’re using. Unfortunately mine is way too overpowering but I will definitely try again, maybe next time with just some fire roasted tomatoes instead of sauce.
★★★★
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Megan Black — August 31, 2020 @ 6:42 pm Reply
Definitely takes me back to my childhood when my mom would make hamburger helper. Tastes like comfort food! Delicious!
★★★★★
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Michelle — September 1, 2020 @ 5:14 pm Reply
Yay! Thank you so much, Megan!
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Sean Hoffman — September 9, 2020 @ 1:07 am Reply
I made it tonight and my wife and I loved it.
★★★★★
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Unbound Wellness — April 14, 2022 @ 7:46 pm Reply
Yay, so glad! Thank you!!
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Ashley Burkhard — September 13, 2020 @ 1:59 am Reply
Loved this recipe! We are a lot of hamburger helper in college and this tastes so much better! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
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MARY KUFFNER — September 14, 2020 @ 11:43 pm Reply
Sooo good! I used rice pasta and ground turkey. Rice pasta made it creamy. YUM comfort food. Will try beef and cassava pasta next time!! THANKS AGAIN!!
★★★★★
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Valerie — September 22, 2020 @ 12:53 am Reply
Thank you again for a delicious recipe that didn’t take hours in the kitchen!! I had the Nomato Sauce premade so the rest was super easy. So delicious and not one time did I ever feel deprived or like I was eating “special food!” Eating meals is enjoyable once again❤.
★★★★★
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C.R. — October 4, 2020 @ 5:50 pm Reply
Will this recipe work the same with lentil pasta?
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Michelle — October 4, 2020 @ 7:30 pm Reply
I haven’t cooked with lentil pasta, so not sure!
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Liz — October 11, 2020 @ 9:08 pm Reply
Yum! One of my new favourite week-night meals. So easy and satisfying! I use chickpea pasta and it tastes great!
★★★★★
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Julie Driscall — October 19, 2020 @ 7:04 pm Reply
My family LOVED this dish. They aren’t even GF or DF but they ate it all!
New family favorite!!
★★★★★
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Michele — October 23, 2020 @ 3:36 am Reply
I have made this multiple times and actually have it cooking on the stove again as I type. I made it for non-paleo family and they loved it. I have made it without oregano before (because didn’t know I was out) and subbed half/half basil and parsley and liked it just as much. I’ve made it with crushed tomatoes (again, only thing on hand) and think the sauce works better. One thing about leftovers, though; I don’t think the noodles hold up well after the initial cooking. My family member who also ate the leftovers the next day was disappointed that the perfect al-dente noodles from the first serving turned mushy the next day. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
★★★★★
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AislYn McClenahan — January 11, 2021 @ 11:39 pm Reply
We loved this dish, & will definitely make it again. But because I’m not a fan of coconut I was wondering if I could substitute the coconut milk with almond milk instead?
★★★★★
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Krystal — February 5, 2021 @ 12:23 am Reply
I made this tonight and it is SO good! Perfect for a cold snowy day in Wisconsin. I had a generous helping and I’m pretty sure I need some more! 🙂 I love the ease of the recipe and the nostalgic taste. This recipe will definitely be in our regular rotation!
★★★★★
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Alyson — July 15, 2021 @ 12:05 am Reply
Delicious! Some tips that made this recipe even better—added some dairy free cheddar cheese, a good amount more salt and a few shakes ofWorcestershire sauce. My whole family went bonkers for this healthy take on an unhealthy classic 🙂
★★★★
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Unbound Wellness — July 15, 2021 @ 10:12 pm Reply
So glad to hear that you all loved it!
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Char — September 22, 2021 @ 5:21 pm Reply
So delish! Our family loves this recipe!
★★★★★
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Unbound Wellness — September 23, 2021 @ 4:16 pm Reply
YAY! So glad you enjoy it!!
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Jj — October 16, 2021 @ 6:27 pm Reply
Hello! New here:) is the onion AIP? Just trying to get started and learning!
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Unbound Wellness — November 18, 2021 @ 3:42 pm Reply
Welcome! Yes it is!
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Shoresy — December 21, 2022 @ 2:54 am Reply
I tried this tonight for my kids and it was a huge hit! Swapped regular noodles for GF noodles for my daughter, and in the final product you can’t even tell the difference!
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Unbound Wellness — January 3, 2023 @ 6:52 pm Reply
So glad!!
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Dee — December 26, 2022 @ 8:49 pm Reply
This recipe always turns out so well! I usually have to add garlic & onion powder, more salt to suit my taste. I also use the whole can of tomato sauce and coconut cream.
★★★★★
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Unbound Wellness — December 31, 2022 @ 8:44 pm Reply
Thank you so much!!
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Sam — July 23, 2023 @ 1:25 am Reply
I Love this recipe and am so happy I found it !!! Homemade hamburger helper is usually a staple in our house but since going on AIP I thought it couldn’t be good without dairy but I was wrong! I was very skeptical, but this was SO delicious and simple. This could be perfect as is but I made with ground Turkey, beef bone broth instead of chicken, doubled the liquid amount and added onion powder, garlic powder, paprika & a little turmeric. Thank you!!!! ❤️
★★★★★
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Unbound Wellness — July 25, 2023 @ 8:02 pm Reply
So glad it is a hit at your house!!
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Katie — December 11, 2023 @ 3:17 am Reply
Does anyone know if I can use Banza pasta for this?
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Unbound Wellness — January 4, 2024 @ 7:38 pm Reply
You can, it just cooks faster so you may need less liquid!
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Natasha Schamberger — December 13, 2023 @ 1:02 am Reply
Awesome! Easy and a family pleaser.
★★★★★
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Unbound Wellness — December 14, 2023 @ 10:50 pm Reply
Thanks so much!!
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Michelle L — February 20, 2024 @ 10:38 pm Reply
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! It looks just like the picture (I used nomato sauce for mine) and the flavors melded perfectly to taste like hamburger helper. I subbed almond milk for the coconut milk but that was my only change.
★★★★★
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Unbound Wellness — March 12, 2024 @ 1:26 pm Reply
Yay, so glad!!
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