Homemade Vegan Hamburger Helper: The Perfect Recipe for Busy Weeknights

Vegan homemade hamburger helper is a pasta-based dish made from plant-based meat and covered in melted vegan cheese. It’s quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights.

When you don’t have much time in the evening and are looking for something quick and tasty to make for dinner that the whole family will love, this homemade vegan hamburger helper is the perfect solution. It can be cooked in one pot and only takes thirty minutes to make — plant-based meat, milk, and cheese mean it is one hundred percent vegan. Warm, comforting, and packed full of flavor, this vegan hamburger helper will become your new favorite dish to whip up in a hurry.

You can serve this vegan hamburger helper by itself, with a side salad or steamed green vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, green beans, or peas). This recipe can be adapted in several ways, for example by adding a tablespoon of dried red chili to the pot for a spicy kick or by substituting the shell pasta (conchiglie) for macaroni or fusilli pasta. Soy milk and cashew milk are good alternatives to oat milk, but any plant-based milk will work just as well.

To reduce your carbon footprint try to use locally sourced ingredients, especially when buying onion and garlic and it is even more eco-friendly if these are organic as well. Dive in and learn how to make the perfect homemade vegan hamburger helper.

Vegan Hamburger Helper Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. cooking oil
• 1 large organic onion
• 12 oz. vegan ground beef 
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 chopped organic garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 garlic powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. arrowroot powder
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups homemade oat milk (or any plant-based milk)
• 1 lb. dried pasta shells (conchiglie)
• 1/2 cup grated plant based cheddar style cheese (available on Amazon**)
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh organic parsley
• Black pepper and extra chopped organic parsley to garnish

Instructions:

1. Warm the cooking oil in a large pan on medium heat.
2. Peel and chop the onion and fry it in the pan until soft.
3. Mix in the vegan beef and cook until lightly browned on all sides.
4. Stir in the salt, garlic, oregano, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder.
5. Add the arrowroot powder and tomato paste and mix.
6. Pour in the water, vegetable stock, and oat milk. Stir and slowly bring to a boil.
7. Mix in the pasta and simmer for 25 minutes – keep stirring to prevent it from sticking.
8. Remove from the heat and add the vegan cheese, mix well and stir in the fresh parsley.
9. Garnish with black pepper and chopped parsley.

This vegan hamburger helper can be refrigerated for up three days in an airtight container. It can be eaten cold or warmed in the microwave for a minute, stirring part way through, or slowly warmed on the stove on low heat, stirring constantly.

Read more:

• Vegan Pizzoccheri: An Italian Buckwheat Pasta Recipe
• Kitchen Hacks: How to Keep Pasta From Sticking
• Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese: It Doesn’t Get Any Creamier

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Tags: Cooking Dinner Guide Vegan