Sneaky Veggie Hamburger Helper

Sometimes you just need a big bowl of comfort food. And for me, old school hamburger helper (with an updated twist) is exactly that.

With school nights getting busier and busier; weeknight practices filling our calendar along with homework, late work meetings and all the regular life that fills our days; I need dinner to be quick, easy, tasty and mostly healthy. I know, that’s a big ask, and not always possible.

This week, I’ve got a trick up my sleeve with this reimagined old-school hamburger helper. When I mentioned the recipe I was planning to share this week, my husband immediately started reminiscing back to his middle school days. As the oldest sibling in his family, it was his job to make pots of hamburger helper for him and his siblings before soccer practice, knowing they had to make a quick meal before their parents got home from work to take them to their various activities. This being the early nineties, well before cell phones, it was up to them to follow the neat instructions left on the kitchen counter by his mother and be ready to go at 5pm sharp. The memory of the mad dash scramble to eat and clean up at 4:55 when you spent the last two hours watching MTV and playing Mario Brothers makes him giggle like a middle schooler to this day.

But back to 2024, and the very busy and hectic schedules we all keep. This is a dinner for exactly those kind of days. My version of hamburger helper has double the hamburger because I want this meal to be filling and protein rich. I also grate a zucchini and sneak some chopped up cauliflower florets into the dish so that I can rest easy knowing I successfully snuck some veggies onto my children’s plate without any fuss or negotiations needed.

A few notes to consider when making this recipe. The leaner the ground beef, the better. This recipe does not call to drain the meat after its cooked. If you use a fattier ground beef, that works just fine, but you may want to drain it once its cooked. Proceed with the recipe as listed, just adding in that small extra step. If zucchini and cauliflower are the least favorite vegetables of all time in your home, you can always skip them or swap for something else. Grated carrots in place of the zucchini would work just fine. A big handful of fresh baby spinach or some chopped mushrooms in place of the cauliflower would be great too. All that to say, sneak in what you can, don’t sweat it if your family is onto you and you decide to skip it.

Sneaky Veggie Hamburger Helper

• 2 pounds lean ground beef

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 medium zucchini, grated

• 3 cups cauliflower florets, chopped into small pieces

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 1 pound shot or skinny pasta like shells or macaroni

• 2 cups chicken bone broth

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

• Kosher salt and black pepper, divided

Place a large pot or dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and hamburger in the olive oil, stirring constantly to break the meat up and allow the onion to sweat. Sprinkle the meat and onions with a pinch of salt and black pepper, continuing to stir until the meat is cooked all the way through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and tomato paste to the pot and stir to combine. Add the dry pasta, grated zucchini and cauliflower to the pot and give the mixture a big stir to combine. Give the mixture a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

Add the broth and milk to the pot, pressing the pasta into the liquid as much as possible. Lower the heat to medium-low, and place the lid on the pot, simmering for about 12 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the noddles are absorbing the liquid and nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. If the liquid seems to be absorbing too quickly, you can add an extra splash of broth as needed.

Remove the lid and taste a noodle to ensure they are soft and cooked all the way through. Stir in the shredded cheese, mixing until melted and absorbed. Taste again and adjust the flavors with another pinch of salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with the dried parsley and remove the pot from the stove.

Scoop the hamburger helper into bowls and serve!