Cheeseburger Helper
Cheeseburger Helper
I know some of you grew up with this classic but Hamburger Helper is something I discovered in my teens once I was already vegetarian. So I remember making it with just the noodles because Vegan ground beef alternatives didn’t exist back then! Now it’s an entirely different story. You can pretty much Veganize any of the comfort foods you still love. There are many recipes out there for a one pot version. I don’t mind cooking pasta separately and actually prefer it. I did take the extra step of melting the cheese first ( I recommend) which if you really wanted to you could skip and just add it to the pot.
This makes a big batch for sharing or for hoarding no judment here! I hope you enjoy it because it’s pretty damn tasty.
Serves 4 -6
Ingredients
16 oz (458g) Cavatappi Pasta
1 1/2 cups Onion chopped
3 cloves of Garlic minced
14.5 oz (411g) Fire Roasted Tomatoes
7 oz (200g) Vegan Cheddar Shreds
1/3 cup (35g) grated Vegan Parmesan ( like Violife or Follow Your Heart)
8 oz (226g) Vegan Ground Meat alternative (Like Beyond or Impossible)
1 cup (236ml) Plant Milk
2 cups (473ml) Pasta water reserved from cooking
2 tsp (10ml) soy sauce)
1 tsp (5g) Garlic Powder
1 tsp (5g) Onion Powder
1 tsp (5g) Cumin
1 tsp (5g) Smoked Paprika
1 tsp (5g) Chili Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp (15-30g) chopped Parsley for garnish
Directions
1. Add the onions to a large pot on medium heat and sauté them for 5-7 minutes or until translucent.
2. Crumble in the vegan ground beef and garlic and sauté until the vegan ground starts to brown.
3. Add in the spices, soy sauce, tomatoes and continue to cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Cook the pasta according to package directions and reserve 2 cups of the water. Set aside.
5. In a separate pot on medium heat, add the vegan cheddar shreds and parmesan along with the plant milk. Heat until completely melted making sure to stir ocassionally.
6. Add the cooked pasta to the burger mixture along with one cup of the pasta water and mix well.
7. Pour in the melted cheese sauce and mix. Cook for 8 -10 minutes or until heated through. Add in additional pasta water for a more saucy consistency.
