Some days I really miss meat. Now I have to be totally honest, I have had some in the past few months but I’m talking maybe a total of 5 times whereas I was previously a bascially everyday meat eater.. and that’s a big adjustment for a midwest girl like me. So when I came across this recipe for Vegan Hamburger Helper I got a little excited (again, been eating a lot of curry over here) and I was very eager to try it out. I’ll admit, I was slightly apprehensive about the meat substitute, but I was really impressed by the texture and flavor! I would also like to try this with jackfruit just to see how that compares but I have yet to venture that far.
On top of being yummy, this Vegan Hamburger Helper came together super quick; I made the vegan nacho cheese a few nights before so I just had to pull it out of the refrigerator and throw the rest of the ingredients together which made this already easy meal even better! I’ve always had a problem with things like Hamburger Helper because there are no real ingredients and it’s packed with so many preservatives and lacks any nutritional value that I just couldn’t do it. We don’t have that problem here with our cheese being made of fresh veggies and the whole thing topped with fresh tomatoes we get the best of both worlds.. yummy and healthy! Another vegan win in my book!
Vegan Hamburger Helper {Gluten Free}
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles, I used gluten free brown rice noodles
- 1 package ground beef substitute, I used gardein gluten-free beefless ground
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup pasta water, reserved from cooking pasta,
- Double batch of vegan nacho cheese sauce
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1-2 ripe tomatoes, diced
Instructions
- Start by cooking your noodles by package directions until just al dente (firm to bite and not quite cooked through, as they will cook a little more when added to the recipe).
- While your noodles are cooking, heat a large skillet or cast iron over medium high and add sunflower oil. Reduce heat to medium and sauté onions for a couple of minutes until just soft.
- Add minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, and paprika and sauté for a few more minutes until fragrant. Then add the beefless ground to pan and continue to cook, stirring frequently until it starts to brown and cook through. Slowly add reserved pasta water a little at a time using just enough to keep from sticking.
- When pasta is cooked, drain and immediately add it to skillet tossing gently. Add nacho cheese sauce as well as salt and pepper to taste and any additional pasta water until desired consistency reached. Note: you may want to reserve a bit of cheese sauce for serving or reheating.
- Garnish with green onion and tomato and serve immediately.
Adapted from: Hot for Food
