One Pan Gluten Free Hamburger Helper

This gluten free hamburger helper is a healthier take on your childhood favorite! It’s made in just one pot with pantry staple ingredients and is ready to eat in just about 30 minutes.

gluten free hamburger helper in a pot with chives on top

I was never a big hamburger helper girl as a kid because well, I just wasn’t a big meat eater, but I was on board with anything pasta related!

If you’re not familiar, Hamburger Helper is dried pasta with seasonings that you add ground beef to to create a simple one dish meal. It is not gluten free, but a homemade version is always better anyway! You have control over all of the ingredients and can modify the seasonings depending on your preferences.

This simple pasta and ground beef recipe is easy to make with pantry ingredients, is cooked in just one pot and doesn’t take much longer to make than the packaged version you’ll find at the store!

If you love this recipe, try my Korean Gochujang Beef Noodles or Spicy Vodka Pasta.

Before we get started

You can use an 83% ground beef or 90%, whatever you prefer!
All pastas cook at different speeds, depending on what flour it’s made with (rice, chickpea, corn etc) and the shape. You may need to cook for a few minutes longer than the recipe indicates.
If you aren’t a big fan of ground beef, you can sub for ground chicken or turkey.

How to make gluten free hamburger helper

Heat a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat with the butter.

Once melted, add in the diced onion.

Saute for 5-7 minutes.

Add in the minced garlic and ground beef.

Cook until mostly cooked through. A little pink is ok because it will continue cooking with the pasta.

Add in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add in all remaining ingredients aside from the cheese. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir every couple of minutes to ensure even cooking.

Stir in the cheese and mix until melted. Garnish with the chives and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Troubleshooting tips

Pasta is cooked but the liquid isn’t absorbed. Because all pasta shapes and types cook differently, they require a different pasta to liquid ratio which is what makes one pot pastas tricky!

If this happens, you can whisk together 1 tablespoon of gluten free flour with 2 tablespoons of water and stir that into the pasta which will help thicken it up.

Liquid has evaporated but the pasta hasn’t cooked. On the other hands, sometimes the liquid may evaporate before the pasta is cooked. To avoid this, be sure to cook the pasta on a low heat so it has time to soften.

However, if it’s too late for that, you can just add in another 1/2-1 cup of warmed beef broth until the pasta finishes cooking.

Make it dairy free!

Hamburger helper almost always has cheese (this gluten free version does) but you can easily swap for your favorite dairy free cheddar cheese shreds! I used almond milk for the milk portion because that’s what I usually have on hand, but you can use whatever you have as long as it’s plain and unsweetened.

gluten free hamburger helper in a pot with a spoon on the side

How to store

Once prepared, this gluten free hamburger helper will store in the fridge for about three days. To reheat, add it to the stove with a splash of beef broth or plain to it gets nice and creamy.

Gluten free pasta tends to fall apart when it reheats, but it’ll taste just the same!

Add in some veggies!

While untraditional with regular hamburger helper, I love adding veggies into just about everything. For this recipe, I’d recommend chopped spinach or peas for a simple, neutral flavor.

gluten free hamburger helper in a bowl with a fork

More easy dinner recipes!

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