GLUTEN-FREE DAIRY-FREE HOMEMADE HAMBURGER HELPER
on Jan 23, 2025, Updated Jul 22, 2025
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Your favorite nostalgic meal gets a gluten-free and dairy-free upgrade! Minimal ingredients and effort, but even better than your childhood dreams remember.
Food can evoke so many memories based on your family traditions, so I love to remake the classics and give them my own healthier spin.
This Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Homemade Hamburger Helper was one of my husband Kyle’s favorite meals growing up. When I told him I was filming this recipe, he was very excited.
My modified version uses gluten-free noodles, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast. I’ve also upped the protein by using pasta made out of chickpeas and incorporating beef bone broth.
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The result is a homey, weeknight meal that’s ready in less than 30 minutes and tastes even better than the boxed version you likely had as a kid.
This is pure comfort food and will surely put smiles on your entire family’s faces. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Healthier Hamburger Helper
Yes, this homemade version requires more than a box of store-bought stuff and a jar of pasta sauce. However, it’ll be well worth the minimal ingredients and effort knowing you’re eating something that’s even more tasty and healthful too! Here’s what you’ll need.
- Ground Beef: Look for organic, grass-free, and grass-finished beef whenever possible. I’m sure this would work well with ground chicken or turkey too.
- Onion and Garlic: A good pasta recipe always includes onion and garlic!
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper are your friends here. You can always adjust and add more as you please.
- Beef Bone Broth: This nutrient-dense ingredient is full of collagen, which is great for the skin, nails, joints, and hair. I like to cook with bone broth whenever possible because I know it’s adding more protein to the overall dish.
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Pin It- Coconut Milk: Look for unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk. This will give you the richest taste and creamy finish. And don’t worry, it doesn’t make the dish taste like coconut either.
- Tomato Paste: A squirt of two of tomato paste will thicken the sauce while also adding a depth of flavor.
- Gluten-Free Pasta: Use whatever brand of pasta you like. I used @eatbanza chickpea pasta shells which have 11 grams of protein per serving. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the brand of pasta. If you aren’t gluten-free, you can use regular pasta.
- Nutritional Yeast: This ingredient adds a cheesy flavor without the dairy.
- Fresh Basil: Totally optional, but a sprinkle of basil adds a nice touch at the end.
How to Make Easy Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Hamburger Helper
Start by heating avocado oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat.
Add the ground beef and cook until the beef begins to brown and leaves browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
Add garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the tomato paste, stirring it around for 30 seconds before incorporating it into the beef mixture. This just makes it easier to incorporate tomato paste.
Add the stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the gluten-free pasta and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 12 to 14 minutes until the pasta is fully cooked.
When the pasta is cooked, stir in the nutritional yeast. Give it a taste and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary. When ready to eat, serve with fresh basil and enjoy!!
More American Classics Made Healthier:
- Healthier Sloppy Joes Bowls
- Healthy Comforting Chicken Soup
- Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Shepherd’s Pie
- Dairy-Free Chicken Alfredo
GLUTEN-FREE DAIRY-FREE HOMEMADE HAMBURGER HELPER
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 16 ounces beef bone broth
- (1) 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 16 ounces gluten-free pasta of choice (I used Banza chickpea pasta shells)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Fresh basil, for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat.
- Add the ground beef and cook until the beef begins to brown and leaves browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
- Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the tomato paste, stirring it around for 30 seconds before incorporating it into the beef mixture.
- Add the stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta, lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 12 to 14 minutes until the pasta is fully cooked.
- Stir in the nutritional yeast at the end. Give it a taste and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve with fresh basil and enjoy!!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
AMAZING!!! MY husband said it was one of the best recipes ever haha!
Wow I’m honored!! Thank you so much, Madi!
Came across this recipe on one of those nights I had no idea what to make. I had all of the ingredients and was super easy to make. My 9 year old helped. The entire family loved it and asked me to make it again. Love your recipes, they are always a win!
Thank you so much, Ashley! So happy you and the family loved this one.
made this super simple dinner tonight and was honestly shocked — all three of my kids loved it. My picky 4-year-old had seconds, the 6-year-old asked if we can have it again tomorrow, and even the 9-month-old gobbled it up with a smile. It was fast to throw together, didn’t make a mess, and got a rare unanimous thumbs-up from the whole family (even the toughest little critics). Definitely going into the regular rotation!
Yay! So glad everyone in the family loved this one, Gabrielle! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a review.
I really enjoyed this recipe and it was super easy to make. I will say the servings were a bit deceiving. 1x is 4 servings but I had means for an entire week with a TON left over. I’ll definitely make again but will 1/2 the recipe.
Love this recipe! Great for my son who has a lot of food allergies! Thank you for all your amazing recipes!!
That makes me so happy to hear, Aileen! So honored to be a resource for your family 🙂
Oh my gosh. I just made this for lunch, and it was so good. My husband hates cheese, so I thought this would be the perfect way for me to enjoy a cheese-esque pasta dish that he’d approve of. I was right. I added a little cajun seasoning on top for some extra razzle dazzle. I can already tell it’s going to be better the next day.
Hi, Jennifer! Yum! I’m so glad you and your husband were both able to enjoy this. Thank you so much for leaving a comment and a review! 🙂