A healthier, homemade version of Hamburger Helper made completely in the slow cooker — yes, even the pasta! (And no, it’s not mushy and overcooked!)
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Something I always find interesting is the recipes that are popular on The Recipe Rebel a certain day, week or month, because my goal is to give you more of what you want.
Lately, my Healthier Homemade Hamburger Helper has been going a little crazy as people have gotten back to routine and are eating something other than chocolate and cookies. I (surprise!) have also been craving something other than chocolate and cookies.
With 3 young kids still in 3 very different stages of life (grade school, preschool and baby), I find myself running around like a mad woman come dinner time more often than I’d like to admit.
We use our slow cooker all the time. Probably at least 3 times per week!
I know you’ve been seeing a lot of Instant Pot recipes popping up here lately, but believe me — I’ve still got big love for my slow cooker (and a good slow cooker pasta recipe!) and I won’t be donating it to the thrift store anytime soon 😉
How to cook pasta in a slow cooker:
Learning to properly cook pasta in a slow cooker so that it wasn’t some gross overcooked mush was seriously life changing for me.
It takes a little reworking because you need to have just the perfect amount of liquid at the end of the cook time to cook the pasta for the last 10-15 minutes (the exact cook time will depend on the size and shape of the pasta you use), but my original Hamburger Helper recipe translated perfectly into a slow cooker recipe, and it is the perfect solution to the dinner time rush!
No stirring, no keeping an eye on things — just let the sauce cook away for a good part of the day and add the pasta in the last 15 minutes and you’re good to go.
How this Hamburger Helper recipe is made healthier:
- I use lean ground beef, but you could also use ground turkey or chicken or whichever you prefer.
- I snuck in a ton of veggies, but no one ever really knows because they all cook down into the sauce (shred them or chop them up fine, and I promise this will please even the pickiest eaters!)
- I use broth and low fat milk to make the sauce — instead of heavier milk or cream.
- I pretty much always use a whole grain or ancient grains pasta for maximum fiber and protein, but you can use almost any pasta and it will work just fine (they all will require varying cook times though, so it’s something you’ll have to keep an eye on).
This is the perfect hearty meal to get you through the rest of the chilly days, but it’s also perfect for the warmer days when you just don’t want to turn your oven on!
Healthier Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ medium onion (diced)
- 1½ cups low sodium beef broth (plus additional if needed)
- 1½ cups milk (any kind)
- 1½ cups tomato pasta sauce
- 1 bell pepper (diced) I used red
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more, if you like it spicy!
- 3 cups dry uncooked macaroni (350-380 grams)
- ½ cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, cook ground beef and onion until beef is browned and onion is translucent. Add to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
- Add in broth, milk, pasta sauce, bell pepper, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. (*The cook time here is really flexible — you want to cook the red pepper and get it hot enough to cook the pasta, so you can cook anywhere from 3 to 8 hours on low).
- About 15 minutes before serving, turn the slow cooker to high and stir in macaroni. Check at 15 minutes, and add 5-10 extra minutes to the cook time as needed until the pasta is al dente. If the pasta is not cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed, add ½-1 cup additional broth or milk as needed.
- Stir in cheese (covering for 2-3 minutes if necessary to melt the cheese), taste and serve.
Notes
- Ground beef: use lean ground beef or drain the fat before adding to the slow cooker. You can also swap this with any ground meat, even ground Italian sausage.
- Onion and pepper: these are the vegetables we use and they add lots of flavor. You can omit one or both, or stir in others like shredded carrot, zucchini, or finely chopped spinach.
- Seasonings: feel free to adjust the seasonings to your tastes. If you like a bit of kick, add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or a bit of hot sauce.
- Milk: any milk will do here! You can substitute with half and half or cream, but I find that the cooking liquid gets to be quite a big thicker and doesn’t cook the pasta as well, so I prefer to use milk for just a bit of creaminess.
- Tomato pasta sauce: and seasoned tomato sauce will work, i.e., a marinara or similar. Something with flavor!
- Macaroni: this recipe will work with other types of pasta but be sure that the weight and cook time is the same.
Nutrition Information
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Tried this recipe?
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Tag @thereciperebel*This post was originally published February 8, 2016
Tabitha says
Do I cook the noodles before I put them in the show cooker
Carolyn Sammartine says
Hi , this recipe looks so good.
( As do all your other slow cooker recipes that I looked at today 🙂)
I have a 4 quart and a 6 quart slow cooker. Which size would you recommend for your slow cooker recipes?
Thank you !
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Carolyn, if you’ll take a look at Step 1 in the instructions I say that you can add this to a 4-6 quart slow cooker. So either would do. Hope this helps!
Krissie H says
Wanting to try this. How would you convert to an Instant Pot meal?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Krissie! I’ve only tested this recipe as written but I have two similar instant pot recipes that you might like: https://www.thereciperebel.com/instant-pot-chili-mac/ or https://www.thereciperebel.com/instant-pot-goulash/
Krissie says
Thank you for those. When you make this in your slow cooker, do you use your instant pot on slow cooker or do you actually use a slow cooker? Sorry for all the questions!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Krissie! I only used the slow cooker for this recipe.
Corey L Lockwood says
Looking at making this, this week. Looks so good. Did you drain the ground beef after browning? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
I use lean or extra lean ground beef so I don’t drain it. If you use regular ground beef you may want to.
Haven says
I made this and it’s delicious! I used rice pasta instead so that it’s gluten free and it still turned out amazing.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Haven!
Barbara Lochmondy says
How much rice did you use? Brown, white, instant, not instant?
Thank you.
Barb
Hope says
Hi! Is it seasoned tomatoes or tomato sauce?
Ashley Fehr says
seasoned tomato pasta sauce
Christine says
I haven’t made this yet – I started assembling it today but didn’t really plan out the cook time well, so it needs to go in the fridge overnight (I made everything except the noodles).
My question is – How long would you say I’d need to reheat the sauce after sitting in the fridge overnight before adding in the noodles, so that it’s hot enough to cook the noodles? I was thinking about an hour, but thought I’d ask to be sure. ☺
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Christine! I would probably heat up for a couple of hours on high or several hours on low.
Christine says
Hi Ashley ☺
I made this again today, being much more organized about it, and it turned out great! It’s so easy too, that’s the best part.
I wanted to ask you- when I reheat it after it sits in the fridge I assume it’s going to need some moisture. What would you recommend adding to accomplish that – more milk, beef broth, or tomato sauce?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Christine! I’m glad you liked it! I definitely like to add some moisture when reheating, I usually add water or broth.
Mikaela Faust says
Is there a way to prep some of this the night before so it’s easy to just throw on the crockpot in the morning and leave it to cook without having to do much prep in the AM? Can I cook the meat the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight? What about the noodles, will they get soggy?
Ashley Fehr says
Definitely! I would prep the meat and veggies. The noodles cannot be added in advance.
Tina says
Is there a stove top conversion?
Amanda says
Made this tonight and it turned out great! I will say I would compare this more to a goulash than hamburger helper but I love both 😋
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Amanda!
Tina says
Is there a stove top conversion?
Ashley Fehr says
Right here: https://www.thereciperebel.com/easy-homemade-hamburger-helper/
Jen says
This recipe is DELICIOUS! I am making it again as we speak. We use farfalle instead of macaroni, and it’s divine. The only thing I would caution people about is that prep time takes a LOT longer than 10 minutes. There is so much to open, wash, chop, and combine – plus cooking the meat. Honestly, from start to finish prep time, I would say it takes about 30 minutes. I try to go fast – maybe I’m just a slowpoke!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your feedback Jen! You’re right that there is quite a bit of prep. I try to get my meat cooked while I chop my veggies, and I find that it takes me about 10 minutes to do both, but if you are doing each separately then it can take longer.
Donovan says
This was SOOOOOOO good! I’m a vegetarian so I substituted plant-based crumbles for the hamburger and it was delicious! I could hardly believe how well the pasta cooked in the crockpot and how much of the liquid soaked up to leave such a creamy, tasty sauce. I’m always leery of Internet recipes, but this one is truly a winner. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Donovan!
Jessica Strader says
I am making this right now and it smells delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe! I would like to make sure that mine thickens up because I prefer a thicker broth! Any tips for that?!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Jessica! You won’t need to add anything to thicken the broth if you follow the recipe 🙂 The pasta absorbs any extra liquid as it cooks.
Olivia says
My fiancé doesn’t like veggies, so I have omitted them. Does the sauce thicken up later in the process? It is kind of soupy at the moment..
Ashley Fehr says
The sauce will thicken up as the pasta cooks. That being said, if you remove too many other ingredients then you may have extra moisture.
Alexandria says
I’m trying this tonight. Do you think the pasta works the same if it’s gluten free?
Ashley Fehr says
I don’t have a lot of experience with gluten free pasta so I can’t say for sure, but I’d love to hear how it goes!
Barbara Lochmondy says
Can I freeze everything except the pasta?
Thanks.
Barb
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely! You can even freeze the pasta it will just be a little soft after thawing
Jon says
My daughter made this for 12 of us at the beach. It was delicious. Everyone enjoyed it. Even the ones grousing about it. We returned from a day of surf fishing to a house that smelled wonderful. Fifteen minutes later (pasta cooking) we all sat down to a hearty meal. I’m pretty sure everyone had second helpings.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jon! I’m so happy to hear it went over well!
Laura says
I absolutely LOVE this dish. My picky 7 year old gobbles it down. Tastes great with Newmans Own Sockarooni sauce. I actually add a little more sauce so the leftovers taste just as good. I’ve also tried it with ground turkey and it’s still a hit. Thank you for sharing this!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura! I’m so glad to hear that!
Lynda J Jennings says
Made this recipe tonite. So easy and delicious. My husband loved it too..
Made the ziti last week…a home run!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Lynda!
Rachael says
Awesome recipe! Loved the little veggies snuck in there, no one could really notice enough to be picky. It was great!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rachael!
Susan says
I tried this we think it’s delicious!!;Thank you for this recipe!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Susan!
Alyssa Paradise says
Excited to try this! It looks amazing. But I did have one question. Is that 1 and 1/2 cups of milk or just 1/2 cup of milk?
?
Ashley Fehr says
1 1/2 cups