Healthy Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe

This homemade hamburger helper with green chilies is spicy and delicious! Just as easy as the boxed stuff, but healthier and tastes better! This Cheesy Mac is a great family friendly meal that you can make as spicy as you like.

Can I make this cheesy Hamburger Helper in the Instant Pot? 

Absolutely! I love that the Instant Pot makes this a true one pot meal–just sauté and toss everything in. I enjoy that I can start the Instant Pot and walk away–it doesn’t need to be tended to while I’m cooking like the stove does. Here are the Instant Pot directions for this healthy homemade hamburger helper recipe: 

1. Brown the ground beef in the Instant Pot using the sauté function.
2. Add the onions, green chilis, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Give it a quick stir.
3. Next pour in the macaroni, beef broth, and tomato sauce. Make sure all the pasta is below the liquid if you can.
4. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the manual setting for 3 minutes. Release the pressure using the quick release method.
5. Remove the lid and turn the Instant Pot off. Mix in the Greek yogurt and cheese until the cheese is melted.
6. Garnish and serve.

We calculated the containers with greek yogurt and cheese included. The nutrition facts are calculated without the dairy products, it’s how we prefer to make it but I understand some people like the cheesy version!

Do you have more healthy recipes like this for me to try? 

• Healthy Goulash Recipe
• Healthy White Chicken Chili
• Healthy Beef Stroganoff

Is this spicy Hamburger Helper 21 Day Fix friendly? 

It sure is! Here are the Portion Fix / 21 Day Fix counts. 

Entire Recipe:

• 5 red containers
• 3 green containers
• 6 yellow containers
• 4 blue containers

Serves 6, Per 1 cup serving: 3/4 red container, 1/2 green container, 1 yellow container, 2/3 blue container

To reduce the spice in this hamburger helper recipe, use green peppers instead of green chilies, or find mild green chilies to use. Green chilies can get super spicy–make sure to test this delicious recipe before giving it to the kids! 

Can I make this Homemade Hamburger Helper recipe dairy free?

I’ll be honest and tell you that I don’t care for dairy, so I often make this without adding the greek yogurt! Skipping the greek yogurt makes this delicious dish dairy free. Containers were calculated with Greek yogurt and cheese included. Nutrition at the bottom is calculated without Greek yogurt and cheese. 

Is this a slow cooker meal? 

I seriously love how the slow cooker can work all day just to make you dinner. It’s perfect for those with little kids running around too! Here are the crock pot directions for this healthy hamburger helper recipe. 

1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on the stove.
2. Transfer the cooked ground beef to your slow cooker.
3. Add all the remain ingredients to the slow cooker except the Greek Yogurt and cheese.
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the pasta is tender.
5. Remove the lid and mix in the Greek yogurt and cheese. You can leave these out if you want, it’s how we usually make it and the nutritional information is calculated without the dairy! 
6. Garnish and serve.

Can I make healthy Hamburger Helper on the stovetop? 

1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on the stove.
2. Add the onions, green chilis, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Give it a quick stir.
3. Next pour in the macaroni, beef broth, and tomato sauce into the skillet. Make sure all the pasta is below the liquid.
4. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium low.
5. Allow the pasta to cook for 10-15 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally as needed.
6. Remove the lid and mix in the Greek yogurt and cheese. Mix until the cheese is all melted. The yogurt and cheese is optional, this recipe is delicious either way! We calculated the nutritional information without it, it’s how we prefer to make it! 
7. Garnish and serve.

Do you have Weight Watchers Points for this healthy Hamburger Helper? 

Yes! Each 1 cup serving using 99% fat free ground turkey and fat free plain greek yogurt low fat cheese is 3 freestyle smart points per serving. If you remove the dairy from this recipe (which is actually how I prefer it!), it counts as 2 freestyle smart points per serving. 

Printable Healthy Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe: 

Print Recipe

4.41 from 5 votes

Healthy Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe

This homemade hamburger helper with green chilies is spicy and delicious! Just as easy as the boxed stuff, but healthier and tastes better! This Cheesy Mac is a great family friendly meal that you can make as spicy as you like.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time4 mins

Total Time14 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 21 Day Fix, instant pot, Weight Watchers

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 222kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef lean
• 1 cup green chilis fresh/diced
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 cups whole wheat pasta
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup tomato sauce

Optional: Plain Greek yogurt (3/4 cup)

Optional: Cheddar cheese (1 1/3 cup)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Instant Pot:

• Brown the ground beef in the Instant Pot using the sauté function.
• Add the onions, green chilis, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Give it a quick stir.
• Next pour in the macaroni, beef broth, and tomato sauce. Make sure all the pasta is below the liquid.
• Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the manual setting for 3 minutes. Release the pressure using the quick release method.
• Remove the lid and turn the Instant Pot off. Mix in the Greek yogurt and cheese until the cheese is melted. Garnish and serve.

Stove Top:

• Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on the stove.
• Add the onions, green chilis, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Give it a quick stir.
• Next pour in the macaroni, beef broth, and tomato sauce into the skillet. Make sure all the pasta is below the liquid.
• Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium low.
• Allow the pasta to cook for 10-15 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally as needed.
• Remove the lid and mix in the Greek yogurt and cheese. Mix until the cheese is all melted. Garnish and serve.

Slow Cooker:

• Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on the stove.
• Transfer the cooked ground beef to your slow cooker.
• Add all the remain ingredients to the slow cooker except the Greek Yogurt and cheese.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the pasta is tender.
• Remove the lid and mix in the Greek yogurt and cheese. Garnish and serve.

Video

Notes

21 Day Fix Container Counts: Serves 6, Per 1 cup serving: 3/4 red container, 1/2 green container, 1 yellow container, 2/3 blue container

Containers were calculated with Greek yogurt and cheese. Nutrition is calculated without Greek yogurt and cheese. 

Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints: 1 cup serving, using 99% fat free ground turkey and fat free plain greek yogurt low fat cheese is 3 freestyle smart points per serving.

If you remove the dairy from this recipe (which is actually how I prefer it!), it counts as 2 freestyle smart points per serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 693mg | Potassium: 457mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7.3% | Vitamin C: 9.5% | Calcium: 3.5% | Iron: 15.6%