This One Pot Hamburger Helper Lasagna is the perfect quick weeknight dinner! Ditch the boxed mix Hamburger Helper and make your own, lasagna style, much healthier and homemade. Comfort food at its finest.
Homemade Hamburger Helper Lasagna
OK, I hate to admit this but I actually secretly love the Hamburger Helper meals. When I was in college and I lived on my own, I made them quite a bit. But now that I’m a mature adult, ahem, I am more conscious of what I’m eating and would actually like to know what goes in my food, I make these dishes myself.
Last time I went grocery shopping and went down the aisle with all the boxes of Hamburger Helper I saw this lasagna version and I remembered that this was my favorite. Rather than pick up a box, being the food blogger that I am, I decided to make it myself.
I’m glad I did, because this could not get any easier. With just a few ingredients, you have comfort food at its finest. I mean, in case you haven’t figured this out before, I am a pasta lover, so anytime you give me pasta loaded with meat and cheese, I’ll be your best friend for life. No lie!
Hamburger Helper Lasagna Highlights
- Homemade. The main reason you should be making this! It’s homemade, made from scratch, so you know what goes in your food. No preservatives or chemicals, just good stuff!
- 30 Minute One Pot Meal. Since I wrote the book on 30 Minute One Pot Meals I consider myself an expert and this dish takes the cake! You really only need 30 minutes to make this one pot meal!
- Utterly Delicious. Let’s be serious here. Is there anything better than cheesy, saucy, meaty pasta? I think not! It truly is comfort food at its finest.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground Beef – You’ll need a pound of ground beef. I used extra lean but if you just have regular ground beef, you might have to drain any excess fat after cooking it.
- Onion And Garlic – Must haves for some delicious flavor in our hamburger helper.
- Italian Seasoning – I love to use my homemade version but store bought works just as well.
- Marinara Sauce – You can make your own using my recipe here, or use store bought marinara sauce.
- Pasta – I love to use mafalda pasta which are little tiny lasagna sheets. I find these on amazon (link in recipe card) but any small shaped pasta will work just as well. You can even use regular lasagna sheets, and just break them into small pieces.
- Chicken Broth – I love using a low sodium or no sodium broth, this way I can control how much salt goes in my dish.
- Mozzarella Cheese – Lots of freshly shredded mozzarella cheese. You could use other cheeses if you wish such as provolone, emmental or even some havarti.
How To Make Hamburger Helper Lasagna
- Cook the beef. In a large skillet cook the ground beef over medium heat until it’s no longer pink and starts to brown. Drain off any excess fat, if needed. If using extra lean ground beef there won’t be any excess fat to drain.
- Incorporate onion, garlic and seasoning. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet and stir. Season with salt and pepper, Italian seasoning and cook until the onion gets soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add liquids and pasta. Add the marinara sauce, pasta, chicken broth and stir everything together. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through, most of the sauce should be absorbed as well.
- Finish the dish. Stir in the cheese and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute until the cheese melts.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with parsley and serve.
What Else Can I Add?
Feel free to play around with seasonings, herbs, etc. This is also a great recipe to sneak a few veggies into! The best part about making your own hamburger helper is you can make it however you want! Try some veggies like broccoli, mushrooms, or green peppers to name a few.
Do I Have To Use Mafalda Pasta?
Nope! You can use any small shaped pasta you prefer or have on hand. You can even use regular lasagna sheets and just break them into small pieces.
Can I Make This In Advance?
Absolutely! This is a great recipe to make in advance. Even though it only takes 30 minutes, sometimes we don’t have time for that. This hamburger helper lasagna can be made in advance and frozen for future meals! Scroll down to “freezing” section for full instructions.
Expert Tips
- You can use ground chicken or turkey to reduce the fat content.
- Just because the boxed version has multiple variations, doesn’t mean I don’t! Check out my Three Cheese Hamburger Helper, Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper, or Instant Pot Hamburger Helper for some more inspiration.
- Make sure when you’re adding the liquids to the skillet to scrape the brown bits in the bottom of the skillet, they add delicious flavor!
- Play around with cheeses, spices etc to make this dish your own. There are a ton of variations you can make with this base recipe.
Serve This With
How to Store This Hamburger Helper
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, this would make a great lunch for the next day. Make sure the hamburger helper has come to room temperature completely before proceeding. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing Hamburger Helper
If you want to freeze your leftovers, let them cool completely then freeze in an airtight container. Your hamburger helper lasagna will stay fresh for up to 3 months if stored properly.
More Delicious Lasagna Recipes To Try
- Taco Lasagna
- Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)
- Zucchini Lasagna
- The Best Lasagna
- Lasagna Dip
- Skillet White Chicken Lasagna
- Easy Beef Lasagna
- Lasagna Soup
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One Pot Hamburger Helper Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef extra lean
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 8 ounce mafalda pasta uncooked
- 3 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons parsley fresh, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the beef. In a large skillet cook the ground beef over medium heat until it's no longer pink and starts to brown. Drain off any excess fat, if needed. If using extra lean ground beef there won't be any excess fat to drain.
- Incorporate onion, garlic and seasoning. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet and stir. Season with salt and pepper, Italian seasoning and cook until the onion gets soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add liquids and pasta. Add the marinara sauce, pasta, chicken broth and stir everything together. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through, most of the sauce should be absorbed as well.
- Finish the dish. Stir in the cheese and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute until the cheese melts.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Video
Recipe Notes
- If you can’t find mafalda pasta, you can use any other small type such as farfalle, penne, shells, elbow, etc.
- You can use ground chicken or turkey to reduce the fat content.
- Make sure when you’re adding the liquids to the skillet to scrape the brown bits in the bottom of the skillet, they add delicious flavor!
- Play around with cheeses, spices etc to make this dish your own. There are a ton of variations you can make with this base recipe.
- If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, this would make a great lunch for the next day. Make sure the hamburger helper has come to room temperature completely before proceeding. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- If you want to freeze your leftovers, let them cool completely then freeze in an airtight container. Your hamburger helper lasagna will stay fresh for up to 3 months if stored properly.
Nutrition Information:
Recipe Originally Shared June 2016. Updated with video and pictures.
I can’t believe I did it without a box from the store !!!! Thank you so much . All I did was add sour cream because I had to use stewed tomatoes . No left overs . Definitely a keeper
I loved this recipe so much .Its really awesome.
Can I use leftover noodles in this recipe?
If you’re using cooked noodles the recipe won’t be the same, as far as how much chicken broth and marinara sauce are used.
Has anyone used sweet Italian sausage for this dish?
We absolutely LOVE this recipe!! I doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers for the next night. I also put it in a roasting pan and spread ricotta cheese on top of the pasta and then Italian cheese blend to top it all off! 🤤
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!
This is the second year my daughter has requested this meal for her birthday! Simple and delicious. Thank you!
A new hit in my household!
Great recipe, we loved it even though I took some shortcuts! I used garlic powder and onion powder because I rarely keep the fresh stuff on hand, and I used tomato sauce instead of marinara but bumped up the seasonings to compensate. I was worried towards the end that it would be too runny but after I stirred in the cheese and let it sit a minute the consistency was perfect. Will definitely make again! (If you like stuff spicy I recommend a pinch of red pepper flakes too!)
This was absolutely delicious and so quick to make. I love dinners that can be made in less than 30 minutes!
I was inspired to search for a knockoff recipe when I found bite sized lasagna noodles at Home Goods, and this was EXACTLY how Hamburger Helper used to taste 20 years ago! The newer versions are filled with ingredients which nobody should consume. My husband and I were blown away by how delish this was, and it couldn’t have been easier to throw together! 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it!
This was delicious! We added a couple of splashes of milk to thicken it up some but otherwise it was perfect and so easy!