Hamburger Helper Lasagna
Hamburger Helper Lasagna is a super easy and filling one skillet weeknight dinner recipe that only takes 30 minutes to cook and loved by even the most picky eaters!
A CHEAP DINNER RECIPE
Who doesn’t love a good dinner recipe that is easy on the wallet and easy on the amount of dirty dishes to clean up afterwards?!?! That’s one of the things I love the most about this Hamburger Helper Lasagna. It doesn’t require a ton of crazy ingredients, it doesn’t dirty up the whole kitchen since it’s a one skillet dish, and it doesn’t cost a lot or take too long to whip up. Classic Hamburger Helper was big in the 80’s and is pretty popular right now because we all need some cheaper dinner options. But, this recipe is like the grown up version of the original, featuring tender beef, flavorful seasonings, rich marinara sauce, and cheesy goodness. It gives you all the warm fuzzies of a childhood meal but this is homemade yet still quite easy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Mafalda pasta is a type of pasta that originated in Italy. It is a flat, wide pasta shape with ruffled edges, similar to mini lasagna noodles. Since this is a play on lasagna, these noodles are the perfect kind of pasta to try out.
Yes, you can use other short pasta varieties such as rotini or elbow macaroni if you don’t have mafalda pasta on hand. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time as needed.
Make sure to stir the mixture occasionally while it simmers. This helps to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
Bulk this out even more by adding some veggies like diced bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, or spinach. Sauté the vegetables with the ground beef before adding the seasonings.
Sure, feel free to add more of the mozzarella and parmesan, or you can add different varieties of cheese like cheddar cheese is recommended if you want to add some sharp flavor. You can use a blend of your favorite cheeses too.
No, the pasta cooks directly in the skillet with the beef broth and marinara sauce, making this a convenient one-pot meal.
Here are some of my favorite things to serve with this:
– A fresh green salad
– Garlic bread or breadsticks
– Steamed vegetables
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yup! This dish can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- lean ground beef– Opt for lean beef to reduce excess fat. You can substitute with Italian sausage if you prefer. Or you can substitute with ground turkey or chicken for a lighter version.
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder, onion powder and dried oregano – if you don’t have all of these, you can just use Italian seasoning.
- marinara sauce– Use your favorite store-bought brand or Homemade Marinara Sauce.
- mafalda pasta– broken into smaller bite size pieces. These mini lasagna noodles are perfect for this dish, but you can also use other short pasta like rotini.
- beef broth– you can use low or no sodium versions if desired. This helps cook the pasta directly in the skillet.
- grated parmesan cheese
- shredded mozzarella cheese– if you wanted to, you could swap this out for white cheddar cheese.
- chopped parsley -this is totally optional. It just gives color. You could use dried parsley as well but you don’t need it for this to taste amazing.
HOW TO MAKE HAMBURGER HELPER LASAGNA
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive and cook and crumble the ground beef until browned. Drain any excess grease. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano to the beef. Stir well to combine. Pour in the marinara sauce and beef broth. Stir to mix everything together. Add the mafalda pasta to the skillet. Ensure the pasta is submerged in the liquid.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Once the pasta is cooked, add the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
Mix and cover and another 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped parsley (optional) before serving.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Skillet Lasagna
- Cheesy Macaroni Skillet
- Philly Cheesesteak Skillet
- Instant Pot Hamburger Helper Stroganoff
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Mexican Lasagna
- Ground Beef & Gravy
- Ground Beef Alfredo
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Chicken Stroganoff
- Homemade Lasagna for Two
- Crock Pot Lasagna
- Crock Pot White Lasagna Soup
- Bubble Up Lasagna
- Homemade Beefaroni
Hamburger Helper Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 10 ounces mafalda pasta broken into smaller bite size pieces
- 4 cups beef broth can use low or no sodium
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese or white cheddar cheese
- 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive and cook and crumble the ground beef until browned. Drain any excess grease.
- Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano to the beef. Stir well to combine.
- Pour in the marinara sauce and beef broth. Stir to mix everything together.
- Add the mafalda pasta to the skillet. Ensure the pasta is submerged in the liquid.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Mix and cover and another 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This makes 4-6 servings depending on the size of your portions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
way better then the boxed version and so easy to make!!
Easy to make and delicious
very versatile good! Thank you for sharing