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Hamburger Helper: Vegan Style!

5 Minutes to Lunch

With the help of a (vegan) hamburger. And a butternut-squash trick.

vegan bowl

Katie, how can it be “5 minutes” if one of the ingredients is butternut squash? Those things take ages to cook! True, but here’s what I like to do: Buy the BIGGEST butternut squash you can find.

Roast the whole thing (see: How to Roast a Butternut Squash… sorry in advance for the creepy photo! :-?). Then portion it out into single-serving amounts and freeze whatever you don’t plan to use within a few days. Unlike spaghetti squash, butternut defrosts quite well.

burger bowl

Hamburger Veggie Burger Helper

  • Steamed Broccoli (or other veg)
  • Roasted Winter Squash (or sweet potato)
  • Burger, crumbled (I highly recommend these burgers)
  • Optional: Nutritional Yeast for topping

Mix everything together, season with salt, and sprinkle nutritional yeast on top, if desired. Try to mix/chop everything well enough that you get a little of each component in every bite :). (You can even pulse with a hand blender a few times if you wish!)

For a gourmet twist, try drizzling with coconut milk immediately prior to eating.

bowl meal

Seriously, why bother with complicated recipes that take hours when simple things can taste just as good?  My dessert was just as easy and quick-to-prepare as lunch.

peanut butter balls

Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls

Life is too short to spend it slaving over a stove (unless, of course, you enjoy the cooking process. I just don’t happen to be one of those people.)

.

Question of the Day:
Do you ever freeze leftovers?

I love to cook in bulk and freeze extra servings of things. Cook once, eat twice… or three or four times! Soup is a favorite meal to freeze. But I like freezing foods like pancakes as well. The only problem is that my freezer can get pretty crowded! 😕

Other question: Have you ever eaten Hamburger Helper?

For the Stevia Giveaway Winners: click here.
Artisana winner: bottom of this post.

Published on February 1, 2011

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Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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89 Comments

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  1. Alexandra (Veggin' Out in the Kitchen) says

    That looks fabulous! I’ve never tried hamburger helper, but I think I will keep it that way and make you veggie burger helper instead! 🙂
    I’m sad to hear that spaghetti squash doesn’t freeze well – I didn’t know and stuck some in the freezer a few months ago. Oh well, I guess it’s a good excuse to by another squash 😉
    I freeze leftovers all the time. They make for great quick and healthy weekday meals!

  2. Lindsey in CO says

    I recently discovered butternut squash and I could think was – where has THAT been all my life? Wow – so yummy 🙂

    My daughter has a snow day today (it is -25 here) and we are going to make your single lady cupcakes and peanut butter balls. Considering baking a peanut butter ball INSIDE the cupcake… 🙂

    On a tech note, I think you linked to the wrong butternut squash recipe as the one shown doesn’t give the details of roasting.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Ugh! Thanks for letting me know. You’re right; it was the wrong link :(. I fixed it.

      Let me know how the cookies turn out! And also, stay warm! It’s “feels like -2” here, and that’s more than cold enough for me!

  3. Jenny says

    I would definitely freeze my leftovers more often… if only I could stop buying frozen fruit and veggies and stuffing my freezer with all of it! My freezer never seems to have any space at all, haha. (Frozen veggies and fruit, though… they’re essential to quick meal prep! So I love ’em, and it makes me happy to hear all the research that has proven frozen produce to be nutritionally on par with fresh produce – at least most of the time, and sometimes it’s supposedly even better~)

    I agree with you though! Simply delicious ingredients all thrown together makes for a delicious meal, so why spend hours slaving over one meal when you can be eating something awesome in a couple of minutes…? Though, admittedly, I love cooking and spending time in the kitchen. Quick recipes are great too though – and your meals always look fantastic and only take a few minutes!

    May as well for once actually say: Thanks for all the recipes thus far! 😀 I didn’t know you could freeze pancakes… Definitely keeping that in mind, haha.

      • Jenny says

        Such a fantastic idea! And sometimes when I’m honestly craving pancakes, I don’t feel like going through all the hassle to make them… It’s simple but genius – freeze ’em so you can eat them when you want!

        You’re full of good ideas. 🙂 Thanks for always sharing them!

  4. Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says

    Girl, uh. greed. Even though I love preparing yummylicious food, I often finding myself cooking in bulk and throwing the same things together all the time! It’s repetitive, but delicious and simple:) It will be especially helpful in college next year!

  5. Lauren @ WWoB says

    I have had hamburger helper years ago when I was a kid! It tasted good at the time 🙂 I would definitely just make a healthier version of it now myself.

    And I dont really freeze leftovers but I do freeze all bread and meat products so that they dont go to waste!

  6. Char says

    I LOVE this idea!! As a kid I used to love Hamburger Helper, but this looks waaay better 😀 Costco sells pre-chopped butternut squash in cubes…all I gotta do is cook it for about 10 mins and it’s done! I can’t wat to try this!

  7. Bianca- Vegan Crunk says

    That looks mighty tasty. I’m a fan of crumbling veggie burgers over all kinds of dishes. As for freezing, I ALWAYS freeze leftovers. Those portioned leftovers make up my daily lunches, and I never have to buy overpriced frozen meals. And yes, I used to eat Hamburger Helper all the time in my vegetarian days. I’d always use veggie burger of course, but I didn’t think twice about cooking from a box back then.

  8. Heather says

    I LOVE freezing leftovers! It comes in handy when my “cafeteria lady syndrome” comes out! Anytime I break out the crock pot I end up with 6+ servings! I also like to freeze baked goods, but like you, my freezer gets SUPER full! I can never find anything in there without digging for it!

  9. Cat says

    Freezing leftovers is a godsend for me! When there are no hungry fiances lurking around I’m always left with extra food, but I get kind of excited about it because then later that week (or month if frozen) it’s like second meal without the effort!

    I need to try those burgers…

  10. Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says

    I’ve never had a hamburger helper, but it sounds nasty. I will have your instead, thank you!

    I don’t usually freeze leftovers because everybody eats it up so fast!!! I just use da fridge!

  11. Emma (Sweet Tooth Runner) says

    I love this!! Your recipes always look delish and have such short ingredients lists, which I LOVE!! 😀

  12. Lauren @ Coachlauren.net says

    I love your recipes Katie! The “hamburger” helper and peanut butter balls both look amazing.

    PS. I made your tortilla soup…it was indeed the easiest EVER and SOOO GOOD!!! I’ll be making it often, thanks! 🙂

  13. Little Bookworm says

    I often freezer leftovers when I cook meals that have more than one serving. It is great to have meals that just need to be defrosted and heated up. 🙂

  14. melissa @ the delicate place says

    i have indeed eaten hamburger helper but it’s been about 15 years haha. it’s difficult for me to find a veggie burger i like. i usually go with something mushroom burger-esque if i’m not eating bison burgers (my fave).

  15. Allison @ Happy Tales says

    Hollaaaa! I am ALL about freezing leftovers! Now that I live with my boyfriend.. we almost need a second freezer (my leftovers, his meat…ick) I also like to keep frozen fruit and berries on hand for all my green monsters. Needless to say, frozen food rocks.

  16. Erika @ Health and Happiness in LA says

    I do like to freeze leftovers, though I usually just end up refrigerating them and eating them fairly quickly. I like leftovers.

    Yes, I have eaten Hamburger Helper, but it’s been a very long time. I did love Tuna Helper when I was a kid. Your vegan version looks much better and healthier, though!

  17. Alyssa says

    I usually refrigerate my leftovers and eat them in a new form a few days later (like quinoa one night, quinoa burgers the next!). I do make HUGE batches of homemade soup and freeze that in portions though 🙂

  18. katie says

    mmm!
    congratulations to catherine!
    katie, where can you buy reasonably priced unsweetened coconut on the internet? no stores around me sell it.
    i didn’t start freezing foods until recently and now i’m alll about it! lol

  19. Namaste Gurl says

    Never eaten hamburger helper and honestly, I NEVER plan to 🙂
    I usually cook single- lady style, so I never get around to freezing leftovers or large batches of food. It just doesn’t seem as fresh to me, I guess.

  20. Alyson says

    Mmmmmmm. This looks deeeeelish! 😀 I can’t lie and say that I’ve never had Hamburger Helper… (Unfortunately, I have… :/ ), but I mean, we all have our past and things to get better at. 🙂
    Also, freezing is my new favorite. Whenever I’m paranoid about food waste, I just toss it in the freezer and pray that it comes back soon. 🙂 At least that way I get to enjoy it longer…?
    Love,
    Aly

  21. Caitlin (EatFeats) says

    Our freezers (TWO of them) are always too full for leftovers! I often wonder what the heck we keep in them. Two freezers!

    I love cooking at my boyfriend’s apartment because he and his roommate eat the meal/leftovers and nothing goes to waste!

  22. chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says

    I think I’ve eaten Hamburger Helper once in my life when I was younger. I was never into red meat even when I did eat meat though.

    I am a HUGE fan of making triple what I need and then freezing the leftovers, especially with things like spaghetti sauce, soups, breads, etc. It saves so much time!

  23. Emily says

    Your comment on my blog didn’t work but I saw the comment on here so that works too! I’ll let you know how the co-workers like your fudge. But I’m not saying they’re sugar free or vegan. Last time I won the Christmas Eve Cook-Off for my “Chicken” Enchiladas and they were made with seitan and soy cheese. Muahahhaha.

  24. Claire says

    Hey Katie, good topic the other day (artificial sweetener that is … though fudge is pretty darn good too) you’re right, things with fake sweetener do taste fake plus if you’re only having a little sugar why bother changing it for the artificial stuff. Sometime’s I’ll freeze leftovers but I’ll normally be having them the next day so they just go in the fridge, pancakes sounds like a good one to make in bulk and freeze though!

  25. Gill (snaxandthecity) says

    I love freezing stuff, but am not organised enough to do it very often! I never knew you could freeze B-nut Squash though 🙂

  26. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    freezing leftovers and planned leftovers are a busy working mom’s lifeline! if i had to cook from scratch and start over every single meal I think i would die.

    I definitely plan leftovers so when im at work, the family can eat! Otherwise they would be eating tv dinners or pizza every night!

    🙂

  27. Disturbed says

    I don’t freeze things simply because I am usually just making things for myself and usually it doesn’t require cooking. I love cooking and baking for that matter though, so it would never really bother me.

    I actually have had hamburger helper and everything like it before going vegetarian and now of course vegan.

  28. Christin@purplebirdblog says

    My mom used to make homemade Hamburger Helper with real cheese, so I guess that was at least better than the boxed crap! 🙂 Yours looks truly delectable! 🙂

  29. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    I always make stir fry bowls with crumbled veggie burgers. 🙂 It’s my favorite way to eat them. As for Hamburger Helper, I never liked the stuff. The glove freaked me out.

  30. BroccoliHut says

    Mmm. I’ve never had veggie burger with butternut squash before, but it sounds enticing.
    As for Hamburger Helper, we had it a couple times when I was a kid–I really liked the cheesey mac!

  31. jwoolman says

    Unlike you foodie snobs 🙂 – I’ve eaten Hamburger Helper more recently and even have some on-sale packs somewhere… They’re generally not vegan (have dairy) but many of them don’t seem to have obvious meat in them (who knows with “natural flavors”, of course). But I’ve always substituted beans or grain/soy based burger bits for the recommended dead cow bits. Beans are really quite good in it (I just add a 15 oz can), no need to buy the veggie granules really. I’m assuming garbanzo beans (mashed) would make a good substitute in their Tuna Helper since they work so well in any tuna salad recipe (like mashed tofu works in egg salad recipes). Sometimes I switch the white pasta in the box with whole grain and save the white pasta for use in bean soups. You might be wondering why bother to get the box with all the substitutions — but sometimes having a basic flavor mix is helpful for us disorganized types who have trouble finding a clean spoon… Or maybe it’s nostalgia for grad school, when Hamburger Helper was a staple. The Helper line routinely goes on sale, even as low as fifty cents a box. Not worth full price, though.

    I also like those Asian noodle/rice boxes/bowls that just take a couple of minutes in the microwave – a 15 oz can of beans (okay, the contents of the can…) fits quite nicely in the Ka-Me boxes on top of their noodles/rice, just adds a minute to the 2-minute microwave time, and stretches a box from 2 meals to 3 plus adds the fiber they generally lack. They freeze well, too, after preparation.

    Whether it’s out of a cheapie box or made from scratch – I routinely freeze portions of such things in small 1 cup or 2 cup pyrex bowls with rubber lids. Then just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes, and instant meal! Frozen veggies often can be added right in the bowl while they’re heating up (same thing when heating up soup, which I also freeze in portions – e.g., half a can). No need to eat the same thing for a week with a big freezer handy!

  32. Hillary says

    Holy moly, I had very little expectations for this dish. But I made my sister roast a squash and I put the rest of it together in less then ten minutes. It tastes so hearty and delicious! This is easily a dish I will carry throughout my whole life now. Thank you so much!

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