This HEALTHY HAMBURGER HELPER is a one skillet dinner that is reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood meals – Cheeseburger Macaroni! There is ZERO pasta in this low carb one dish dinner – instead this recipe includes cauliflower for a healthier alternative.
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I’m not going to lie, you guys.
I LOVE Hamburger Helper! The Cheeseburger Macaroni version is an all-time favorite for both me and my kiddos and lately we’ve all been craving it.
After I perfected my cauliflower mac and cheese, I knew that I had to work on some low carb hamburger helper and woah. This is so darn good!
The real question: did my kids like this low carb version of hamburger helper?
The answer: Yep! My son didn’t even question the cauliflower, but he’s a teenage boy so he eats anything and everything. My daughter is the picky one in the family and she ate two helpings of this. She did say that she preferred the kind from a box, but that she wanted me to make this low carb version again too.
I call that a win!
How to make this low carb hamburger recipe:
You’ll start by browning your beef. I prefer to use lean beef, but whatever you like is fine.
Once the beef is browned, you’ll add all of your remaining ingredients to the skillet. This couldn’t be easier.
You’ll need cauliflower that you’ve chopped into macaroni sized pieces, cream, water, sugar free ketchup, mustard, and a few spices.
There won’t be a lot of liquid in the skillet, but bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. You’ll want to cook this until the cauliflower is nice and tender, about 10 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, add in a couple handfuls of shredded cheddar, and pop the lid back on to let the cheese melt.
Stir and serve!
This really is an easy one dish dinner and it was such a hit with my family. It totally satisfied my hamburger helper craving and I can’t wait to make it again on a busy night.
We served this with a side salad. Top it off with homemade ranch, homemade Italian dressing, or homemade thousand island dressing.
More low carb kid-friendly recipes:
Fathead Pizza: Everyone loves pizza night!
Ranch Grilled Chicken: This marinade is so easy and so flavorful!
Keto Taco Casserole: Perfect for Taco Tuesday!
Air Fryer Pork Chops: So simple and always a hit!
Keto Spaghetti: My kids love this spaghetti squash recipe.
Healthy Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 16 ounces cauliflower chopped into macaroni sized pieces
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar free ketchup
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups grated cheddar
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, crumbling it as it cooks. Drain grease.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the skillet with the beef, except for the grated cheese and parsley. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is as soft as you’d like, stirring every couple of minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the cheddar cheese, and cover for 2 minutes.
- Stir well and sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Betty says
Hello. This looks delish. I LOVED hamburger helper when I was younger. Question about two ingredients in here: sugar free ketchup… I never have that on hand. Would using regular taste pretty much the same (I assume you just use sugar free for healthiness). It’s only 1T for the whole thing so I wouldn’t think it would matter much? Mustard? I cannot stand mustard. At all. However, it’s a VERY small amount in here. I’m just curious if the combo of what you have here is to make it taste like the boxed stuff or you just like mustard? If it helps it taste like the box, I’ll add it. Sometimes what you don’t know about a food is OK (If the box had mustard powder or something and I never knew it). HA! THanks.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Betty! I use the sugar free ketchup to cut the carbs. You can use regular if it doesn’t bother you. As for the mustard, I don’t think it tastes like mustard in the final dish – it’s such a small amount overall. I do think it helps give it the cheeseburger vibe. My daughter also hates mustard but has never commented on it here, but if you’re worried about it I don’t think it’d hurt to skip it.
Melissa Olvera says
Hi, The mustard does make the cheeseyness more cheesey! Taste more like the original dish. 🙂 hopethis helps!
Haley says
Can you use milk instead of cream?
Karly Campbell says
I’ve only made this as directed, but I assume it would work. The mixture just won’t be as thick.
Jill says
Loved this. Omitted the ketchup and mustard both. Used tobasco on it after dishing up. It was delish.
donna j helms says
Made this tonight. Some BIG problems though with the nutritional information. 41 g. of fat = 369 calories alone, so how could the serving just have 339 calories? This doesn’t account for the calories from carbs and protein. I put all the ingredients into a carb manager recipe app. The total for all ingredients were as follows…….a whopping 3724 calories (931 per serving)….286 g of fat (71.50 per serving)…..251 g of protein (62.75 per serving)…..and 27 g carbs (6.75 per serving). I don’t know how you could be this far off on this recipe, and no one questioned it. That being said, it was easy to make, and tasted good.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Donna! My recipes are calculated automatically based off a USDA database of information. Sometimes things are a bit off (hence the disclaimer in every recipe), but I don’t believe they’re off that much. The fat grams for example…a pound of lean beef has around 23g of fat. 2 cups of cheese has around 80. Cream has around 60. That breaks down to around 40g of fat per serving, which is what my nutrition card states. My guess is that you entered different products into Carb Manager than I used (I specifically call out lean beef in the recipe and I’d guess you didn’t use lean beef). Either way, the nutrition info is there as a courtesy and is based on the products I used. It will definitely vary if you use different products. Glad you enjoyed the recipe either way.
El says
You are so kind in your responses, and seem to have the patience of Job. I just found your website and I am loving all these new Keto dinner ideas. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, El! My kids would disagree about that patience thing though. 😉
Jen says
Agree with this. It doesn’t matter what specific ingredients. 1 g of fat has 9 calories….therefore 41 g of carbs has 369 calories. If you include the protein (1 g protein = 4 calories, so 25 g would be 100 calories) and carbs (1 g carb = 4 calories, so 10 g would be 40 calories), the total calories should be 509 based on the carb, protein, and fat count you provided. The math just doesn’t add up. Not trying to be a jerk, just maybe the calculator you’re using is incorrect.
Christine says
Why do you go go crazy dismantling everything you eat with charts and measuring devices? What a time consuming, very
unfun” thing. Eat good, well-prepared food and use your common sense.
Koko says
I did a steamer bag of cauliflower in the microwave (4 cups), and mashed it up before adding. Couldn’t find my onion powder, so I used a heavy sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning – very good!
Jodi says
Great recipe! The kids loved it too! I used riced cauliflower and it was perfect!
Karly Campbell says
Yay! I love hearing when kids love these meals too! 🙂
Jules says
Just made this and wow! Great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you gave it a try! 🙂
Fayda says
I tried last wee. It was amazing. I never thought cauliflowers could test this way
Kim says
Eating this now. It is so good!!
Only changes I made were Sriracha instead of ketchup, no mustard and fresh garlic and onion too, tossed in when the meat was browning. Made it for me, but 3 out 4 kids like it!
Karol Kammeraad says
Would Cauliflower rice work just as well?
Karly Campbell says
I think so! 🙂
Terry says
I made this last night and loved it! I’m doing Keto so didn’t drain the grass-fed fat, it’s wanted! Also forced into a couple small changes: no ketchup so used bbq sauce. Had only 4 oz of cheddar (1 cup) so also used 4 oz of cream cheese. Satiety maxed! Intermittent fasting will work great with this one. Froze the left-overs. This will be part of my bi-weekly meal prep. Thanks!!
Karly Campbell says
Glad it was a hit! I bet the BBQ sauce was a good swap! 🙂
Wendy Vaughan says
I made this for my lunch this week. I noticed once i added my shredded cheese that it got greasy looking and reheating it the next day, i am mopping the grease off of the plate. I did drain my hamburger, i am wondering if the greasy comes from the cheddar cheese? i used mild cheddar. Is there a cheddar or brand that you don’t have the greasy problem with?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Wendy! I normally grate my own cheese. I use whatever brand is on sale and haven’t had an issue with that.
Dani says
I saw this and decided I was making it. I tasted it when it was done and thought it was very good. My husband was a little late getting home, so it sat for about an hour, just on a cold burner, not a hot one. When I went to serve it, I was sad to see that the cheesiness had turned to yellow water. I guess it has to be served immediately, which I didn’t know. But it was still really good, and I will make it again.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Dani!
Cauliflower has a lot of liquid in it, so I’d guess that as it sat it released a lot of that. Hopefully it was better once reheated.
Cassie says
Dani, I think I can help you! I’ve made this a few times for my husband and I, we really enjoy it, but were having the same problem. This is what I’ve started doing and practically eliminated that orange and watery buildup. After setting the meat aside to drain, I cook the cauliflower for about 5 minutes (or however long it takes to shred the cheese) in the same pan with a bit of salt to draw out more moisture. I used cauliflower, that’s just what I had on hand. I returned the meat, added the seasonings, added the cream, omitted the water, and added the cheese. It came out just as creamy as before, but didn’t have that extra water/grease that solidified when it cooled. I didn’t let it simmer for the 10 minutes, so it didn’t taste as flavorful, but that also could’ve been my poor ingredient estimating. Hope this helps if you try it again!
Michelle says
One trick I learned along the way as a Keto cauliflower user…if you microwave cauliflower in an open container it releases a lot of its moisture..so you could partially cook it in the microwave to let the moisture out then add to the pan I would think to help that from happening in the future.
Nicola says
I am only cooking for myself, can I freeze this down inprtions?
Karly Campbell says
I think this would freeze nicely, though I haven’t tried it myself.
Linda Johnson says
Tried it tonight and really enjoyed it! Even hubby approved!
Tammy Duell says
Have you made any other “hamburger helper” recipes like lasagna using cauliflower, sauce and mozzarella?
Karly Campbell says
I have a low carb skillet lasagna that uses cabbage, but haven’t tried it with cauliflower.
Kathy H says
My husband & I both really like this, I wasn’t sure he would since he isn’t a big cauliflower fan but he said I could make this often! I added more cauliflower to my portion since I love it. A keeper for sure!
Karen Byers says
Why does it have so much sodium in it
Karly Campbell says
The ketchup, salt, and cheddar all have sodium. I believe the majority is coming from the cheddar.
Candace Daniels says
I always ticker with recipes, hope you don’t mind.
I deleted the ketchup & mustard & heavy cream, added cooked bacon, onions & a little bit of chicken broth.
1st I browned my cauliflower in the bacon drippings with the onion, removed from heat. Cooked my beef, then added everything else. Topped with chopped bacon.
I love this, definitely will make again.
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious! 🙂
mickey ferris says
Wonderful….thanks for your prompt reply.
Mickey Ferris says
Is the carb count accurate?
Karly Campbell says
I believe you’re looking at the sodium content, not the carb content. There are 10g carbs and 3g fiber, making it 7 net carbs per serving.
Mickey Ferris says
I was excited about this until I saw the 1,078 mg’s of carbs…..is this correct?
Susan says
It’s 1078 mg of sodium
10g of carbs.