If you need an easy and family friendly recipe that uses 1 pound of ground beef, this is your recipe. We often have 1 pound of ground beef staring at us in the freezer and we don’t know what to do with it. Having a list of family friendly recipes to pull from can be such a load off of our shoulders. This is such a simple, basic, budget friendly, and family friendly recipe.
This homemade hamburger helper recipe is perfect for busy lives!
This recipe not only uses simple, basic ingredients, it is also ready in 30 minutes or less. It is also a one skillet dinner! If you are cooking the pasta in the skillet, keep the broth in the recipe. If you are using special pasta that you are cooking ahead of time, just use 1/2 cup of the broth. Just don’t complicate this, it’s supposed to be an easy dinner recipe. One more thought, if you don’t want to blend the cottage cheese, don’t. I like cottage cheese left whole in recipes like this. I just wanted something to replace the heavy cream in this recipe and make it lighter.
This recipe is so versatile and low carb!
If you don’t care about keeping this light or you don’t want to jump on the blended cottage cheese train, sub some heavy cream or cream cheese in place of the blended cottage cheese. Having some delicious and a bit lighter recipes in our recipe box is a great idea. Also, use whatever sort of pasta you are comfortable using. The list of low carb pasta options seem to be growing.
Easy Italian Hamburger Helper, Low Carb
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Hamburger Meat
- 1 Med Onion, Diced
- 1 T Minced garlic
- 3/4 t Salt
- 1/2 t Pepper
- 1 t Italian Seasoning
- 1/2-1 t Red Pepper Flakes, optional
- 2 C Beef Broth
- 2 C Marinara
- 1/2 C Blended Cottage Cheese Or leave it whole or use heavy cream
- 6 oz Pasta of Choice
- 3/4 C Shredded Part-Skim Mozzarella Use more if making it low carb
- Parmesan as desired
Instructions
- Brown meat in a large skillet over medium heat. Once starting to brown, add onions.
- After a couple of minutes, add your minced garlic.
- After a minute or so, add the seasonings.
- Next add the broth and the marinara.
- Once it comes to a simmer, add your noodles.
- You can cover, but I didn't. I also never did when I used to make regular hamburger helper. I like to stir occasionally so the noodles don't burn. But you can cover and stir when you feel like it.
- I cooked mine for about 9 minutes. You cook yours until the noodles are how your family likes them. Add the whipped cottage cheese or heavy cream.
- Sprinkle on desired amount of cheese. You can place a lid on top or place it under the broiler, if you want the cheese to melt.
- Serve warm. I topped mine with a little Parmesan and dried parsley flakes.
