Vegetarian Hamburger Helper Recipe. Elbow pasta sautéed with lentils, garlic, onions, and tomato paste.
What a pleasant surprise this recipe turned out to be. I had a package of lentils buried in the pantry and decided it was time to use them. It just so happened I did not have any fresh meat in the refrigerator, nor did I have time to thaw anything from the freezer.
A vegetarian dish was on tap and I grabbed the lentils, elbow pasta, an onion, some garlic, and the rest of the ingredients and went to work.
NOTE
Before beginning the recipe remember to read the “Invent Your Recipe” section below for additional suggestions, recipe combinations, or ingredient alternatives.
How to Make Vegetarian Hamburger Helper
Preparing the Lentils:
- Prepare the lentils according to the package.
Preparing the Pasta:
- While the lentils are cooking, prepare the pasta according to the package.
Bringing the Vegetarian Hamburger Helper Together
- In a extra large skillet or large pot bring the canola oil to high heat. Next, lower to medium heat and add in the garlic. Sauté until golden (about 2-3 minutes).
- Next, add in the onions and sauté until they soften (about 3-4 minutes), mixing occasionally.
- Continuing on medium heat, add in the tomato paste, water, salt, and pepper.
- Mix thoroughly and often while cooking for 5 minutes. Next, add in the pre-cooked lentils and pasta.
- Cook for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally to incorporate all the ingredients.
How to Server Vegetarian Hamburger Helper
- To serve this vegetarian hamburger helper, sprinkle granted cheese over the pasta mixture and serve family style in a large bowl, or in individual portions.
- For a vegan recipe, leave out the grated cheese.
More Pasta Recipes To Try
Pasta Primavera Recipe
Chop up some vegetables, sprinkle on some olive oil, roast away, and combine with pasta.
Pasta with Escarole and Beans
Escarole sautéed in garlic and oil and combined with cannellini beans, pasta, and grated cheese.
Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes
Zucchini and tomatoes sautéed with garlic and onions and mixed with pasta.
Pasta with Artichokes and Peppers
Artichokes and peppers sautéed with garlic, onions, and tomatoes and mixed with penne pasta.
The Recipe
Vegetarian Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lentils
- 1 lb. elbow pasta
- 4 cloves of garlic sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 can 6 oz. tomato paste
- 4 oz. water
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- Grated Cheese for serving
Instructions
Preparing the Lentils:
- Prepare the lentils according to the package.
Preparing the Pasta:
- While the lentils are cooking, prepare the pasta according to the package.
Bringing it All Together:
- In a extra large skillet or large pot bring the canola oil to high heat. Next, lower to medium heat and add in the garlic. Saute until golden (about 2-3 minutes).
- Next, add in the onions and saute until they soften (about 3-4 minutes), mixing occasionally. Continuing on medium heat, add in the tomato paste, water, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and often while cooking for 5 minutes.
- Next, add in the pre-cooked lentils and pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally to incorporate all the ingredients.
To Serve:
- Sprinkle granted cheese over the pasta mixture and serve family style in a large bowl, or in individual portions.
Invent Your Recipe
Nutrition
Invent Your Recipe:
If you are not a fan of lentils, you can make this vegetarian hamburger helper dish with peas, black beans, red kidney beans, or any type of bean really. Or forget the beans and use quinoa, couscous, or bulgur wheat. Although, that might be a bit much in terms of grains, but it will taste great nonetheless.
Tomato paste works well in this vegetarian hamburger helper dish, but tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes will also work. If you choose crushed tomatoes I would recommend cooking the onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and crushed tomatoes for a longer period of time (about 10 minutes) before adding in the lentils and pasta.
Onions are not for everyone. If you decide to leave out the onions all together I recommend cutting back the amount of canola oil used in the recipe, 2 tablespoons should do instead of the 1/4 cup.
If you are looking for some more recipes like this homemade vegetarian hamburger helper, check out our pasta recipe page.
For even more ideas like this vegetarian hamburger helper dish check out our Pinterest page.
This dish turned out great! I did not use onions, so I should have reduced the amount of oil, but it still came together beautifully. Very easy prep, quickly comes together after the lentils are ready, and will be great for lunches.
Thank you for the suggestion! I will add that to recipe and post. Thanks for sharing and I am happy the recipe turned out great!