As an actual product, and not somebody’s personal recipe?
Are we restricted to the name brand Hamburger Helper?
Sorry, I mistook “Hamburger Helper” for something different than it is. Nevermind, content retracted.
Vegan Helper or maybe Tofu Helper?
From the product website FAQ
Can You Make Hamburger Helper Without Meat (Vegetarian)?
Yes! Although traditionally Hamburger Helper has called for meat additions, these ingredients can be easily substituted by your choice of protein. Instead of meat, you can add vegetables or a meat alternative of your choice to Hamburger Helper meals to make them plant-based.
However, be aware that most of our boxed meal products contain ingredients that are not vegan, including milk and animal fat.
So the answer appears to be no.
Look next to “Kosher Clam Juice” at the ‘ethnic’ aisle at the grocery story.
Stranger
Isn’t Hamburger Helper by design a product to stretch a quantity of ground meat into a larger quantity, while keeping its flavor and texture essentially meaty? Or does it include spices, thus adding a fllavor of its own (I’ve never tried it)?
If no spices, I’d think that adding Hamburger Helper to Beyond Burger would be essentially adding it to more Hamburger Helper, which would defeat the purpose.
It usually contains a pasta or rice and some seasonings, sometimes making it a sort of casserole or pan dish. This made me think that Tofu Helper might be possible.
So, if it “usually” but not always contains pasta and rice, by implication you are saying there are different varieties, correct?
Unless I missed something there’s one with rice everything else is pasta.
Ah, I see there’s many types, each intended to make an easily prepared dish. You could say that instead of it being a Helper, it’s the hamburger or other meat that is the “helper”.
Yeah, it’s a relatively cheap and not relatively salty way to turn a pound of meat into a casserole for people that don’t know the magic of Campbell’s Cream of soups or the basics of the Hot Dish.
They used to do at least one with potatoes.
Under that theory, an old friend used to refer to Coke as “Rum Helper”.
If you’re asking about “casserole mix to add to protein”, there isn’t a 1:1 direct copy of Hamburger Helper that I know of, but there are several brands that make ready-to-heat vegan pastas and rices that you can easily add protein to.
For example:
- Annie’s vegan mac & cheeses
- Daiya mac and cheese & alfredo
- Seeds of Change rice packs
- Ben’s Original rice packs
And not really a grain bowl, but a complete meal replacement (that we sometimes add additional protein to for flavor and texture): Huel
If you are asking about replacing the “Hamburger” part, many brands offer fake meats. Beyond and Impossible both offer fake ground beef. They’re pretty unhealthy though. If you’re doing it for health reasons, you probably don’t want to eat those daily (or often at all).
I find Daring chicken to be a better regular meal addition; it’s not as heavy as Beyond or Impossible and you don’t feel terrible after eating it. A relative newcomer is Chunk steak, which isn’t bad. There’s a lot of other brands, though most of them are faltering now a few years after COVID (the bubble peaked and then burst).
Be aware that many vegan protein sources aren’t necessarily complete proteins (as in being able to provide all the amino acids a human needs). It’s fine if you just eat them once in a while, but if you’re going to switch over to them completely, you should find out what they’re missing and add other foods accordingly.
Tofu, whether plain or the seasoned & baked ones you can find in most stores now, is usually a healthier and cheaper alternative (and a complete protein too, being soy-based).
You’re right (shoulda known that hashbrowns would not be pasta based!) four Cheesy, Sausage, Farmhouse, and Southwest Style.
Oh, and by the way… the regular Hamburger Helper isn’t vegan (it contains animal products), BUT in such small quantities that it’s nutritionally almost vegan. So if you’re worried about dietary or health stuff, it might still work…?
It is overwhelmingly just wheat, corn, sugar, and a tiny bit of milk derivatives, but in such low quantities that its per-serving cholesterol (a usual indicator of the presence of animal products) rounds down to 0mg. It has less than 2% (by weight) cheese and milk.
Nutrition and ingredients
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/3 cup as pkgd (42g), Calories 140, Total Fat 1g 1%, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg 0%, Sodium 630mg 27%, Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%, Dietary Fiber < 1g 3%, Sugars 3g, Incl. 1g, Added Sugars 2%, Protein 3g, Iron 0.9mg 6%, Potassium 110mg 2%
Not a significant source of Vitamin D and Calcium
Product Ingredients
Enriched Macaroni (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Corn Starch, Salt, Modified Whey, Sugar. Contains 2% or less of: Tomato*, Onion*, Vegetable Oil (canola, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), Citric Acid, Whey, Maltodextrin, Garlic*, Spice, Cheddar Cheese* (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), Color (yellows 5 & 6, yellow lakes 5 & 6, annatto & turmeric extract), Monoglycerides, Yeast Extract, Nonfat Milk*, Gum Arabic, Natural Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Blue Cheese* (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent). *DRIED
Amy’s (different from Annie’s, the grains brand) makes decent vegan canned soups: Amy's Kitchen - Our Foods
They used to have a vegan cream of mushroom that was great for casseroles, and you can still see it on Amazon, but it’s not on their official site anymore. Maybe discontinued? Sad 
Curse you all for making me think of the vile Tuna Helper. Growing up it was the only ‘helper’ mom bought. 50 years later the thought still makes me retch.
That would be Hamburger Helpless.
[Moderating]
Moving to Cafe Society