So it’s your busy weeknight and that box is looking mighty adequate. Here’s your list of totally doable sides when you want to know what to serve with Hamburger Helper.
At some point in time, we have all walked down the aisle in our grocery store that holds Hamburger Helper meal kits, whether it’s the 50-year-old brand name or just generic.
For those super busy nights, when all you have time for is to brown some ground meat, the Hamburger Helper kit helps round out the main part of the meal, typically with seasonings and pasta.
They have also branched out into other categories like tuna and chicken.
Sometimes the meat and boxed ingredients are enough to be the meal.
But other times, that may not be all you want to serve for dinner.
What about a side dish to complement the entree or make it stretch a little further?
There are so many options for what to serve with Hamburger Helper from salads, to fruits to fresh, frozen or canned veggies or some sort of delicious bread!
Some of these may be obvious, while others may be new ideas or simply new ways of preparing familiar sides.
Cheeseburger Macaroni was my jam back in the day. If I need comfort food, I’ll grab a box. Do I add a handful of more shredded cheese? Yes, yes I do. No shame in my game.
Listen, someone has to consume all that heart-stopping sodium and it may as well be ME.
Renee’ just said her favorite was the Stroganoff, but her side was Mrs. Baird’s white bread. Let’s elevate that just a skosh.
So, here are 17 ideas for what to serve with Hamburger Helper! Plus a couple of copycat recipes so you can make your own homemade Hamburger Helper.
Try our Grilled Tomatoes recipe too; just a couple of ingredients needed. Frozen Veggies in the Air Fryer makes simple veg into something way tastier. Let’s be honest here, the Honey Butter Skillet Corn is going to be your kids’ favorite.
My personal favorite is our Quick-Pickled Cucumbers recipe—#18 below.
I find that they are easy to prep, you can make them in advance (they stay good for a couple of weeks, even), and the sweet/sour helps cut the richness of the HH.
What better Hamburger Helper side dish can there be than a bright tossed green salad?
With the right combination of ingredients, everyone will look forward to it as much as the main dish!
This recipe begins with your favorite bed of mixed greens or lettuce.
Toppings are sunflower seeds, bacon bits, sliced red onion, cucumber with a homemade dressing made of dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil.
Go even simpler with our easy arugula and vinaigrette recipe.
When considering what to serve with Hamburger Helper, a side veggie is always a great choice.
How about canned green beans?
They come in sliced or French cut.
They are fully cooked and simply need warming.
They can be jazzed up with just a little bit of pepper or you can go all out and saute them in some butter along with some diced onion for a bit of pizzazz!
Another family favorite is to add some crumbled bacon on top.
Sometimes a good biscuit served as a Hamburger Helper side dish can elevate the whole meal to something special!
The reason I love this recipe is because it is quick and easy just like the Hamburger Helper meal.
Just mix, drop, bake and serve!
They are made from self-rising flour, butter, shredded cheddar cheese, milk, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning and parsley.
Cool tip to freeze and grate the butter for better mixing!
You can make them whatever size you like and the melted garlic butter sauce added after baking is heavenly!
If you have a few minutes to fire up a grill, an excellent idea for what to serve with Hamburger Helper is grilled tomatoes.
Easy prep includes creating a marinade of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Then slice the tomatoes through the middle like wagon wheels, scoop out the pulp and brush on the marinade.
Grill cut side up first for four minutes, then flip for another four minutes.
Delicious!
For a dose of green, another side to go with Hamburger Helper is this lemon parmesan kale salad.
Wash, dry and finely chop kale leaves.
Whisk together the dressing of olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice.
Massage some oil onto the leaves by hand till silky.
The rest goes on top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and croutons crushed into small pieces.
If you want a little something sweet for what to serve with Hamburger Helper, grilled peaches are a fabulous idea.
The peach can be almost ripe, or ripe, when you wash it.
Cut in half and remove the seed.
Brush grapeseed oil on each half along with a bit of salt and pepper.
Grill cut side down for three minutes, then flip for another three minutes.
They can be served as is or sliced and put on top of a salad.
When Italian food is what’s up for dinner, a Hamburger Helper copycat recipe for lasagna and a side of delicious bread should do the trick!
The ingredients to collect are ground beef, chicken stock, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, sugar, tomato paste, milk, mafalda pasta, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese.
Here is an associated link for a bread recipe that would go just perfect with this lasagna with a bit of olive oil and seasonings.
Frozen veggies are by far the easiest answer to what to serve with Hamburger Helper.
Sure, you could follow the directions on the back of the bag.
OR you could air fry them!
That’s right, air fry them on parchment paper placed in the bottom of the air fryer.
It will take only ten to twelve minutes with a stir or two along the way.
A dab of butter along with your favorite seasoning and your side dish of veggies is done!
Got an air fryer you are itching to use?
Roasting zucchini with tomatoes in it would make an excellent side to go with Hamburger Helper.
The only trick is to cook them so they do not get soggy and the air fryer does that perfectly!
Cut the zucchini and tomatoes into similar sizes so they will cook evenly.
Brush with a mixture of olive oil, Italian seasonings, onion powder and garlic powder.
Easy and delicious!
Since there are so very many different Hamburger Helper varieties to choose from, selecting what to serve with Hamburger Helper is easier if the side dish is flavorful but not too much so that it might clash with or overpower the entree flavor profile.
That is why I love this honey butter skillet corn recipe!
All that is needed is butter, honey, frozen corn of a single kind or a mixture of several, cream cheese, salt and pepper.
After the butter and honey are combined in a skillet, the frozen corn is added and stirred occasionally until it is cooked.
Lastly the cream cheese, salt and pepper are stirred in till all are coated and warmed through.
Now, if you are an onion lover, this recipe will delight you!
Do keep in mind that it does take time to cook so allow for that.
These realSweet Vidalia onions outside layer is peeled off and the bottom sliced off to create a flat surface, and the center carved out to fill with butter and a garlic clove.
Wrap each onion with two strips of bacon and then wrap each onion individually in foil to bake for an hour.
They spend another 30 minutes on the grill.
These can be added to a dinner plate or served as an appetizer.
12. Broccoli Salad
When trying something new for what to serve with Hamburger Helper, this broccoli salad is a creative choice.
It is served cold, has veggies and yet the hints of sweet cranberries mixed with the savory bacon make each bite just wonderful!
The broccoli can be used raw or blanched for one minute.
The ingredients are broccoli, sharp cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, diced red onion.
The dressing is made of mayo, sour cream, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
Time is your friend, so let this salad chill for at least one hour or up to one whole day, so all the flavors can be fully incorporated.
Something fresh is what to serve with Hamburger Helper when you want to add a splash of color to your plate.
This asparagus recipe is delicious and is baked on a baking tray drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powder.
Cherry tomatoes cut in half are also seasoned and added to the baking tray.
Sprinkle asparagus with freshly grated parmesan and bake!
Maybe you want to try your hand at making your own version of a Hamburger Helper recipe as well as a side to serve with Hamburger Helper creations!
Fantastic!
This recipe is for stroganoff and the ingredients needed are ground beef, cornstarch, milk, beef broth, egg noodles, sour cream, salt and pepper.
There are excellent instructions and pictures for each step.
The first side recommended is cornbread with an associated link for making it extra moist!
When fresh green beans have the crunch you are looking for, this veggie side dish of fresh green beans with cherry tomatoes will be a great option as something to serve alongside a Hamburger Helper meal.
Clean, cut ends off and snap the fresh green beans.
Rince the cherry tomatoes.
Steam the beans on the stove and set aside.
Tomatoes cook next in olive oil and they should break open.
Several seasoning combinations are included or simply season as you like and toss beans and tomatoes together.
A fresh and colorful side to go with Hamburger Helper is this strawberry spinach salad.
It combines a green veggie with sweet fruit and a touch of nuts for a delicious flavorful salad.
The salad bowl is filled with fresh spinach, sliced strawberries, mandarin oranges and sliced almonds.
The poppy seed dressing is made of apple cider vinegar, sugar, poppy seeds, minced onion, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and oil.
Substitutions are super easy too!
How about a fun, trendy pop of flavor? 16 different Easy Popcorn Salad recipes here!
Marinated sliced tomatoes are a wonderful and refreshing side to go with Hamburger Helper!
Wash and dry tomatoes of any size, cut into nice thick slices.
Cut red onion into chunks and smash two garlic cloves.
Combine onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and basil.
Add tomatoes and coat with the mixture.
Cover to marinate and chill for at least two hours before serving!
These have become my new favorite side for a lot of lunches and dinners.
If I want the light crunch but I’m not in the mood for a salad? Check.
Frozen Asian dumplings? Perfect side for that too.
Pasta salad, fettuccine alfredo, literally anything is made better when I don’t feel like putting an entire salad together.
Try this one if you like cucumbers. Not at all as intense as actual pickles, they are mild.
Cukes, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, a bit of sugar (or sweetener! It won’t last as long in the fridge, but it works great too), onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, water. Mix.
It will be ready when your Hamburger HelpMe is ready.
Boom. Add a dish of this alongside, and you will feel like you did something good for yourself.
The bottom line
Being short on time does not mean your meal needs to be short on taste and we all want to be satisfied…and maybe stretch that box just a bit further.
I hope this list inspired you to find just that perfect side to serve with a Hamburger Helper meal.
What To Serve With Hamburger Helper 🍴
Long day? Get out the box. Here’s your list of totally adequate sides when you want to know what to serve with Hamburger Helper.
Ingredients
- Best Simple Tossed Green Salad
- Canned Green Beans
- Red Lobster Garlic Cheese Biscuits Copycat Recipe
- Grilled Tomatoes
- Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad
- Smokey And Sweet Grilled Peaches
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Lasagna - Copycat Recipe
- Frozen Veggies In Air Fryer
- Roasted Zucchini With Tomatoes In The Air Fryer
- Honey Butter Skillet Corn
- Whole Grilled RealSweet Vidalia Onions
- Broccoli Salad
- Easy Asparagus With Cheese And Tomatoes
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff - Copycat Recipe
- Green Beans With Tomatoes
- Strawberry Spinach Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing
- Easy Marinated Tomatoes
- Quick-Pickled Cucumbers
Instructions
- Have a look at our list of What To Serve With Hamburger Helper.
- Choose the dish you want to recreate.
- Start cooking your newly found recipe!
- Share your insights on our Facebook page!