This easy homemade Hamburger Helper recipe has ground beef, macaroni, and a flavorful cheesy cheddar sauce! It's total comfort food that's inexpensive and ready in about 30 minutes.
Try my Simple Ground Beef Casserole or Pepperoni French Bread Pizza next.
Why you'll love it
When I was little, my mom made everything from scratch. I do fondly remember a few boxed meals from visiting friends' houses in the '90s, though. One was Hamburger Helper, and that brings up all the nostalgia. Naturally, I had to recreate an even better Hamburger Helper from scratch! I like mine because you have total control over the seasonings and know exactly what goes into it, so it's an easy ground beef recipe you can feel good about serving your family.
This ground beef recipe is super simple to make with affordable pantry ingredients, doesn't take much longer than the packaged kind, and it's cooked all in one pot for fewer dishes. Of course, there's nothing wrong with eating packaged foods every now and then, but a LOT of people crave homemade Hamburger Helper, so I am here to bring you the best version around that's still budget friendly.
What you'll need
- Ground beef - I like to use extra lean ground beef, at least 90%
- Onion - our kitchen prefers Vidalia (sweet) onions
- Tomato paste - it's an easy, economical way to get concentrated tomato flavor
- Garlic powder and chili powder - our simple seasoning blend to infuse savory flavor, and they're ingredients I always keep in my pantry
- Elbow macaroni - the classic pasta shape for this
- Beef broth - for a deeper, richer flavor to the sauce
- Sharp cheddar cheese - my version of Hamburger Helper has no milk to make it that much easier, and the cheddar makes the dish creamy enough all on its own! Always grate your own for best taste and texture. I use this cheese grater.
Pro tip
- One pot recipes can vary depending on your particular stove and ingredients, so if you seem to be running out of liquid with a lot of time still left, feel free to add in a bit more. Try 1/2 cup at a time.
How to make Hamburger Helper
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Start by browning the beef and onion in a large pot or Dutch oven and draining any excess fat, then stir in the tomato paste, garlic powder, and chili powder. Add in the beef broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it's boiling, stir in the uncooked macaroni.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is soaked up. Grate the cheddar while it's simmering away. Stir in the cheese, and season to taste with salt & pepper.
Substitutions and variations
- Feel free to tweak seasonings to your tastes. You can always increase the chili powder, add some hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes, more garlic, and so on to make it perfect for your taste buds!
- Some readers like to sneak in a bit of spinach. Just add it in near the end of the cooking time until it wilts. Finely chopped bell peppers would work great as well.
- If you want to jazz it up, change up the cheese variety. Monterey Jack, smoked cheddar, etc. make some fun variations.
- You can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead if that's more your thing.
- If you want to use another pasta shape (e.g. shells), you may need to adjust liquid measurements and/or cooking time (this has only been tested with macaroni).
What to serve with Hamburger Helper
- It's definitely a meal in and of itself, but it would go great with a salad on the side. Try one with my Simple Homemade Ranch Dressing or Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing.
- Making Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread at home is another fantastic pairing everyone will devour.
- Want to serve it with some veggies? These Easy Roasted Green Beans are a cinch to make and caramelized to perfection.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers of this Hamburger Helper will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container, but keep in mind that the pasta will continue to absorb the broth over time. It'll still be tasty, though.
- Reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat for best results, giving it the occasional stir, and warm it through. Add in a splash of beef broth to thin it if desired.
- I don't recommend freezing leftovers. Cooked pasta doesn't have the same texture once thawed.
More family friendly recipes
Let me know if you give this cheesy Hamburger Helper recipe a go! Questions? Made it? As always, I love it when you leave me comments.
Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the beef and onions to a soup pot. Cook over medium-high heat until the beef has browned (about 7-10 minutes), breaking the meat up with your spoon as you go along. If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
- Stir in the tomato paste, garlic powder, and chili powder.
- Add in the beef broth and increase the heat to high. Once it starts boiling, add in the macaroni.
- Reduce the heat so it's not furiously boiling (a rapid simmer is good). I ended up cooking mine over medium heat. Let it cook uncovered until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 13-15 minutes). I stir it every couple of minutes.
- While it's cooking, grate the cheese (this saves prep time at the start of the recipe).
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt & pepper as needed. I let it sit for a couple minutes prior to serving (soaks up the sauce and flavors more), but you can serve it right away.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on the portion size.
- As with any one pot meal, ingredients and stoves vary. If you're running out of liquid (like it's in danger of sticking and burning) when you still have a while to go before the pasta is done, feel free to add in more liquid, 1/2 cup at a time.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on January 17, 2020. It's been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Jaclyn says
WOW! It's absoltely amazing!! great recipe thanks for the dinner idea, the kids love it too. Added a bit of Greek yogurt.
Natasha says
I'm so pleased everyone enjoyed it, Jaclyn! 😀
Lynnbug says
Love this recipe. Quick, easy, 1 pot delicious. I used mild Italian sausage. Took it out of the casing. Yummy 😋
Natasha says
Fantastic!!
Mark says
Just made this. Very easy and super tasty.
I added sauteed mushrooms with the beef broth since I had some left in the fridge, and thought it worked well. I also added Tapatio at the table. Probably will add Jalapeno's next time. Definitely a recipe to add to the family's dinner rotation. Thank you!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
You're welcome, Mark! Love those creative additions! 🙂
Emily says
This was so delicious and easy! I haven’t used a recipe of yours that I didn’t love!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Aww that makes us so happy to hear, Emily! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It's really appreciated. 🙂
Kaley says
So easy to make and super delicious! Definitely better than the box.
Melanie says
Can I use velveeta cheese instead? I’m afraid it might be too runny! Help 🙂
Natasha says
Hi! You could give it a try for sure, but I haven't personally tested it. Let me know how it goes!
Kathleen says
Every one of your recipes is a hit! This one was no different. So good. Thanks for a fast and delicious meal for the whole family.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
So happy you enjoyed this recipe and others, Kathleen! Really appreciate your review 🙂
Lisa says
I live in England and decided to try something new. My husband loved it and even my fussy toddlers ate it without any complaints. I would 100% make this again. Thank you
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's so nice to hear, Lisa!! Glad this recipe made its way across the pond! 🙂
Brenda S. says
Made this tonigh and I want to keep eating it! I added creole seasoning at the end, before the cheese when I decided it needed more salt. Thank you for the recipe! Yum
Natasha says
Ooh I love that idea!! You're welcome! 🙂
Tracey says
This is delicious!!! I tried a couple of other recipes but this is by far the best. Reminiscent of the original but better. I modified it a little to what I had stocked in my pantry. I used mexican three cheese blend and seasonings with sazon which had chili powder in it. Thanks! Will definitely make again!!
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit!! Thanks for your 5-star review, Tracey!
Tracey says
I love tgat no milk is needed
Natasha says
🙂
Megan says
This recipe is amazing!! It tastes so delicious!!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you liked it!!
Debbie says
OMGOSH lllllloooooovvvvvvveeeeee it
So easy so good
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Bea says
I wad wondering if you could add chopped spinach to this recipe?
Natasha says
Sure! I'd stir it in towards the end of cooking time... just to warm thru/wilt. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jennifer says
Awesome and easy to make! I used 4 cups of beef broth and minced garlic along with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. I added a little bit of beef broth to the leftover and it was excellent. My husband loved it with tostada scoops!
Natasha says
Yay! So glad it was a hit! 🙂
Cynthia says
So much healthier and tastier than the box stuff! Love how easy it is!!
Natasha says
Thank you!! 😀
Jason says
Great flavor, better than hamburger helper in the box.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Jason!!
Sissy Dixon says
Love this quick recipe! I didn't have tomato paste. I drained the liquid from a can of diced tomatoes and pureed the tomatoes. Worked just fine. Also, used wide egg noodles (didn't have elbows). Yum!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you were able to tweak it!! Thanks for your review!