This homemade hamburger helper is quick, easy, and a delicious dinner recipe perfect for any weeknight meal. Made with ground beef, pasta, and a rich, cheesy sauce, this one pot meal is ready in 30 minute. It's time to ditch the boxed stuff and enjoy this homemade version of a classic recipe everyone will love!
Jump to:
- Better Than The Rest - Here's Why
- Homemade Hamburger Helper: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
- 🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- 🥣 Here's Exactly How You Make It
- 🙋🏼 Top Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
- Expert Tips
- 🥗 Serve It With These Tasty Sides
- 🍲 More Recipes You Can Make With Ground Beef
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
Better Than The Rest - Here's Why
✅ One-Pot Simplicity - you will cook everything—from browning beef and seasonings to simmering pasta—in one skillet, making cleanup a breeze, just like the boxed version but without all the chemicals!
❌ Speaking of which....there are no additives or preservatives with this homemade hamburger helper! I use fresh ingredients and it tastes even more savory and delicious than the boxed version!
✅ This is a super affordable, budget-friendly pantry recipe.
Homemade Hamburger Helper: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
- Types of Meat - I love using ground beef. For a richer flavor, go with ground beef that has a higher fat content. Want to keep it lean? Use 96% lean ground beef instead. You can also use ground turkey or ground chicken. Vegetarian meat also works well here, too!
- Types of Pasta - any short cut pasta works great when making this recipe. Elbow, corkscrew, penne, shells, and egg noodles are all good choices to use.
- Different Types of Cheese - for a bit of added tanginess, use sharp cheddar cheese. Pepper Jack cheese is a little spicy so if you want to spice things up a bit to add some heat, add some in. Some other good substitutions are Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or Mozzarella. Feel free to use a combination of several cheeses, as well!
- Milk - for even more creaminess, use heavy whipping cream instead of whole milk. To cut the fat, use 2% milk.
- Storage - Store any leftovers in a container with the lid and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Freezer-Friendly? Nope. Not freezer friendly.
- Best Way To Reheat - for best results, reheat in a pot on the stove top, adding more milk to make it creamy again. Stir until warm. You can also reheat it in the microwave.
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Butter - Used when sautéing the beef and onions. Salted butter adds flavor to the dish.
- Onion - a flavor enhancer. Use a medium yellow onion and finely chop.
- Ground Beef - since you won't be draining the fat after browning the beef, using a higher fat content makes this dish more flavorful.
- Salt - adds flavor
- Black Pepper - adds a subtle bit of heat to the overall dish.
- Pasta - I use uncooked Cellentani noodles.
- Garlic Powder - provides a subtle hint of garlic.
- Chili Powder - adds a light orange color to the sauce and a layer of flavor to the sauce.
- Ground Mustard - does a fantastic job of binding all the seasonings and other ingredients together to add a depth of flavor in literally every single bite!
- Tomato Paste - helps thicken the sauce and adds a mild hint of tomato flavor.
- Medium Cheddar Cheese - skip the bagged version and use a fresh block of cheese to shred your own. Using a medium cheddar cheese make this hamburger creamy like traditional hamburger helper
- Whole Milk - since it contains more fat, it makes the sauce even more creamy.
- Parsley - an optional ingredient that adds a pop of color when sprinkled on top of the dish.
👩🏼🍳 Scroll down to the recipe card below for all the details you’ll need to make this recipe!
🥣 Here's Exactly How You Make It
- Step 1: Start by shredding a block of cheddar cheese.
- Step 2: In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tablespoons of butter, chopped onion, and uncooked ground beef. Cook until no longer pink, ensuring you break up the beef as you go. When done, do not drain the meat.
- Step 3: Add in the salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard, and mix with the ground beef until well combined.
- Step 4: Add the uncooked pasta, tomato paste, beef broth, milk and then mix well to combine.
- Step 5: Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and cook uncovered until the the noodles are done, about 12-15 minutes.
- Step 6: Then, add in the 2 cups of shredded cheese and stir until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
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Top with parsley and serve immediately. Let me just go ahead and tell you that after the first bite, I can pretty much guarantee you will be hooked! This is bound to become a family favorite that gets added to the weekly dinner rotation!
🙋🏼 Top Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
Yes! I've had the best luck when I've added chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, peas, carrots, zucchini, onions, and tomatoes.
Yes! You can boil the pasta for hamburger helper beforehand instead of cooking the noodles in with the sauce. Just make sure to boil them to al dente so they don't become mushy when you add them to the sauce.
Expert Tips
- When browning the ground beef, don't drain the fat from the meat. It adds more flavor to the dish.
- To cut down the fat content, use a more lean ground beef.
- Use low sodium beef broth to reduce the saltiness, as desired.
- To add even more protein, use protein based noodles when making this homemade hamburger helper recipe.
🥗 Serve It With These Tasty Sides
🍲 More Recipes You Can Make With Ground Beef
If you tried this Homemade Hamburger Helper or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Homemade Hamburger Helper
Equipment
- 1 12-inch skillet with high sides (about 2-3 inches deep)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter, salted
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 lb Cellentani pasta,, uncooked
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tablespoons of butter, the chopped onion, and 1 pound of ground beef. Cook until no longer pink, ensuring you break up the beef as you go. When done, do not drain the meat.
- Add in 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of ground mustard, and mix with the ground beef until well combined.
- Add the uncooked pasta, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, 4 cups of beef broth, 2 cups of milk and mix well to combine. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and cook uncovered until the the noodles are done, about 12-15 minutes
- Then, add in the 2 cups of shredded cheese and stir until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Top with parsley and serve immediately.
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