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My whole family gets excited when they see this Homemade Hamburger Helper recipe on the menu for the week! All the flavors of the popular box mix, but made from scratch!
You know, my kids get awfully bossy around lunch time every day.
Everything is fine, they’re doing school (we’re homeschoolers), they’re leaving me alone, I’m getting some work done. Life is good.
And then they both come barging into my office and, before they even say a word, I know what they want. Food. Lots of it. Right this minute.
I can only fend them off for so long before I’m forced to come up with some sort of lunch plan. We do my Dorito chicken casserole more than I should admit. My pizza rolls are a total staple. This chili mac recipe is always a hit. Of course, I always try to have some homemade brownies on hand for dessert.
Of course, this Homemade Hamburger Helper is high up there on their list of demands. 😉
This is a one pan meal, which means that there aren’t a ton of dirty dishes to clean up and prep work is minimal. You’re going to love this one!
Ingredient Notes:
Ground Beef – We prefer lean ground beef, but ground chicken or turkey would also work fine.
Macaroni – We like large elbows, but regular sized are also acceptable.
Tomato Paste – We buy this in a tube and keep it in the fridge. It’s very handy and packs in loads of flavor.
Seasoning – You’ll need a mix of salt, black pepper, sugar, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and mustard powder.
Liquids – Some hot water, two cups of milk, and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. The liquid will reduce as it cooks, leaving lots of flavor!
Cheese – A whole cup of shredded cheddar cheese will add just the right amount of cheesiness to this hamburger helper recipe.
Corn Starch – It’ll help to thicken up the liquids and coat the macaroni and ground beef in all the cheesy goodness!
What Readers are Saying!
“Wow! Just made this and it’s absolutely wonderful! It’s nice to have a new ground beef recipe, and I’m glad I found yours! Thank you.” – Carol B.
How to Make Hamburger Helper:
Hamburger: Brown the beef and drain off excess fat.
Macaroni: Add the hot water, milk, and vinegar to the pan with the macaroni.
Season: Add in the tomato paste and the seasoning. Stir to combine.
Cook: When the hamburger helper seasoning is mixed up well with the other ingredients you can bring the liquid to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let it cook and the liquid reduce for 12 minutes.
Helpful Tip!
If it seems like the sauce is too thin or watery you may need to either cook it a little longer with the lid off. Also keep in mind that it will thicken up nicely when you add the cheese.
Cheese: Remove the skillet from the heat and then stir in the cheddar cheese. Cover the skillet back up after adding in the cheese and let it melt for a couple of minutes.
Serve: Finally after the cheese has melted, give it a stri and sprinkle with some fresh parsley and then dish it up.
Homemade Hamburger Helper Seasoning:
We’ve based this recipe off the Cheeseburger Macaroni flavor. It’s the most popular Hamburger Helper flavor and the one we love most. Our seasoning blend does a nice job of mimicking those flavors.
FAQs:
Keep it stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
If you’ve never had the store bought boxed mix, you’ve been missing out! It’s pretty much just a seasoned, cheesy mixture that you cook with macaroni and hamburger. This homemade hamburger helper is a great copycat recipe!
While this is beef, pasta, and cheese, our version of Hamburger Helper does contain less sodium and preservatives than the boxed mix, so we consider this to be a healthier option.
MORE EASY WEEKNIGHT DINNER RECIPES!
- One Pot Spaghetti Recipe
- Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Fried Tacos
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3/4 cup dry macaroni
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, crumbling it as it cooks. Drain grease.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the skillet with the beef, except for the cheese. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the cheddar cheese, and cover for 2 minutes.
- Stir well, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This post was updated in May 2022. Original photo below:
Burning tounge says
The amount of paprika in this recipe makes it extremely spicy.
Complete waste if you’re cooking for a family.
Karly says
Paprika isn’t spicy, it’s mildy sweet. Are you sure you didn’t grab the wrong spice?
Lori says
If I already have elbow macaroni cooked, I’m assuming I would just cut back on the liquids correct? If I don’t use what I’ve cooked I’ll just throw them out. Trying to waste not… lol
Sounds yummy though. I have everything on hand except the paprika. I don’t use it.
Diane says
Wow. I followed the recipe exactly and it was horrible. A grey watery mush. I’m going to throw it out. Not understanding all the race reviews. Did I make something different?
Diane says
Meant to say rave reviews
Karly says
Hi Diane! Not sure what would have been different, if you followed the recipe. This is very similar to the box of Hamburger Helper, so if you’re not a fan of that you probably wouldn’t like this either. Otherwise, not sure where you went wrong. 🙂
Lara says
If you followed it exactly, I honestly don’t know how it could’ve came out as a watery mush, and grey. Except for cutting back on the paprika a little, I followed it exactly and it turned out really tasty. Not watery or mushy at all or grey..it’s pretty close to the boxed Hamburger Helper version, which my family already liked a lot.
Linda says
Oh Em Gee! Deelicious…after reading reviews, I put a full cup of macaroni…half the paprika…1 tsp chili powder…reduced the milk by 1/2 cup & increased the cheese to 1 1/2 cups. This is a keeper, thank you!
mary ellen schafer says
Not sure about this. Needed some zip. I ended up using 1/2 c mild cheddar and 1/2 c sharp cheddar. After hubby said it was lacking something, I added a small pkt of velveeta. A little better, however still not a wow in my book. Folllowed recipe to a t, so don’t know what I could have added.
Karly says
Sorry this one wasn’t a success for you.
Stacy Wilson says
This was delicious! I used ground bear meat instead for all you hunters out there! Also added 1 TB chili powder. And 1 chopped onion. Better than any boxed meal. Thank you so much! Definitely a comfort meal.
Lisa says
Velveeta now makes their cheese in a packet that you can purchase on it’s own. It could be used in this instead of grated cheese . . . As another choice. Love Hamburger Helper!! Will be giving this a try!
carol bourgouin says
Wow! Just made this and it’s absolutely wonderful!
It’s nice to have a new ground beef recipe, and I’me glad I found yours!
Thank you.
MelanieL says
We are fans of Cheeseburger Mac Hamburger Helper, my daughter usually makes it for us. 🙂 After googling a “homemade” version, I made this last night and everyone loved it! You are right, it is better than the box and takes the same amount of time to cook. I had everything on hand too! This is a keeper for sure, thank you!
Analicia Spencer says
I made this tonight for the hubs and I and we loved it!! I made a few alterations since I only had 1 cup of milk…added 1 cup of milk with 2 cups of beef broth. I also added 1/4 cup of chopped yellow onion to brown with the beef. As for the cheese, I only had cheese sauce on had, but it was delicious either way. Thanks for posting this recipe
Meghan says
Does this meal freeze well?
Karly says
I haven’t tried freezing this one, so I can’t say. I think it would freeze fine though.
Tobi says
Smoked paprika or sweet paprika? I had and used smoked paprika but I found it overpowering…so I was wondering if it should be sweet paprika? My daughter loves this recipe though 🙂
Karly says
I’ve used both. I would reduce the paprika next time, if it was too much for you.:)
Tobi says
Thanks for your reply 🙂
Kayla says
Made this recipe multiple times. I no longer buy the boxes hamburger helper. Even my extremely picky 6 yr old approves of this recipe.
Karly says
That’s great to hear, Kayla! It’s always nice when the kiddos approve of dinner, right? 🙂
Jill says
Didn’t have elbow so I used penne, hopefully this doesn’t change much and still comes out great, have you used a different noodle in the past?
Karly says
I normally just use macaroni, but I’m sure the penne worked fine. 🙂
Angee says
Your video says pepper, but it’s not on the ingredient list. How much should I add? Thanks!
Karly says
Whoops! Just add in a 1/2 teaspoon. 🙂