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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 One Pot Cheesy Beef and Shells 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.
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.
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!
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 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.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Always grate your cheese own for best taste and texture. I use this cheese grater.
- I like this Dutch oven for my one pot meals.
- These are the angled measuring cups I use.
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
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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!
So easy and delicious, comfort food!! Thank you! Added in some orange peppers for a veggie boost, yum
Thank you!! I’m so glad you liked it!
Kids love it!!!
Fantastic! 😀
This is one of the only dinners our extremely picky 6 year old would eat. Turns out he has Celiac Disease! We now make a double batch with 12 oz gluten free elbows and it’s still delicious! Thanks for this keeper!
That’s wonderful! So glad you are able to adapt the recipe for your son!
I admit it, I loved this and I now make it near-weekly, so thanks for it, Natasha! Couldn’t be easier–a brand-new, never-been-in-a-kitchen cook could make this one fly. Here’s what I do:
Doubled the meat (2.25lbs, typically); quadrupled the broth, and the seasonings. Actually upped the Chili Powder (I use Adobo, lots of flavor, less overt heat). Did 2-3x the pasta–I have happily used Penne, but any pasta or macaroni will do. I find that the original recipe needs more pasta than called for, so I’m constantly doing a pasta-juggling act, getting the measures right, but you can judge it, throw more in and add 10 minutes and it won’t hurt it.
The flavor combo of the sauce–the broth/stock, the tomato paste and the garlic+chili powder–is TDF. That’s the reason I increased those portions, to allow that to nicely soak into the pasta.
I actually use less cheese than called for (heresy, I know!), and I use the typical “Fiesta-style cheese” sold in groceries, that 4-cheese blend that’s shredded. Works perfectly. My other half doesn’t care for the sharpness or tang of real cheddar, so I split the baby by using that.
This recipe is endlessly forgiving and endlessly fungible. It is easy as dirt, truly. Other than nuking something in the microwave or opening a can, there is nothing simpler and easier than this recipe. Absolutely a keeper. I refrigerate it and reheat it without any issues. Is it as silky as the first day? NO, but the flavor is actually better, so I “suffer” with the less-silkiness. (Also recommend putting a few drops of water on the portions being reheated, helps quite a bit with the silky factor.)
HIGHLY recommended.
So happy you like it!! 😀 Thanks for your detailed review.
Ok so no judgement please, but I made this with HEB brand boxed Mac and cheese. The cheese powder replaced the cheddar as I didn’t have any on hand. It actually worked great! I jazzed it up a little with a heaping spoon of sour cream, and though it isn’t the most photogenic meal, it is certainly comforting and delicious. I can’t wait to try again when I have real cheese, but this was a totally respectable alternative 🙂
Haha it’s all good!! I’m glad you were able to improvise. 🙂
The only change I made is that I added one cup of Monterey Jack and one cup of Smoked Cheddar Habanero. It was great. I’m adding this one to my recipe book.
Oops, I also didn’t add onion because I didn’t have one, but it wasn’t missed.
Excellent! Glad you liked it!
Hi
The brand I use is Spice Trends. That brand has good fresh spices in the smaller jars. I followed the recipe exactly as written. Liked how the pasta cooked in the broth.
Next time,I will try the Bacon Cheeseburger pasta. Looks so good. I’ve made many of your recipes and loved them. Thanks for getting back to me. Appreciate it.
You’re welcome, Bella! I wonder if it’s a bit stronger than the McCormick I use. Thank you for letting me know. Yes… let me know if you try that other one. I hope you like it. Thank you for following along and making my recipes – I really appreciate it! 🙂
Hi thanks for responding. That might be the reason? Hard to say.
Planning on making the creamy garlic chicken tonight.
Take care
Enjoy!! Yes, it’s also possible of course that you just plain didn’t like it haha.
I made this tonight and it was nothing like the hamburger helper I grew up on. This has such a sharp bite to it. Assuming it’s from the chili powder? Won’t be making this again.
Strange… I’m sorry you didn’t like it! 🙁 I think you’re the first one to have commented on the chili powder having a sharp bite. What brand do you use?
If you’re not at all accustomed to chili powder, or you used a really hot variety, it could be a bit spicy, but I’ve actually added some to “jazz” it up a bit for my other half.
I also use Adobe Chili Powder, and I find that imparts a ton of flavor and not so much heat. You might try that, if you venture this recipe again.
DUH, ADOBO, not Adobe. Thanks a lot, autocorrect!
lol
Once you’re cooking 4 a while, you’ll automatically know what ingredients you need/can substitute to suit your family’s and your tastes. Like, I know my family won’t like the chili powder, so I’ma use Sazon. I’m going to remove the meat, make the broth in the pan & taste it 1st because this is my first time making this recipe. I know I’m going 2 need 2 add way more cheese, more garlic(minced). I’ll probably add a can of drained, diced tomatoes & stir in 4oz of cream cheese at the end… Oh and I have a feeling I should double the recipe!
I’ve never met a recipe that I didn’t have to tweak… I was taught that they were guides 😋
If I wanted to double this, do I double everything? Even the beef broth?
Hi! I would say yes (since that’ll be a lot of pasta and it will soak up the liquid fast), but I haven’t tested it. Let me know if you try. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
When I double I only add one extra cup of beef broth. I found when I doubled the broth completely it was too soupy.
Just wanted to say this is me and my girlfriends FAVORITE Hamburger helper!! We love to squeeze 2-3 garlic cloves and chili flakes at the very to amp it up. Please keep up the beautiful content and marketing you do, you are in our top 3 for dinner ideas 👏🏼💯🤤
Excellent!! Thank you. I’m so happy you two like it and are enjoying my other recipes too! 🙂