My Homemade Hamburger Helper is easy to make, requires no fancy ingredients, is ready in 30 minutes, and is a meal the whole family will love. Learn how to make hamburger helper at home for an easy weeknight dinner idea!
Homemade Hamburger Helper
If you’ve been wondering how to make hamburger helper, I’m going to teach you everything you need to know!
This is probably one of my kid’s favorite meals. I mean, they could eat my hamburger helper recipe for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner — along with pancakes, pizza, and pb&j. My kids are normal, right??
Full of tender ground beef, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce, and pasta, I’m happy to introduce my hamburger helper homemade edition! Not only do my kids love it, but it’s also a reader favorite and is one of the top recipes here on Countryside Cravings.
One reader, Michelle, says “I had my doubts as I was making this, but it was a big hit with my picky husband and toddler. This is going in the weekly rotation.”
Another reader, Rob says “Whole family loved this meal. It was so quick and easy to make and even my fussiest eater cleared his plate!”
Some other reader favorites are these Homemade Chewy Brownies, Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Thighs, and Irish Soda Bread.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Homemade so you control what goes into it
- Budget-friendly
- Uses easy-to-find ingredients you probably already have on hand
- Will take you back to your childhood!
- Can add in additional veggies for extra nutrition
- It’s a true one-pot meal which means easy clean up
Key Ingredients to Make My Hamburger Helper Recipe
- GROUND BEEF – You can also substitute with ground turkey if you’d like.
- ONION – Sauté it up along with the beef and spices for maximum flavor.
- SPICES – I swear by paprika, parsley, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper for this hamburger helper recipe!
- MILK – Feel free to use broth if you don’t have milk on hand.
- BEEF BROTH – You can also use chicken broth if you prefer.
- ELBOW MACARONI – For the ultimate hamburger helper homemade recipe that will take you back to your childhood! You can also use a similar pasta shape instead.
- TOMATO SAUCE – For added savory flavor.
- CHEDDAR CHEESE – It’s always best to grate your own cheese. The pre-shredded kind is coated in anti-caking agents and doesn’t melt as well. I’m a Tillamook cheese fan, and it’s perfect for this dish!
How To Make Hamburger Helper
COOK THE GROUND BEEF: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef, onion, paprika, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt, and pepper.
If using ground beef with higher fat content, add in the seasonings after draining the grease.
INCORPORATE THE OTHER INGREDIENTS: Stir in the milk, broth, macaroni, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer.
ALLOW IT TO COOK: Cook your homemade hamburger helper for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
ADD THE CHEESE: Stir in cheddar cheese until melted.
Substitutions and Variations for Making Hamburger Helper Homemade
- Feel free to add in extra vegetables! Grated zucchini, grated carrot, peas, spinach, and tomatoes are all great options for this hamburger helper recipe.
- Change up the flavor using different spices or add more. Also, if you don’t like some of the spices listed in the ingredients, feel free to leave them out.
- Don’t like cheddar cheese? No problem — this recipe works great with Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or any easy-to-melt cheese.
- Readers have used other shapes of pasta without needing to change the liquids.
- This recipe also works great with ground turkey or chicken instead of beef. One reader even used lentils for a unique plant-based hamburger helper homemade version.
FAQs
No, it is not recommended to freeze this dish as the pasta gets too mushy.
Store cooled hamburger helper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
While this tastes best fresh, reheat on the stovetop and add a little broth. Reheat over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. You can also reheat this in a microwave if preferred.
A traditional homemade hamburger helper recipe will call for ground beef, but as you discovered above, that’s not the only option! You could also use ground turkey, ground chicken, or even a plant-based protein like lentils.
What to Serve With Homemade Hamburger Helper
My homemade hamburger helper recipe is a great stand alone dish, especially if you have added in extra vegetables. However, it is great with a simple side salad and these Buttermilk Biscuits too!
I have also served it with these Simple Roasted Green Beans which are one of my kid’s favorite vegetables.
And if you are looking for something sweet to add alongside this retro dish, this Creamy Key Lime Fruit Salad is perfect.
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Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 pound (500g) lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch to ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1½ cups (355ml) milk
- 1½ cups (355ml) beef broth
- 2 cups (260g) elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 (8oz) (227g) can tomato sauce
- 2 cups (225g) shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef, onion, paprika, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper. If using a ground beef with a higher fat content add in the seasonings after draining the grease.
- Stir in the milk, broth, macaroni and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Stir in cheddar cheese until melted.
Video
Notes
- If using whole wheat elbow pasta you may need to add more liquid while cooking.
- STORAGE: Store cooled hamburger helper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Nutrition Facts: Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate.
- Steamed vegetable of choice
- Simple side salad
- Fresh fruit of choice
- Or buttered bread
This was great – an easy meal on a busy day. I made it with ground turkey, which I happened to have on hand, and my own frozen roasted tomato puree from last summer. I also added a little frozen corn in the final cooking stages. Next time I will try adding some frozen crushed kale from the garden freezer bounty! It’s very easy to modify the recipe to include more veggies. Would be great with mushrooms too. As another person mentioned, the milk does separate (curdle) a bit when you add it (likely due to tomato and onion acidity), but this does not matter one bit. Once it cooks down to the point that the macaroni is done, and then you add the cheese, you would not know it. I also added a mix of half cheddar and half mozzarella.
Thank you very much! And I too love adding in extra veggies!
This is the WORST recipe. Please save the time and trouble, I cook a lot and this is HORRIBLE. Im not even sorry.
I am sorry you feel that way! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
This recipe is great, just as it is. I’ve made it so many times in the last few months. Sometimes I add diced tomatoes because my family loves them. But this is a fantastic take on cheeseburger Mac Hamburger Helper. No clue what that other commenter is saying. It’s delicious! ♥️
Thank you very much for your kind words Chrissy!! SO glad you like the hamburger helper!
The link to printing the recipe just pulls up another page. 🙁
It will bring up the print page where you can choose whether you want to include the recipe photo, nutrition, etc. Then you can click print. Hope that helps.
This was super good and easy and we already had all the ingredients!
Thank you so much! So glad you liked it!
Very good. I made it tonight and the family liked it. It is easy to make.
Thank you very much!
I LOVE this recipe and so does my family who constantly ask me to make it. I usually add spinach, 1 can of diced petite tomatoes, half paprika and half smoked and tiger seasoning. I always add fresh garlic and green peppers as well. I have not made the boxed stuff in years. It is really gross to me now that I have this.
It was really good! I made this for my husband and daughter and everyone loved it! I recommend
Thank you very much!! I really appreciate it!
I have to say, this was fabulous. My Wife and I do a lot of cooking and it was nice not to invent tonite. We used our own ground beef. I’m super impressed.
Thank you very much!! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Easy and delicious meal!
Thank you very much!
Can I use organic ground beef?
Yes you can!
I have made this many times!! Great recipe! ☺️😋 Add some sour cream !
Thank you very much and my kids love adding in sour cream too!!
Hearty and delicious but I doubled the spices and added 2 cloves garlic and can of diced tomatoes
Glad I did it would have been bland
Glad you were able to change it to suit your tastes! Thanks for sharing!
Not a fan of paprika, any substitute suggestions?
You can leave it out if you prefer.
We make this at least once a month. Delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it!
I had my doubts as I was making this, but it was a big hit with my picky husband and toddler. This is going in the weekly rotation.
Thank you SO much!! I really appreciate your comment!!
Great recipes. Simple yet fantastic . Easy to make yet tasty on palate. Thank you so much!
Thank you very very much!! I greatly appreciate your comment!!
Milk curdled instantly. Too much acid
This is one of our go to meals, even our picky 5 year old loves it! I’ve recently gone gluten free, have you tried it with gluten free noodles?
Hi, Jennifer! I am so sorry no one has responded to your comments. I know some readers have used gluten free pasta with this recipe but they didn’t specify if they made any changes. I am sorry I couldn’t be of more help!!
Like most recipes, prep time is much longer…. by the time I pull out all ingredients, chop, measure, etc. Much longer More like 15 minutes prep time.Also too much liquid. I even reduced by 1/4 cup for each
Love hamburger helper but this is better for you. I use low salt to no salt ingredients and throw what vegetables I have. I so glad I stubble on this recipe
Thank you very much!!!