Homemade Hamburger Helper is a deliciously hearty dish that covers elbow macaroni and ground beef in a flavorful creamy cheesy sauce! Made in a dutch oven for a meal that cooks in only 30 minutes!
Use your Dutch oven for more delicious recipes like this cozy Easy One Pot Lasagna that’s made with three different kinds of cheese or these tender, rich Braised Beef Short Ribs!
Homemade Hamburger Helper is made from scratch for an easy delicious dinner the whole family loves! Make up a batch of Parker House Dinner Rolls to go with this one-pot dish for a complete meal!
My kids love boxed hamburger helper, which says a lot since they are normally picky eaters. When I put a plate of this homemade version in front of them they never even batted an eyelash, they just got busy eating it up!
Since everyone loves Hamburger Helper making it with fresh ingredients made me feel better about what I was serving my family!
5 Reasons Why I Love This Recipe!
- Change Up The Meat! Feel free to trade the ground beef in for ground turkey or ground sausage!
- Vegetarian Option! Easily switch up this great recipe to make it vegetarian! To do so use vegetable broth instead of beef broth, leave out the beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and ground beef, and pile in the vegetables!
- Add Veggies! Add in some carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms when you’re cooking the beef. Or even broccoli or cauliflower towards the end of cooking!
- One Pot Meal! This entire meal is made right in the dutch oven! No extra dishes or pots and pans required which make for an easy and quick kitchen clean up!
- Quick Dinner Option! Only 30 minutes of cooking until dinner is served!
Ingredient Notes
This Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe blows the boxed version out of the water with its incredibly fresh flavor! To make this recipe you’ll brown ground beef with seasoning salt and pepper.
Then you’ll add in the beef broth, heavy cream, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon powder, dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Once that’s incorporated you’ll cook the macaroni right in the same pot.
Afterward, cheddar cheese is added to finish bringing this homemade version of cheeseburger macaroni to life! Garnish with more shredded cheese and fresh parsley if desired.
How To Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Brown the meat, seasoning salt, and pepper together in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then drain the excess fat, leaving the meat in dutch oven.
- Add the broth, cream, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, beef bouilon powder, dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, Italin seasoning, and paprika to the browned meat in the dutch oven. Stir together and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the macaroni, cooking until just al dente.
- Add in the cheddar cheese, stir until its fully melted.
- Serve after sprinkling it with the remaining cheese and fresh parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Store
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also place them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop. If needed you can add more broth, cream, or milk to make the dish saucy again.
What Other Types Of Pasta Can I Use In This Recipe?
Instead of elbow macaroni, you could use rotini, shells, penne, or fusilli, even whole-wheat pasta if you’d like. Just keep in mind you may need to adjust the cooking time and the amount of liquid.
Can I Use Fresh Onions And Garlic?
Of course! To do so add the diced onion to the Dutch oven at the same time as the ground beef. After the meat is cooked add in 4 cloves of garlic and cook for one minute before adding in the sauce ingredients.
Homemade Hamburger Helper is a super easy and tasty way to use up the ground beef you have on hand! Grab another ground beef recipe that your family will eat up as quickly as this one!
- Burger Bowls – Keto-Friendly – Fresh veggies, cheese, ground beef, and a drizzle of flavorful special sauce combine for a meal that’s ready in only 25 minutes!
- American Chop Suey – An easy dinner recipe that brings you a bowl of warm comfort food that’s made of ground beef, tomato, onion, green peppr, macaroni, and spices!
- Taco Pasta Salad – Enjoy a scoop of this dish that consists of doritos, mexican spices, ground beef, and fresh veggies that all get tossed in a creamy chipotle dressing!
- Tourtière – Spiced Meat Pie – Has beef, veggies, cinnamon, and cloves for a dinner pie that’s ready in an hour!
- Classic Patty Melt – Juicy burger covered in swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and bread!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 5 cups beef broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated, divided
- fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Add the ground beef, seasoning salt, and pepper to a large dutch oven. Brown the meat over medium heat, try to make sure there are no large clumps of meat. When the meat is fully cooked, drain the excess fat and leave the meat in the dutch oven.
- Add the broth, cream, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon powder, dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika to the dutch oven and stir together. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the macaroni and simmer uncovered until al dente (about 10 minutes). Do not overcook the pasta.
- Stir in 2 cups of cheese until fully melted.
- Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese and some fresh parsley on top for serving.
Video
Notes
- Storage Instructions:
- If you have leftovers, allow them to cool to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container. This will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- It may be reheated in the microwave or on the stove until heated through. If it is not saucy enough, you may add more broth, cream, or milk.
- If you want to store leftovers longer they should be frozen and will last for up to 3 months.
- Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef? Yes! Ground turkey works well in this recipe. Another option would be ground sausage.
- Would other types of pasta work? Yes! Feel free to try rotini, shells, penne, or fusilli, or whole-wheat pasta. Just keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of liquid and the cooking time. Just make sure that the pasta is al dente, and add enough liquid so that it is saucy enough for you.
- I prefer to use fresh onions and garlic – how much and when would I add these? That is a great idea. I was trying to keep this recipe simple so that is why I used onion powder and garlic powder. But of course, the real thing will work well. Dice up one onion and add it to the Dutch oven at the same time as you add the ground beef. Once the meat is cooked, add 4 cloves of garlic and cook for one minute before adding the sauce ingredients.
- I would like to add vegetables to this dish – what do you recommend? Some to try would be carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms. Just make sure to dice these up and add them with the beef at the beginning so they can fully cook. Or feel free to stir in roasted vegetables like broccoli, or cauliflower at the end of cooking.
- Can this be made into a vegetarian dish? Yes! Just use vegetable broth instead of beef broth, leave out the beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and ground beef. And load it up with vegetables!
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!
Comments & Reviews
Chef Phil says
Yes, I was just curious can I use Pepper Jack Cheese in this recipe instead of cheddar?
Thank you
Rebecca Hubbell says
It will change the flavor, but it will work.
Brittany Gagnon says
Quick, easy & delicious! This was a very fresh version of one of childhood staples. The best part- it was kid approved and took no time to whip up.
Shauna says
It’s like a warm hug in a bowl, super delish and such great flavor for a one pot meal!
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad you loved it!
Amy Smith says
This came together quickly (40 minutes for me) and a one pot dish! I cooked mine in a large pot versus the suggested Dutch oven as I don’t have one. It was creamy, flavorful and tasted so much better than anything from a box! Both kids loved it too.
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad the family enjoyed it!
imsen says
Very good. I made it tonight and the family liked it. It is easy to make.