This one-skillet, creamy Homemade Hamburger Helper is made with ground beef, macaroni and cheese – real ingredients you can feel good about feeding your family for dinner!
Homemade Hamburger Helper
This Homemade Hamburger Helper, made with ground beef and macaroni, is creamy and delicious. It’s pure comfort food and not just kid-friendly–it’s also high in protein and easy to make! I polled my Instagram community, and many of you asked for more one-pot recipes. I love cooking this way so much that I have a whole cookbook dedicated to one-pot recipes, Skinnytaste One and Done, which is one of my most popular cookbooks. My husband and kids gave this recipe two thumbs up and asked me to include it in my regular dinner rotation. More one-pot pasta recipes you should also try are this One-Pot Chicken and Orzo, Instant Pot Baked Ziti, and One-Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce.
You’ll Love This Healthier Hamburger Helper Recipe
Truth be told, I’ve never had hamburger helper growing up, but I do like the concept and convenience of taking hamburger meat and adding it to macaroni with some cheese for a simple weeknight meal. After playing around with the ingredients, we loved how it turned out! Tommy calls this Beef-A-Roni and went back for seconds!
I tried it with high-protein pasta but found it tastes best with regular good-quality pasta, like DeLallo cavatappi or fusilli. If using elbows, the pasta cook time may be too short, resulting in a mushier pasta. Here are a few reasons to love this meal:
- One Pot Meal: This beef pasta cooks all in one pot, meaning you don’t have to scrub a ton of dishes.
- High Protein: The milk, beef, and cheese give this pasta dish over 35 grams of protein per serving.
- Great way to use a package of ground beef if you’re looking for something different than burgers and meatballs.
- Dietary Restrictions: It’s Weight Watchers-friendly and high-protein. It’s also easy to make dairy-free and gluten-free.
- Affordable Ingredients: Ground beef costs less than other cuts of meat, making it a more economical way to eat beef. The rest of the ingredients are fairly low-cost.
- Family Friendly: If you have picky eaters at home, this is a great kid-friendly recipe.
If you make this healthy homemade hamburger helper, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook!
What You’ll Need
Hamburger Helper Ingredients:
Ground beef, milk, and cheese combine to create the best creamy, cheesy macaroni. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Ground Beef: Since we’re adding milk and cheese, I kept the beef lean and chose organic beef.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt and paprika season the meat.
- Onion and Garlic enhance the flavor and make the pasta more aromatic.
- Tomato Sauce balances the richness of the meat and cheese. Two tablespoons tomato paste can be used instead.
- Worcestershire Sauce adds a hint of tanginess and elevates the overall flavor.
- Chicken Broth: The pasta cooks in the broth for flavor, beef broth can also be used.
- 2% Milk adds creaminess while keeping the pasta light.
- Pasta: Choose a short pasta shape, like rotini, cavatappi, or shells. If you use elbow macaroni, cook the pasta for 6 to 8 minutes each time so it doesn’t get mushy.
- Part-Skim Cheddar Cheese: Stir the cheese in at the end and let it melt for a rich, cheesy pasta.
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
Here’s how to make hamburger helper step-by-step. My favorite part is that it cooks in one pot. The recipe card contains the complete instructions.
- Brown the beef in a large, deep skillet or large pot on medium-high heat. Season it with salt and paprika and cook it until it’s browned.
- Aromatics and Sauces: Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes, and then add the tomato sauce and Worcestershire. Lower the heat and cook until the sauces have reduced and are caramelized.
- Cook the Pasta: Add the broth and pasta to the pot and bring it to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium, cover the skillet, and cook until the pasta is almost tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Milk: Stir in the milk, cover the skillet, and cook medium-low, stirring periodically, until the pasta is al dente and most of the milk is absorbed.
- Cheese: Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese.
Variations
- Ground Meat: Substitute ground beef with ground turkey, ground chicken or ground bison.
- Dairy-Free: Hamburger helper is better with milk since it gives it a creamy texture, but you can substitute a dairy-free alternative, like unsweetened rice milk and use a dairy-free cheese like Violife, which is the one I find melts the best.
- Soy-Free: If you have a soy allergy, you can omit the Worcestershire sauce or substitute coconut aminos.
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
- Cheese: Swap cheddar with shredded mozzarella or Monterey jack.
- Cheeseburger Pasta: Chop tomato, pickles, and onion, mix it in a bowl with a little pickle juice, and put it on top.
- Macaroni and Cheese: If you want it cheesier, like mac and cheese, add more cheddar.
- Add Veggies: Diced bell peppers, carrots, spinach, broccoli or mushrooms would work great.
- Spices: Play around with different spices, for smoky flavor use smoked paprika. For chili flavor add chili powder, or simply add garlic powder in place of fresh garlic.
FAQs
What ground beef is best for hamburger helper?
Using lean ground beef is best because it’s lower in saturated fat and won’t make the dish greasy.
What can you substitute for ground beef?
Any ground meat such as ground turkey or even a vegan meat substitute will work here.
Is Hamburger Helper unhealthy?
This Homemade Hamburger Helper is so much better than store-bought. If you grew up having boxed “Hamburger Helper” as a kid, I think you’ll love this healthier version that’s lower in sodium and made with real food.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some vegetable side dish ideas if you want to add a little color and round out your meal.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store leftover hamburger helper in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
- Freeze the pasta for 3 months in freezer-safe containers.
- Thaw the dish in the fridge the day before and microwave or bake until warm.
A Great Base for So Many Variations
Think Philly Cheesesteak Macaroni or Taco Macaroni, by playing around with the ingredients and swapping different cheese or veggies you can come up with so many variations. Leave me some ideas in the comments and I will share some variations!
More Macaroni Recipes You’ll Love
- Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Macaroni Casserole
- Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese
Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
Equipment
- large deep skillet with a lid
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound 93% lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce, or tomato passata or puree
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cups 2% milk, or dairy-free milk for DF
- 8 ounces dry pasta, such as cavatappi, rotini or elbows or small shells or gluten-free pasta if needed
- 1 cup part-skim sharp cheddar cheese, or dairy-free cheese for DF
Instructions
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and add the beef and 1/2 teaspoon salt and paprika. Cook, breaking the meat up into small pieces until browned, 5-6 minutes. Add onion, garlic and cook until aromatic; 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce; reduce until almost dry and caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add chicken broth and pasta and bring to a boil, lower heat to medium-low and cover. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway until the pasta is almost tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Uncover, add the milk, and cook, covered stirring periodically medium-low until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat, uncover and stir in cheddar cheese.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- Meat: Substitute ground beef with ground turkey or ground bison.
- Dairy-Free: Hamburger helper is better with milk since it gives it a creamy texture, but you can substitute a dairy-free alternative, like unsweetened rice milk and use a dairy-free cheese like Violife, which is the one I find melts the best.
- Soy-Free: If you have a soy allergy, you can omit the Worcestershire sauce or substitute coconut aminos.
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
- Cheese: Swap cheddar with shredded mozzarella or Monterey jack.
- Cheeseburger Pasta: Chop tomato, pickles, and onion, mix it in a bowl with a little pickle juice, and put it on top.
- Macaroni and Cheese: If you want it cheesier, like mac and cheese, add more cheddar.
