Homemade Hamburger Helper- Cheeseburger Macaroni
I wasn’t introduced to Hamburger Helper until I got married. It was part of my husband’s bachelor meal rotation which consisted of 3 meals; Hamburger Helper, spaghetti with Ragu sauce, and Clusters cereal. Seriously, that was his diet. Bless his heart.
I grew up with a meal very similar to Cheeseburger Macaroni Hamburger Helper but it was homemade and called cheesy beef and macaroni. It was a quick, cheap, wholesome, weekday meal that my mother made often on PTA nights or whenever we were really pressed for time/money.
I thought I was done with boxed Hamburger Helper and then I had my son. Kids LOVE Hamburger Helper! We ended up getting a box one day when we were out of town and he loved it. I didn’t mind though. It was easy to make, made him happy and that little glove is adorable. Well, one day when I was making his favorite kind, Cheeseburger Macaroni I decided to look at the ingredients, and what the heck!
I’m not normally an ingredient snob but why the long list of ingredients, dyes, msg, and weird stuff just to make a pot of macaroni, beef, and cheese? I ended up throwing it away and making a pot of homemade hamburger helper. We’ve been doing it this way ever since.
This homemade Hamburger Helper uses real ingredients: macaroni, meat, milk, water, cheese, and spices, THAT’S IT! It tastes fresh, comforting, cheesy, meaty, and filling, just like it should. And best of all it’s just as quick as the boxed version. I use ground turkey in place of beef simply because we don’t eat much red meat. For the cheese, I use a mixture of shredded cheddars. Hamburger Helper uses ricotta as well and sometimes I’ll mix a little of that in for creaminess but only if I have some on hand which I usually don’t.
If you’re a true, die-hard Hamburger Helper fan you may find that it doesn’t taste EXACTLY like hamburger helper. I think it tastes waaay better and Isaac doesn’t even know the difference, but if you’re trying to ween your addicted, older kids off of it then you may want to throw in a little processed cheese for a familiar taste.
Watch me make this Homemade Hamburger Helper from start to finish!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey, sometimes I use only 1/2 lb
- 1/2 cup onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon butter, optional
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt or seasoning salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon parsley
- 3/4 garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Brown ground meat in a skillet over medium heat until almost done.
- Add in onions and cook until tender.
- Drain fat from pan.
- Add remaining ingredients except for the cheese.
- Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover and cook until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- * Do not over cook pasta. I usually taste check it at 9 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese. The sauce may be thin.
- Let pasta sit to thicken the sauce, meanwhile adjust seasonings if needed.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Use various cheeses if desired.
Add taco seasonings for a chili mac.
Chopped tomatoes are good in this as well.
Want veggies? Peas or broccoli works great!
Hot sauce anyone?
I’ve only made this a few times and I think I got some of ingredients wrong, but I still can’t tell the difference between this and hamburger helper! It’s delicious!
Thanks for making this recipe for us to use, Monique.
p.s.
I’m a kid! Didn’t see that one coming, did you?
I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought I’d give it a try. My family loves Hamburger Helpers. But I’ve always been concerned about the sodium & other stuff that goes into it. Made it tonight and loved it! I left out the onions (I don’t like them & my son may eat them, depending on what day it is). I think next time I might try a different cheese. I used sharp cheddar cheese & to me it didn’t have much of a “creamy” taste. My son, who is going through the picky stage of eating, gave it a thumbs up. This will definitely stay in my recipe folder.
Made this last night, we had an early evening lesson and needed a quick dinner that wasn’t junk. yum! I was unsure about adding the cheese straight up, but it worked just fine. I added chopped bell peppers shortly after the onions, and skinned diced tomatoes, from my garden, when I added the milk etc. I strongly recommend an MSG free seasoned salt, it really makes it wonderful!
I made one batch for myself and one for my coworker’s 10 year old. He loved it and so did my family! It was MUCH better than the box and much more food. This recipe is definitely going to be on repeat!
Picky eater tested,mother approved lol
Thanks again for another delicious,easy meal.
This does taste similar to hamburger help but the
Author is right,it is way better.
This dish was fast and delicious and will definitely be a keeper. As u mentioned, 1/2lb of ground meat was perfect, any more would have been too much. I used 1/2tsp salt because the cheese was pretty salty. Lastly I had ground hot pepper and used that. For me the heat was perfect but too much for my toddler. Next time I’ll adjust accordingly. I love your recipes and appreciate all that you do. Thanks so much!