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 weirdy 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 taste 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!
The Recipe
Homemade Hamburger Helper
By divas can cook
Recipe type: main, dinner,
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (sometimes I use only ½ lb)
- ½ cup onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon butter, optional
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt or seasoning salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon oregano
- ¾ teaspoon parsley
- ¾ garlic powder
- ½ 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. 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 really love this healthy alternative to Hamburger Helper. I’ve been making this a long time and it comes out perfect and delicious every time. My kids love it. The hubby loves it. It’s one of those meals that feels like a warm hug! Thanks for sharing!
Followed this recipe exactly, and the sauce was liquid and didn’t set with more time; cooking off the liquid wouldn’t have fixed it because then the pasta would be overcooked. The cheese stuck to the beef and didn’t flavor the macaroni. This indicates lack of absorption, so has to do with using cold water and non-warmed milk. Once I changed that, the recipe worked…just not as written.
Absolutely love this recipe! It is now one of my son’s favorites, and we make it often. It is so flavorful and much much better than the old boxed version. Thank you so much for sharing it, it has become a staple in my family since I discovered your blog!
I’ve made this recipe for years and absolutely love it. I can’t believe I never left a review! It’s perfect the way it is. Thank you so much for a healthier alternative to the boxed stuff.
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying it! : )
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have made it many times, my whole family loves it but my husband has been getting indigestion from the beef and cheese being too much for him he thinks. I wanted to try it with turkey to see if ground turkey gives better results for him but couldn’t get any at the store right now (hoarders :-/) and could only get ground chicken. Have you ever tried it with chicken or only turkey? Do you think either would be the same or should I hold off until I find ground turkey?
I only use ground turkey with this recipe and it’s perfect
Thank you ! Thank you! Thank you! I have been craving HH Cheeseburger Macaroni forever but have been hesitant to buy due to all the processed ingredients.After finding many recipes online, I decided to give this a try. BRAVO! Perfect! Super easy to make ( I used ground turkey and used Lower Carb Pasta) and oh so flavorful! Better than the box! This is perfect! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! My family inhaler this!!! Thank you for another fantastic recipe!!!
Found it bland.
It needs depth in flavour
I will add garlic and sauté the beef with some wine. Instead of parsley I would use oregano.
Looks like someone didn’t follow the directions. This recipe includes oregano. Not sure where you went wrong but the flavor is spot on.
Don’t know which recipe u used….Maybe u missed the oregano but this was great
Made it with 1.5 lbs of ground beef and 1/2 italian blend 1/2 cheddar cheese.
All I had was small shells noodles. It’s really the spice blend that makes this recipe, it tastes just like the box in terms of flavor. I think the sugar does help it