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 been lurking divascancook for almost 2 weeks now. I’ve written down many of your recipes, & went grocery shopping for A LOT of things that were required to make some of your recipes. I am a 22 yr old college student & between school, work, my sorority…getting a chance to just cook is just sooooo brain wrecking! Plus, I’m a beginner cook. This was my 1st recipe I tried off your page…
Made this tonight for my begging, starving boyfriend. Wanted to cook something fast before we went to the movies, just to get him full & to shut up. Came out DEELISH! First time making something OUT of a Hamburger Helper box. Plus, I don’t really like the Cheeseburger Hambuger Helper in the box. But THIS is SO GOOD! I think I reduced some of the seasoning because I’m still trying to learn how to measure stuff l0l, but I adjusted the seasoning toward the end. My boyfriend ate his plate in 2 minutes & 30 seconds. Did he even chew!? Thanks Monique!
Just made this, and I was delish! I did change it a little. I used 3 cups of pasta, and upped the water to 3 cups, and I only used one cup cheese, and it was still very cheesy. Next time, I’ll use 4 cups of pasta, and up t water even more. My almost-teenager son, a 12 y.o. had three helpings! I will make this again often! Thanks for posting!
I made this tonight and it was a hit with the family. This is the third recipe from here that I have made this week and they were all delicious . Thank you for your creative meal ideas. I have rediscovered my joy in the kitchen because of this website.
Tried this, and we loved it!
Loved it! I actually had everything in my pantry, which is very unusual. This was so awesome! I love the fact that I could pronounce everything that went in it. I got the best of both worlds… Healthy and delicious.
Delicious! We are eating this for dinner right now. My husband also lived off hamburger helper so this satisfies his taste for it and my desire for it to be a bit healthier. We use lean beef in our house. Thanks for sharing your recipes! We are having your peach cobbler for dessert!