Homemade Hamburger Helper- Cheeseburger Macaroni
I wasn’t introduced to Hamburger Helper until I got married. Â 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. Â
 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?
Thank you for this was wonderful recipie it was fast and easy
Honestly this is NOT a good recipe. There really is no similarity in taste to the boxed meal. I’m happy it was a cheap meal to prep because it was really just a waste.
So sorry to hear you didn’t like it.
You must be used to all the crap msg. And not real ingredients in the box. Says alot about how unhealthy you eat good luck
obviously you prefer processed food…the fact it tastes ‘real’ is what i believe we are happy about
I understand that you didn’t like the recipe however i think there is a more constructive way of sharing on Mrs Diva’s blog. If you love to cook like I do then maybe tasting the mixtures during the prepping time would assist you in making any necessary adjustments to the recipe. Then posting those helpful suggestions so that others can benefit from it. One thing I know is that everyone’s tastebuds are different so you have change recipes to make you enjoy that meal better. I am very busy and a lot of times I will watch the video instead of reading the recipe which has turned out disastrous. Those recipes i rushed through and forgotten this or that and the recipe turns out differently. I have learned to read the recipe AND read the comments of others who have done so I found out any new information. This way I can find out any hurdles that may arise. ????
P.S. It takes a lot of time and effort to blog about your interests and I think that when you go on someone’s website and try their suggestions it should be like coming to someone’s home for dinner. We never tell the hostess that they didn’t prepare the dinner correctly…we just play over in our minds what ingredients we could have added in to make it better!
My husband had a HUGE craving for hamburger helper. I’m not a big fan of all of the questionable ingredients, so I was thrilled to find this recipe for a homemade wholesome version. I made it with whole wheat pasta and added some peas. It was delicious, and almy 18 month old also loved it! Thanks!
There was not enough liquid, so was kind of sticky. Otherwise, this was yummy!!! Kids loced it!!
This was super easy and very delicious! I used Velveeta since it’s the only cheese we had at the time. My picky husband loved it! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
My kids absolutely love this homemade version of Hamburger helper. I have been making your recipe for years once or twice a month. You just can’t go wrong with this meal!