This One Pot Hamburger Helper is cheesy, delicious, and made with wholesome ingredients, unlike the boxed stuff. This one-pot meal is the best recipe for the whole family, including your picky eaters. Fire up that single skillet and let’s cook!
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The boxed Hamburger Helper pasta was one of my childhood favorites! I remember eating Hamburger Helper back in the early 1990’s. Yes, many years ago haha! When my mom would place that famous white box of Hamburger Helper out on the counter, I knew something yummy was happening for dinner.
Fast forward 20 years and I still crave it, but I know the boxed version isn’t exactly the healthiest. But this easy homemade version uses yummy and fresh ingredients that your entire family will drool over.
What is One Pot Hamburger Helper?
One-Pot Hamburger Helper is a delicious and convenient dish that mimics the flavors of the popular boxed “Hamburger Helper” meal, but it’s made from scratch in one pot. It consists of ground beef (hamburger meat), pasta, and a creamy, cheesy sauce.
This easy homemade Hamburger Helper recipe is a quick and easy meal that’s sure to please both kids and adults. You can customize it by adding vegetables, hot sauce, or spices to suit your taste. It’s a great comfort food option for busy weeknights.
The Players for One-Pot Hamburger Helper
Ingredients:
- Pasta – The classic boxed mix uses elbow pasta but for this easy dinner recipe, I’ll be using Egg Noodles. If you decide to use elbow macaroni, I would cook the pasta for an additional minute or two per the recipe card notes.
- Olive Oil – I use 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this easy recipe, but you can substitute it with butter if you prefer.
- Onion – Using fresh onion really elevates this dish but you can use onion powder if you’re in a rush.
- Garlic – I love the flavor of freshly minced garlic, but you can also use garlic powder.
- Ground Beef – For this cheeseburger macaroni recipe, I’m sticking with lean ground beef. But you can also switch it up and use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Paprika – Using paprika will help bring a nice mild and sweet flavor to this family favorite.
- Dry Mustard – The addition of dry mustard will give this dish a sharp taste that will add a lot of flavor.
- Cornstarch – This is used to help thicken our cheesy sauce.
- Beef Broth – I like to use beef broth to make the sauce but you can also use chicken broth, vegetable broth, or even water.
- Milk – To bring creaminess to our hamburger helper sauce, you’ll need some milk. I like to use whole milk warmed up in the microwave, but you can also use a combination of milk and heavy cream if you’d like.
- Cheddar Cheese – Adding lots of shredded cheese will blow the original hamburger helper out of the water! I like to use sharp cheddar cheese for this easy recipe.
- Salt and Pepper – Use salt and black pepper to taste.
- Parsley – The addition of fresh parsley will bring some color and freshness to our one-pot hamburger helper.
Tools:
- Large Skillet – To make this One-Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper, you’ll need a large pot with a lid or Dutch oven to cook all of the ingredients in. I absolutely love my Staub Cast Iron Skillet to make this recipe.
How to Make One Pot Hamburger Helper
In a large skillet over medium heat, add your olive oil and cook your diced onions for a couple of minutes until they become translucent in color.
Next, add in your minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds being careful not to burn the garlic. If you’re using powdered onion and garlic, go ahead and ‘toast’ your powders in the olive oil for 30 seconds or so.
Brown Your Ground Beef
To the same skillet, begin to crumble and brown your ground beef. Once the beef has cooked, drain off as much of the grease and fat as you’re able to using a spoon. If you’re using lean ground beef, you can skip this part as there won’t be much to drain.
Add in your ground paprika (you can use sweet or smoked depending on what type of flavor you’re going for – I’m using regular Paprika), dry mustard, cornstarch, salt, and pepper and stir for 30 seconds into your ground beef.
Next, add in your beef broth and milk. I like to warm up my milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds before adding the milk to the skillet. Give it a good stir. Next, add in your dry pasta. Remember, to keep this recipe truly, “One-Pot” we’re adding our uncooked pasta to the beef broth and milk. No other pots or pans are needed!
Simmer the Mixture
Allow the mixture to come up to a simmer. Once it does, cover the skillet or pot with a lid, lower the heat, and allow the pasta to become al dente, about 10-12 minutes. Every once in a while, be sure to remove the lid to stir it so that the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the pasta has cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat, and add in your shredded cheese. Stir your cheese until it has melted completely. You can return the lid back to the skillet to keep warm until you’re ready to serve. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed, and top with chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
To store your One Pot Hamburger Helper, place any leftovers into an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat your homemade hamburger helper, place a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth or water into the pasta and reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on 50% power until heated through.
Pin it for Later
If you end up making this One Pot Hamburger Helper, leave me a comment! I’d love to chat with you.
Looking for other easy dinner ideas? Check out these recipes next!
- Creamy Chicken and Herby Potato Skillet Recipe
- Easy Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
- Easy Cheesy One Pot Pizza Pasta Dinner Recipe
- Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Recipe
- The Best Baked Fish Tacos with Broccoli Slaw
- Easy Homemade One Pot Lasagna Casserole Recipe
- Classic Meatloaf with Ground Beef (and Ketchup Glaze)
- Easy One-Pot Sun Dried Tomato and Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Dinner Recipe
One Pot Homemade Cheesy Hamburger Helper Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz egg noodles*
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.34 lbs ground beef or 1 pound of ground beef works too
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups milk, warmed in microwave
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- parsley, chopped for garnishing
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add your olive oil and cook your diced onions.
- Next, add in your minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- To the same skillet, begin to crumble and brown your ground beef. Once the beef has cooked, drain off as much of the grease and fat as you're able to using a spoon.
- Add in your paprika, dry mustard, cornstarch, salt, and pepper and give it a stir.
- Next, add in your beef broth and warm milk. Add in your dry pasta and allow the mixture to come up to a simmer.
- Once simmering, lower the heat and cover with a lid and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Occasionally give the mixture a stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the pasta has cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat, and add in your shredded cheese. Stir until cheese has melted. Top with fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
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