One Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper is just like the classic favorite Cheeseburger Macaroni that we all know and love! This homemade version is made in one pot, rich and cheesy and tastes so much better than the boxed version!
Even as an adult I get cravings for those childhood favorites like hamburger helper. My favorite hamburger helper growing up was cheeseburger macaroni. It's such a classic flavor combination! Now that I'm grown up I may have the craving, but, the boxed version just doesn't suit my taste anymore.
I love a good one pot recipe too. One pot meals like my Homemade Hamburger Helper and this One Pot Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Rice are just as easy to make (if not easier) than any boxed meal. They are super budget friendly and made with ingredients we usually have in our pantry. Plus, they have a really great flavor without packaged powdered products so we know what we are getting!
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper:
To make this cheeseburger macaroni hamburger helper there is no reason to dirty more than one dish! Start with a large skillet and brown your ground beef until it's no longer pink. Then, drain ALL of the grease from the skillet. I also like to wipe my skillet out with a paper towel for this recipe, although that is completely optional.
Next, you will turn your stove heat down to low and stir all of your seasonings into your meat. This recipe has been tested and tried many times and the seasoning combo provides just the right amount of flavor without the dish being too salty. Don't worry about the hot sauce, it doesn't make the dish spicy, it just adds a nice kick of flavor!
The next step is to add your macaroni and beef broth. I recommend using low-sodium broth if possible. You can also use chicken broth, vegetable broth, or simply water for this recipe if necessary.
Give everything a really good stir to make sure the ketchup, mustard, and seasonings are all well mixed in. Use the back of your wooden spoon if you need to make sure the macaroni is submerged under the broth.
Then, you will simply cover your dish with a tight-fitting lid and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes until your macaroni is soft. I recommend lifting the lid and stirring once or twice during the process.
You will notice that there is absolutely no milk in this recipe. During recipe testing, I found the flavor much better leaving the milk out. The addition of sour cream at the end gives a great creaminess and zing of flavor!
Once your macaroni is completely cooked you will remove your pan from the heat. Then, stir in the sour cream until it is well incorporated. Then, you can place your pan back on the warm burner and add in the shredded cheese mixing until well combined.
I recommend using freshly shredded cheddar right off the block if possible. It melts so much better than the bagged pre-shredded stuff!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
One Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce Optional
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Seasoned Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 ½ Cups Macaroni
- 3 ½ Cups Broth or Water
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain grease and return meat to the pan.
- Reduce heat to low and add the ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, seasonings, macaroni and broth to the pan and stir well to combine.
- Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until macaroni is cooked through.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in the sour cream.
- Return the pan to the warm burner and stir in the shredded cheese until well combined.
Video
Notes
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I absolutely love this recipe. Everyone on our family loves it. And if you want to add to it, it is super accepting to additional flavors. Tonight I added diced green peppers after browning and draining the meat, let them get a bit tender and started adding the seasonings. Taste was amazing!
Very versatile recipe. Easy to make and way to easy to eat.
Fabulous! A new family favorite!
This recipe is amazing! My 20yr old son is a very picky eater, but when I make this, it’s hard for anyone else to get any. I did add peas to mine though. I try to sneak in veggies whenever I can! Super easy to throw together and most ingredients are already in your kitchen.
On a side note, “The Salty Marshmallow” is my new go-to page. I’ve tried a couple of Nichole’s recipes she’s posted, and everyone has been a hit!
I put diced onion and grated garlic in the beef when I was browning it and left out the garlic powder and onion powder. I also added a can of diced tomatoes and used 2 3/4 cups broth. Everything else was per recipe. Will be making this again!
I see that the original recipe makes about 4 servings. What is the serving size?
I've tried several hamburger cheese recipes, this is the easiest and best tasting! You can modify with what you like! Thank you Nichole for putting it on the internet!
This may be a dumb question but do you boil the noodles first or put them in the pan not cooked
Hi! Not a dumb question, you do not need to cook the macaroni first it goes in dry 🙂
This was my question so thank you for asking !:)
Made this last night, didn't deviate at all. I used mild cheddar, which I think melts better than sharp, and it came out fantastic. I'm eating leftovers for breakfast right now.
I was torn between this recipe and another one and I’m glad I went with this one! My 12 year old is an extremely picky eater and he loved it! This is a keeper! Thank you!
Really good, but mine came out very watery, probably because I used bigger elbow macaroni. Had to thicken it with corn starch. Will cut back on the broth next time or use the smaller noodles. But taste was excellent!
I used a Mexican blend instead of cheese considering it was all I had. Tasted awesome!
I’m doing the same thing tonight. Although, I am adding some sliced cheddar as well. Hope it turns. One pot meals are quite often my go to.
Made this for my family and they loved it so much I keep making it
So I've made another helper I found online and it was basically noodle, sauce, seasoning, sour cream and cheese! With that one I noticed my pan was slightly to small to accommodate all ingredients and noodles didnt cook all the way! So when I found this recipe I slightly precooked my noodles, I didnt have seasoned salt so I just used the amount of salt it asked for, I feel anytime I go out to eat they load everything with salt, so less isnt a bad thing! I had chicken flavored bullion cubes and my sour cream went bad but had lite plain yogurt, so I substituted, I also used what cheese I had on hand. The last thing was when I would check to see if noodles where done I had to add broth so I ended up using almost 4 cups. I turned out so good, I had no complaints, I will make this again! Yum!!
Easy peesy, good taste!
Made this last week to a so-so review from my adult son. I in the other hand thought it was so good! It was SO much better than the boxed stuff I made the week prior. I was feeling nostalgic for my childhood.
Cut to today. I took some leftovers and put in a ceramic dish with a tiny bit of water and topped with additional shredded cheddar. I heated in my air fryer covered with foil at 350 for about 15 mins finishing uncovered at 400 for about 4 mins. yummy! Even my skeptical son loved it.
If I am using a different kind of noodle like egg noodles should I use less water?
Sorry this is 2 months later but I just made with egg noodles and I would say yes seeing my results. BUT it allowed me to put 1 - 1.5 tbsp of flour in and bring to boil 1 min and it thickened up nicely. Also, to sub for the beef broth we didn’t have we added some steak sauce and soy sauce to the water which gave it some good flavor. Great recipe! My 14 yr old son made this with me directing and he is so proud. ☺️
Found this recipe on a quick search to make homemade hamburger helper. made for us and also to share with neighbor's going through a difficult time. They called me to specifically say they loved the dinner and want the recipe asap! I tried it after and it is delicious indeed.. I did, however, add just a little fresh garlic to mine and some Better Than Bouillon beef stock.
Delicious! I didnt have Dijon mustard so I did not use it and it still turned out great, will be making this again!
Very tasty!