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
- 1/2 Teaspoon Seasoned Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 1/2 Cups Macaroni
- 3 1/2 Cups Broth or Water
- 1/2 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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For me it was DELICIOUS! Like the box Hamburger Helper that we grew up and love but 10X’s better! But my kids doesn’t like anything with sour cream in it. Any suggestion for substitute?
Full fat greek yogurt, they sell it single-serving size. 🙂 ….I also use some sharp or extra sharp cheddar to add some “zing” back in.
(btw your son is right, sour cream is icky lol)
My family loved this!! Will definitely be a regular staple in our home.
Hubby Loves Hamburger Helper but I hate the calories and preservatives! This was a great substitute! He loved it.
Great recipe! The only difference I did was had Mexican style shrrdded cheese, used dry mustard not wet, used dehydrated minced onion. Omitted hot sauce. Dry mustard gives it a kick. We love comfort food . And i like stuff from scratch so this is a perfect new, gonna be a regular at my house recipe!!!
I adapted this for my gluten free child. I used 1 cup of long grain rice in place of the macaroni and 2.5 cups of beef broth. That’s all I changed and it was delicious!
My toddler and teenage grandsons LOVED this! The baby said mmm. I made with water instead of broth and it was still very savory. Can’t wait to make it again!
Delicious and so easy! Didn’t change a thing and it was perfect. Really well seasoned, hearty meal. My fiance doesn’t usually want one pot or pasta based meals but he loved it and said I should make it again. I did end up needing about 20 min for the macaroni but could have been due to using a deeper medium-large size skillet. This is a keeper!
This recipe is bomb.com
Actually, every recipe I make for this website is outstanding!
Has anybody used chicken broth?? If so how’d it turn out?
Chicken broth works fine 🙂
I made this for the 1st time on 7-23-20 and it was phenomenal. It’s a definite keeper.
I did have a request from my son and that was to change the cheese from cheddar to colby jack. He also asked for me to dice up a little onion and cook that with the meat. I’m planning on making this again tomorrow 8-18-20. I can only imagine that this will turn out to be just as delicious as it did 3 weeks ago.
Thank you so much for providing everyone this incredible recipe.
Funny… here it is 8/18/20 and I found this recipe after my daughter requested that I make a homemade hamburger helper type meal. Looks delicious so I’m making it for the first time tonight.
I Like this recipe a LOT. Its my go to when i dont know what to make. i always seem to have the ingredients on hand- even if i have to switch out the type of pasta it turns out great. it always is a hit and i ADORE that its a true one pot meal!!!! Thanks Nicole!!!!
SUCH A WIN!
I changed it up a bit. I used bowtie pasta and cooked separately,since my daughter is a vegetarian so she could have pasta without the meat. I also used colby jack cheese since that’s what I had. It was delicious.
I made this tonight, with ground turkey, and it was SO good! So good, that my husband said he could have eaten much more. I will double the recipe next time!
This looks like something I could make and would enjoy, but I don’t know what seasoned salt is. Is it a crucial ingredient for the flavor? Can I make it? What is it? What’s in it?
Hi! You can find seasoned salt at any grocery store with the other seasonings. It’s a mix of spices such a a little sugar, onion powder, garlic, and paprika. Hope that helps
We were craving this and it was phenomenal. I punched up the mustard with powder. I also pulled a serving precheese for the kid. It is still freaking awesome. I would add some sautéed peppers to the dish without the cheese.
Yummm
Very easy & tasty!! Proportions are correct, no dicing nor crushing required (time savor)! I used bullion cubes for beef broth, as that’s what I had on hand. I also used chickpea pasta, supposed to be higher in protein & fiber than regular (plus gluten-free). Tasted good even with these alterations!! BTW, my one and three year olds ate every bite!
This looks like an incredible recipe. I’m planning on making this for dinner tonight but I’m wondering if I can substitute cream cheese for the sour cream? If so, what amount should I use? I can’t get to the store today. Cream cheese is what I have on hand.
Hi! Yes, cream cheese should work fine. I’d probably start with about 4 ounces and then add more if you wish 🙂
I have a VERY picky husband who grew up with a stellar cook for a mom. So I’m always ready to be deflated when I make something new. Well, He loved it! I made him tell me over and over that he liked it! 😂
A lot of times I see these recipes that get 5 stars but then people say they changed a bunch of things to get there. This is great just as it is. Bravo and thank you!!!
I made this today and it was delicious! I love knowing what is going into a childhood favorite. Thanks for sharing.
This recipe is fantastic. It is so simple and so quick. I’ve made it with both macaroni and penne both gluten free. Granted the cooking time on the pasta is slightly longer, but it’s still delicious. A perfect comfort food and ground meat, pasta and cheddar are usually foods I have on hand at any point so it is a great last minute recipe when I don’t want to head to the grocery store. Thank you for creating this.