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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Of all the recipes I have tried for the Cheeseburger Mac recipes, this is the best one! It is full of amazing flavor and my grandbabies loved it! This is my go to recipe from here on out! Thank you!
Yum! This satisfies my craving for hamburger Mac and cheese! Sometimes I’ll add chopped onions instead of powder or spring onions at the end for some extra color.
This is SO GOOD!!! Do you know how well this would freeze?
Hi! Sorry, I haven’t tried freezing this. I think you could, but keep in mind that the texture of the dairy/pasta would be difference after freezing and thawing.
My children raved about this. I refuse to buy Hamburger Helper and they wouldn’t quit begging so I tried this. They say this is better than the box for sure!
I usually always have blocked cheese was out can you use velveta anyone try it by any chance
Velveeta should work fine! 🙂
Hey I don’t have Dijon mustard. Will regular work?
yes 🙂
This is an excellent recipe! I’m not a huge fan of Hamburger Helper, but I love the idea of Hamburger Helper. My kids loved this recipe too. Not only was it full of creamy cheesy deliciousness, but I love how I get to control the ingredients by making this homemade version. It’s always best when when you can pronounce all of the ingredients! LOVE THIS! Thank you so much for this recipe! I served it with a garden salad to round out the meal.
Hi Nichole, is the broth supposed to be beef or chicken?
Either one works fine 🙂
I made this a few weeks ago exactly per recipe. It was DELICIOUS!! The best one pot, hamburger helper type dish I’ve had. My whole family loved it. The ingredients combine to make a perfect hamburger pasta dish that is so flavorful and addicting! Thank you for the recipe.
It was awesome! I made this for me and my boyfriend! He loves it! I made it with a tad more sour cream and I used medium cheddar cheese and a tad more hot souse and seasoning salt! Best Homemade hamburger helper! Just like the original! Just with a bit more love!
I made this last night and the family loved it. I used Egg Noodles instead of Elbows. It tasted great but I ended up with way too much liquid that I needed to pull off for it to be creamy. Went heavy on the hot sauce (Cholula) and it definitely gave it some zing. Looking forward to trying more recipes since dining out isn’t much of an option these days. Thanks!!
Perfect recipe! thank you for sharing.
My very picky 9 year old asked if we can have this every night. Nuff said! My entire family loves it-hands down. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. Only change I made was doubling the ingredients as it is never enough for my family.
I am NOT a hamburger helper fan but my son is. So instead of the box version I promised to make it homemade. OMG this was surprisingly good!
This turned out great! I used ground turkey instead. Once the sour cream and cheese is added in it really comes together. Will be making this again simple comfort food
I didn’t have much hope once I started this recipe until I added the sour cream and cheese! After making several versions of homemade hamburger helper, this is our new favorite! Thank you for this recipe!
This was sooo good. I used ground turkey and 2 cups of vegetable broth because I cooked my noodles first. I also added a small amount of smoked paprika and flour/water to thicken. Yummy. My picky eater said it tasted just like the boxed brand. It’s way better, no additives and chemicals. Thanks!!!!
This is really good! I will definitely make it again…and again…and again!