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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Delicious and forgiving! I used just a half pound of ground beef and some paparadelle I needed to use up, halving the recipe. I did skip the plain salt since I was using beef broth, but kept seasoning salt and it was perfect. Delicious and nostalgic without any unknown additives. We will definitely make again.
I’m about to try this recipe. What is that tool featured in the video that’s used to break up the ground beef? Thanks.
Hi, it’s just called a “meat crusher” you can find them on Amazon 🙂
My family Cooked the pasta and meat separate. We added fresh cut onion and red pepper to this recipe. We didn’t have and onion powder. My kids loved it. We also did ground elk instead of beef. Really great recipe!
I made this tonight. We wanted something quick and hearty since it’s rainy here. It was great! I don’t have seasoning salt so I used some paprika instead and I’m glad I didn’t have it because the salt level was perfect without. I think because I used broth. So I’d caution anyone making it with broth to maybe under salt at the beginning and add salt at the end. I was oddly out of garlic powder, too, because we use a ton of it around here and the store was wiped out. So I used fresh, minced and cooked it with meat. The only other alteration I made was to add a flour/water mixture at the end because mine was still runny after the cooking time. Noodles were perfectly cooked though. So I just thickened it. I’ll definitely make it again.
This recipe has become such a staple in my house! It’s quick and easy and I usually have everything I need on hand already. I do like to use a couple fresh garlic cloves chopped, as well as fresh chopped onion, and sometime some diced red pepper. Love this recipe!!
This was great! Definitely will be making again! Thank you!
Great recipe! Absolutely easy and delish! Comfort food at its finest. Made exactly as listed, and the whole family loved it.
So easy and so delicious! Will definitely be sharing this one with friends and family.
Total comfort food, gourmet/adult Hamburger Helper 😉
Didn’t have broth or macaroni – used water and papardalle instead and it was still DELICIOUS! Thank you!
Fantastic recipe! I didn’t have sour cream but I used coconut milk and it was the perfect consistency. Thank you so much for a homemade substitute. ?
How much coconut milk did you add to sub for sour cream?
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I needed something super quick to fix for dinner tonight and came across this and I’m so glad I did! My family loved it and I will definitely be fixing this again!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️