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!

homemade hamburger helper

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!

how to make homemade hamburger helper

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!

homemade cheeseburger macaroni hamburger helper

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!

hamburger helper recipe

Enjoy!

~Nichole

 

 

4.99 from 766 votes

One Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper

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!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients 

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

NOTE:  This recipe is best when made with freshly shredded cheese.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!

Be sure to follow along with us on Facebook where we share the tastiest recipe videos!


Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

Related Recipes

Rate & Review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




448 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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?

    1. 5 stars
      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)

      1. Thank you for responding! Will definitely try your way next time!

        Yeah, every time I put sour cream in something they just can’t do it. They tried…

  2. 5 stars
    Hubby Loves Hamburger Helper but I hate the calories and preservatives! This was a great substitute! He loved it.

  3. 5 stars
    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!!!

  4. 5 stars
    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!

  5. 5 stars
    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!

  6. 5 stars
    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!

  7. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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.