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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I MAKE THIS ALL THE TIME FOR MY FAMILY!
I USE TACO SEASONING(1/2 PK)INSTEAD OF KETCHUP AND HOT SAUCE AND SEASON SALT.
I ALSO ADD A VEGETABLE MEDLEY (BROCCOLI,CAULIFLOWER AND CARROTS) SOMETIMES JUST BROCCOLI AND MUSHROOMS (COOK THE MUSHROOMS WITH THE MEAT) THROW THE VEGGIES IN DURING THE LAST FEW MINS OF SIMMERING.
AN AMAZING SQUARE ME 🙂
Great recipe! Love the fact that it’s not a box, and I control the ingredients. Have made this several times. Thanks!
Everyone on this thread is saying that their KIDS loved this recipe. Well, my 37 year old HUSBAND asked me to make Hamburger Helper and I panicked. I have never had it as a kid, but found this recipe, and it was great! I made a few substitutions, like tomato paste instead of ketchup, left out the mustard, used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and chicken stock instead of beef broth. Two thumbs up from the adults!
I made this for my son tonight. I didn’t have seasoned salt so I used a savory blend I make instead and my son loved it. The rest of us are vegan so I have no clue how it tastes myself but he raved.
Perfect comfort food that is delicious with natural ingredients. I used yogurt instead of sour cream and it was still delicious. I recommend this recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight. You did a really good job at creating a healthy version of a childhood favorite. Will keep this recipe for future uses!! Loved it.
Omg sooooooo yummy we used turkey instead
I have horrible recollections of hamburger helper in my childhood. So when my son asked for it, I just could not bring myself to buy it. Thank you so much for this recipe…which I think turned out surprisingly pretty good! And he loved it!
Came out great, kids loved it.
This was sooo delicious. My daughter made it for us exactly as the recipe is written. I will make also soon for the grand children. Thanks
Turned out great! I prepared it as written and my 4 year old loved it, although I did have to persuade him to try it, cause he’s 4 and all.
This was delish. I didn’t have beef broth so I used Lipton French onion soup mix, and eliminated the salt, season salt and onions to make up for the flavors in the soup mix. Will make again as we still enjoyed it.