Homemade Hamburger Helper recipe is the easiest way to make scratch hamburger mac at home. This easy recipe lets you enjoy the comfort food classic in less than 30 minutes.
I’m a big fan of easy, one-skillet dinner recipes. This is the kind of easy dinner recipe that is great to have in your back pocket, especially for busy weeknights.
The great thing about how simple this recipe is is that if you can make Hamburger Helper with the box, you can make it from scratch.
This easy dinner is just browning ground beef, stirring in a few other ingredients, and letting it all cook! Plus it tastes so much better when you make it from scratch!
This hamburger helper recipe also makes a lot, and it reheats well for quick next-day leftovers.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ground beef: I like to use either 88% or 90% lean ground beef in this recipe. You could also use ground turkey or even ground chicken if you prefer.
- Pasta: You can use a similar type of pasta, but you may find that you need to adjust the cooking time depending on the type of pasta that you use.
- Broth: I like to use reduced-sodium broth in this recipe because it lets me better control the salt level.
- Sour cream: If you prefer, you can use plain Greek yogurt (fat-free, 2%, or whole milk), or lite sour cream in this recipe. The sour cream helps to add a bit of creaminess to the sauce without making it thin the way that milk would.
- Cheese: You can also use a similar cheese, such as mild cheddar or extra sharp cheddar.
How make homemade Hamburger Helper
Here you'll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Heat a Dutch oven or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, and cook until browned.
Step 2: Drain ground beef, and return to skillet. Stir in onion, and, stirring regularly, cook until just softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, and cook, stirring the entire time, for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients except cheese, and stir to combine. Bring to simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. You want the mixture to simmer gently, not boil.
Step 4: Cook for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed but mixture is still saucy. At this point, the pasta should be al dente. Stir in cheese.
Step 5: Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired. Remove from heat, and serve.
Tips
- Dutch oven: If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use a similar, large pot (at least 5 quart) instead.
- Saucy pasta: It's important to keep the pasta at a simmer so that you don't boil out the sauce and end up with dry pasta.
- Garnish: I sprinkled a little chopped fresh parsley over the pasta to brighten it up for the pictures. However, it isn’t necessary for the finished dish.
Serving suggestions
I like to serve this dish with either a fresh green salad or fresh fruit salad to help lighten up the meal. It's also good with sauteed greens.
You can serve it with sliced bread or even tater tots for even more comfort food.
Storage
Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The leftovers will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
The leftovers reheat well. I simply warm the leftovers in the microwave to reheat.
More ground beef dinner recipes!
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Homemade Hamburger Helper
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup finely diced yellow or white onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 16 ounces dry elbow macaroni pasta
- 3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or 5 quart pot over medium-high heat.
- Add ground beef, and cook until browned.
- Drain ground beef, and return to skillet.
- Stir in onion, and, stirring regularly, cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, and cook, stirring the entire time, for 30 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT cheese, and stir to combine.
- Bring to simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. You want the mixture to simmer gently, not boil.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed but mixture is still saucy. At this point, the pasta should be al dente.
- Stir in cheese.
- Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired.
- Remove from heat, and serve.
Notes
- Ground beef: I like to use either 88% or 90% lean ground beef in this recipe. You could also use ground turkey or even ground chicken if you prefer.
- Pasta: You can use a similar type of pasta, but you may find that you need to adjust the cooking time depending on the type of pasta that you use.
- Broth: I like to use reduced-sodium broth in this recipe because it lets me better control the salt level.
- Sour cream: If you prefer, you can use plain Greek yogurt (fat-free, 2%, or whole milk), or lite sour cream in this recipe. The sour cream helps to add a bit of creaminess to the sauce without making it thin the way that milk would.
- Cheese: You can also use a similar cheese, such as mild cheddar or extra sharp cheddar.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Misty Halbrook
Yummy 🤤