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This homemade hamburger helper takes the classic beefy, cheesy macaroni combo and skips the boxed mix. It’s a one-pot, 30-minute meal that’s hearty enough for the whole family, including the littlest eaters.
Recipe at a Glance
- Quick and easy: This one-pot dinner comes together in just 30 minutes with minimal cleanup, perfect for busy weeknights.
- Made with real ingredients: No boxed mix here, just a rich, cheesy sauce built from pantry staples and real cheddar.
- Packed with veggies: Mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers add nutrition and color, and blend right into the sauce.
- Kid-approved and easy to customize: A meal the whole family loves as-is, or swap the protein, pasta, or veggies to make it your own.
- Perfect for meal prep: Leftovers reheat beautifully for an easy lunch or another quick dinner later in the week.
“This is a save for our family dinners! Wow! It was so good 😊. Husband kept going back for more and our picky 4 year old actually ate! We were so happy he was getting his veggies and protein with this delicious meal. I love your recipes!” – Laura
What is hamburger helper?
Depending on where you grew up, you might know this dish as Beefaroni, American goulash, cheeseburger macaroni, or chili mac. Different names, same cozy result.
For me, it’s tied to a specific memory: moving to the States from Korea as a kid and tearing into a can of Chef Boyardee with my sister, the two of us eating faster than my mom could keep up.
I’ve been making this from-scratch version for my own kids since they were around 8 months old, and it’s become one of our most requested dinners, easily twice a month.
It’s the kind of simple, comforting meal that fits right in with these easy family meals, and if you’re looking for another way to switch things up, try this hamburger bowl for a fun, customizable spin, or go cozy with veggie mac and cheese made with sweet potato and cauliflower, or switch gears entirely with this Korean ground beef and rice.
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Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Lean ground beef – Go with 85-90% lean for the best balance of flavor and texture. We’re big fans of ButcherBox for this, their grass-fed, grass-finished beef shows up right at our door and always delivers.
- Onion, mushrooms, and green bell pepper – This trio builds the flavor base. Mushrooms can be white button or cremini, and honestly, the veggies overall are flexible, so use whatever you’ve got.
- Tomato paste and tomato sauce – These give the dish its rich, saucy body. Tomato paste gets cooked with the veggies first to deepen the flavor, then tomato sauce joins later to loosen everything up.
- Beef broth – Gives the sauce so much more depth and savoriness than anything else.
- Elbow macaroni – I have a very strong opinion that this childhood classic is best with this type of pasta. It just soaks up all the flavors so well.
Substitutions
This recipe is flexible and works well with a few simple swaps.
- Ground beef – Ground turkey or chicken both work well. For a vegetarian version, skip the meat and stir in a 15-ounce can of no-salt-added beans with the vegetables.
- Onion, mushrooms, and green bell pepper – Swap in whatever vegetables you have on hand, Zucchini, carrots, peas, broccoli all work great here too.
- Tomato sauce – Crushed tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes (blended smooth) work as a substitute if that’s what you have.
- Beef broth – Chicken broth works too if that’s what you have on hand.
- Elbow macaroni – Rotini or fusilli are great backups if that’s what’s in your pantry.
- Cheddar cheese – Monterey jack, colby, or a Mexican cheese blend would all melt nicely in place of cheddar. Leave it out for a dairy-free version, or swap in a dairy-free shredded cheese alternative for similar melt and texture.
How to Make Hamburger Helper
You’ll find the full recipe card with all the exact measurements at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: In a large pot, brown ground beef and drain off any excess fat.
Step 2: Add veggies and flavorings. If you have a picky eater, try adding some of the vegetables that they’re learning to enjoy. I have a feeling when it’s combined with this beefy cheesy sauce (and pasta!), they just might give them some love!
Step 3: Stir in the liquids and the macaroni and bring the pot to a boil. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get all the brown bits to dissolve into the sauce. That’s flavor!
Step 4: After simmering for 10-12 minutes, stir in the cheese.
Expert Tips
- Stir occasionally while simmering. This keeps the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot and helps it cook evenly.
- Pull the pasta slightly early. It’ll keep softening as it rests and soaks up the sauce, so slightly underdone is better than overdone.
- Let it rest before serving. Five minutes after stirring in the cheese lets the sauce thicken up naturally.
- Loosen it up if needed. A splash of warm milk or broth brings the sauce back to your preferred consistency.
Hamburger Helper FAQs
Fridge: transfer leftover beefaroni to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Freezer: I recommend not adding the cheese if you know you’re going to freeze all or some (e.g. add cheese to 1/2 of the dish). Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Will keep for up to 3 months.
Here’s everything you need to know to safely store leftovers!
Yes! Making Hamburger Helper from scratch allows you to use real ingredients, control the amount of sodium, and add vegetables for extra nutrition. You can also choose lean ground beef and freshly shredded cheese for a wholesome family dinner.
Yes. While it’s best enjoyed fresh, you can prepare it a day in advance and reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
The pasta continues absorbing liquid as it sits, which naturally thickens the sauce. Simply stir in a little warm milk or broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
Nope, the pasta goes in uncooked, right along with the broth and tomato sauce. That’s actually the beauty of this recipe: as the macaroni simmers directly in the sauce, it soaks up all that beefy, savory flavor instead of just sitting in it after the fact. It also starches up the sauce slightly as it cooks, helping everything cling together and turn out thicker and richer. Skipping a separate pasta pot means less mess and one less thing to time, too.
Yes, just leave the cheese out. The sauce will be a bit thinner and less rich without it, but the dish still holds together well on its own. If you want that same creamy texture without dairy, try stirring in a dairy-free shredded cheese alternative, they melt similarly and work well in this recipe.
More One Pot Meals
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (cremini or white button mushrooms)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 15 ounce tomato sauce
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- 2 cups shredded Cabot cheddar cheese (adjust amount to your liking)
Instructions
- Brown beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the vegetables. Give it a good stir. Add in tomato paste and seasonings and cook for 5 minutes or so until everything gets well incorporated. Stir frequently.
- Stir in the broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, making sure to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Once it comes to a boil, add the pasta, cover the pot, reduce heat and simmer. Cook 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally. At this point, set aside a portion for baby.
- Stir in cheese. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Notes
- The nutrition facts for sodium doesn’t include cheese.
- If you would like to make this creamier, replace 1 cup of broth with milk of your choice.
- Ground beef: you can certainly use chicken or turkey. If you want to make this vegetarian, I suggest adding a 15 ounce can of no-salt-added beans along with the vegetables.
- Will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Wonderful! So easy and delicious. I used pre-cooked penne (because I had a lot of it to use up) so I didn’t end up adding a lot of broth but it still tasted great in the end. Also used a red pepper instead of green, because that is what I had. Would like to try adding carrots next time. The whole family enjoyed this!
I just made this and it’s utterly delicious!! I can’t believe how much veggies I can pack into it without it looking like just a pile of veggies. My oldest is having a battle with mushrooms right now but I know he’s going to gobble this up. Thank you so much for your healthy recipes!
So good right?! You’re welcome!
Thank you so much! It’s the first time in months I’ve been able to get vegetables in my 3 year old. He’s starting to lose weight so I’m trying to figure out ways to get him to eat more and he is extremely picky and actually ate a few bites of this meal.
Oh I’m doing the happy dance with you!
I’ve made this recipe countless times now, and it’s always a hit! Thanks for sharing this excellent recipe!
Yay!! Yes we enjoy this at least twice a month too!
Another staple of ours!! Husband travels for work, so I make this at some point and we literally survive off of it. I sprinkle some cheese on my toddler’s and then serve to her, but I dump the remaining cheese into the main pot and she ends up getting those leftovers the next day 😆
Haha sounds familiar! I save leftovers for husband’s lunch but then kids end up eating them
Hamburger helper brings back so many memories from when I was kid, so I was excited to try this homemade version for our family. My 14-month-old loved it, along with the rest of the gang, and while I did set some aside for her before I added the cheese, I still ended up sprinkling a couple tablespoons on hers to give it that salty element / flavor since it is low on sodium as is. The cheese was the perfect finishing touch to create that creaminess and flavor, and my daughter had a huge smile on her tomato-stained face by the end of the meal 🙂 I subbed chickpea elbow pasta, and it was great too! Love your blog and your recipes and have been using them since my daughter started solids!
Oh I’m so glad this recipe filled your hearts and bellies with warmth and deliciousness :). Thank you so much for being here and for trying out my recipes!
I have not tried any of these yet, but I just want to say thank you for doing this. I’m a momma bear with a picky eater and its starting to get a little stressful. Thank you so much for the amazing meal ideas!
Thank you so much for being here and I hope you enjoy all the recipes!!
So delicious!! I am feeding triplets toddlers and this lasts for days and is one of their favorites (and mine!) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 😊
Oh this makes my heart so happy! I’m so glad this recipe comes to the rescue for you!!
SO GOOD. This is a staple weekly dinner. Thank you so much
For us too! Thank you for sharing!
Love all of your recipes as recommendation on adjustment for using gluten free pasta such as chickpea, brown rice or red lentil? Our son has a wheat allergy and would love to make this for him. Thanks so much!
You are welcome!!