Super easy and frugal recipe for healthy homemade hamburger helper. A favorite beef pasta casserole (next to stroganoff). It cooks in one pot in less than 20 minutes! Pairs perfectly with a side of delicious rosemary olive oil bread or light and fluffy homemade dinner rolls.
Raise your hand if at any time in the past you either ATE hamburger helper as a kid or MADE hamburger helper for your kids?
I’m raising my hand because this was a staple in my house growing up. With “just brown beef and add water” as the instructions, it’s no wonder. It’s a super quick and easy dinner and has lots of flavor!
Luckily, here’s my homemade hamburger helper recipe that is, but using healthy real food ingredients!
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Here’s why my kids are asking me to make homemade hamburger helper almost every week, and why I’m saying yes!
- The flavor is like the real thing. It’s been a while since I had a box of homemade hamburger helper myself, but taste buds don’t lie – this is legit!
- One-pot meal. No need to dirty a bunch of dishes, this recipe can be made in one pan!
- It’s a “dump and cook” meal. There’s no need to brown anything first. Just dump it all and give it a stir now and then!
- Frugal. I get my ground beef for free from Butcher Box every month, so my cost for this meal is SUPER low.
- Freeze it. Put everything (except the noodles) in a freezer bag and save it for a rainy day… or a day when you don’t have time to make anything else!
And as if that weren’t enough…
- It’s ready in under 20 minutes.
- Freezes well after the fact.
- It tastes great as leftovers.
- Great for kids lunches.
Really, hamburger helper needs to be on your regular meal rotation ASAP!
This recipe is so quick and easy, you only need one pot to make hamburger helper from scratch.
What is Hamburger Helper?
Hamburger helper is technically processed food. It comes in a box at the grocery store and all you have to do is add ground beef and/or water and/or a can of tomato paste. I’m not entirely sure about the details because I’ve never actually bought it myself.
However, I have EATEN hamburger helper plenty of times and know that the stuff is awesome.
It’s beef + noodles + creamy tomato-y sauce that is just straight-up awesome.
Except technically, it’s not real food, thanks to that seasoning packet. And that’s why we make it ourselves!
Homemade Hamburger Helper Ingredients
Did you ever call hamburger helper “cheeseburger macaroni” growing up?
I didn’t, but I can see why some people do. It’s the deliciousness of a cheeseburger, mixed up with macaroni noodles. YUM!
Here’s what you need to make it happen:
- Ground Beef. As I said, I get mine for free every month through my Butcher Box subscription. You can too when you become a member now. Just use this link!
- Tomato Sauce. This can be actual tomato sauce, or it can be whole or diced tomatoes you pureed. It doesn’t matter really what you start with, but give it a whiz in your blender (I have this one) so that it becomes a sauce.
- Chicken Stock. Vegetable stock or even water would work too (here’s how to make homemade stock).
- Onion Powder + Garlic Powder + Chili Powder + Pepper + Salt. Pretty much the standard arsenal of spices.
- Pasta. Macaroni is the most popular, but I’ve used rotini, shells, and penne too.
- Frozen Vegetables. I can’t make a dinner that doesn’t have vegetables, so I like to add peas. A blend of frozen veggies works too.
- Cheese. Optional for HAMBURGER helper, but required for CHEESEBURGER helper. I’ll leave that up to you.
Psst! Want to kick this up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a bag for just 1¢!! Just add a pinch before serving your hamburger helper and watch everyone rave! (Get your penny bag of salt on this page.)
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
As I mentioned before, the steps to make this are super simple and straightforward:
Step 1. Add the beef to a large 5-6 quart pot and break it up using a wooden spoon. (I have this enamel cast iron pot that I LOVE!)
Step 2. Add the tomato sauce, spices, and pasta.
Step 3. Cook until the pasta is just about done, stirring now and then.
Step 4. Add the frozen vegetables.
Step 5. Add the cheese.
And that’s it! A healthy, homemade dinner that the family will LOVE and just one dish to clean!
DIY Homemade Hamburger Helper Questions
If you buy the boxed version, no. It has preservatives, sugar, and MSG – none of which are healthy or good for you. That’s why should you make it yourself!
Instead of beef, use two cups of cooked brown lentils. It’ll be very similar to my lentil macaroni and cheese recipe! My recipe doesn’t call for any milk. I do use cheese, but you can substitute a dairy-free cheese and use less if you’d like. Or just leave it out altogether!
I personally haven’t used ground chicken for this recipe but you definitely can! You can even use shredded pieces from a whole chicken or ground turkey.
I haven’t tried this personally, but it only takes 20 minutes on the stove. Why bother with the crockpot?
More Simple Recipes
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Ridiculously Easy Potato Skins
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- One Pan Buffalo Chicken Potatoes
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Homemade Hamburger Helper
Super easy and frugal recipe for healthy homemade hamburger helper. A favorite beef pasta casserole (next to stroganoff). It cooks in one pot in less than 20 minutes! Pairs perfectly with a side of delicious rosemary olive oil bread or light and fluffy homemade dinner rolls.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4–6 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 28 oz tomato sauce (try my homemade recipe)
- 1–2 cups chicken stock (try my homemade recipe)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 oz small pasta (i.e. macaroni or shells)
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1–2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Place ground beef in large, 5-6 quart pot. Turn the heat on medium and break it up into smaller chunks using a wooden spoon. You don’t have to actually brown the beef; it’s just easier to break it up into smaller pieces at this point.
- Add the tomato sauce, spices, and pasta, and bring the mixture to a medium simmer. The sauce should be making bubbles, but it shouldn’t be splattering everywhere.
- Let the mixture cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, breaking up the meat, and making sure the noodles are submerged in the sauce as much as possible.
- Check the pasta for doneness at the 10-minute mark and continue to cook until the noodles are al dente. Add additional chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, if the sauce becomes too thick before the noodles have had a chance to cook. The sauce will thicken and evaporate as it cooks.
- When the noodles are just about done, stir in the frozen peas. When the peas are warmed through and the pasta is done, remove from the heat.
- Gently stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Taste and add more cheese as desired.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Tomato Sauce. This can be actual tomato sauce, or it can be whole or diced tomatoes you pureed. It doesn’t matter really what you start with, but give it a whiz in your blender (I have this one) so that it becomes a sauce.
- Chicken Stock. Vegetable stock or even water would work too (here’s how to make homemade stock).
- Onion Powder + Garlic Powder + Chili Powder + Pepper + Salt. Pretty much the standard arsenal of spices.
- Pasta. Macaroni is the most popular, but I’ve used rotini, shells, and penne too.
Nutrition
- Calories: 512
Keywords: Homemade hamburger helper, cheeseburger macaroni hamburger helper, hamburger helper homemade recipe, hamburger helper recipe, hamburger helper mac and cheese, recipe for hamburger helper, hamburger helper from scratch
This looks good, but I think I would prefer to go the extra mile and cook the pasta separately. In that case, would I still use the same amount of tomato sauce and none of the broth? I may be asking for trouble! Guess I’ll see! Lol!
When I cook this, I half cook the noodles before hand then follow the rest of the recipe.
I clicked on this website from Pinterest because it was supposed to be Whole30 recipes. I get here and find a recipe with noodles and cheese???!!! That is not a whole30 approved recipe. Are there actually any Whole30 recipes on this website?
Tammy,
This is not a Whole30 website, it is a budget friendly real food blog. We have done the Whole30 and have a few posts that may help you. Check out these posts: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/doing-the-whole30-with-kids/, https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/budget-friendly-whole30-meal-plan/, https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/whole30-on-a-budget/, https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/how-much-does-whole30-cost/.
So glad to hear that, Bonnie!
TOTAL HIT with the DH who grew up on the ‘boxed’ stuff!
I used rotini (what was in the pantry) and it took longer to cook than I expected, adding stock a little bit at a time (I used beef, again, what I had). I’m thinking next time I might just pre cook the pasta to aldente and adding it into the rest of the ingredients. I also added a bit of fresh onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaf. Added some dry parsley and maybe a quarter teaspoon italian seasoning. (Can you tell I’m the kind of cook who takes a recipe and runs with it, LOL!)I used freeze dried beef crumbles that I reconstituted first, so I did omit the salt. The cheese is what really made this recipe, tho! I used shredded cheddar jack, and threw in some fresh grated parmesan, cuz I had it on hand, LOL!
This ‘base’ recipe is one that will definitely be put into regular rotation in our home, thank you Tiffany! I hope others feel the freedom to ‘make it their own’ as well!
★★★★★
I was wondering if you add any of the 1-2 cups of chicken stock to the initial recipe, or only if it simmers down too thick? It says to add additional stock if it thickens, but doesn’t actually say to add any in the regular cooking portion of the recipe. Thanks for the recipe, sounds great for a quick meal!
Just if it thickens, Tanya. The tomato sauce counts towards the liquid needed in the beginning. 🙂
This was great! I used your trick of trading in the lentils, and I reduced the meat to 1/2 pound so we could get the flavor of the meat but save money. I also took the previous commenter’s suggestion of adding garlic powder, and I used chickpea pasta to make it gluten free. I used quite a bit of lentils, so we got two nights out of it in my family of 4, with a small container leftover. Definitely a new favorite, and I love that I can save money and use lentils!
★★★★★
Love these changes Courtney!! So glad it’s a new family favorite! ♥
I feel like the recipe is off. I found this to be very peppery. It was good, but the flavor wasn’t as good as I was expecting. Also, am I missing something? In the blog you list garlic, but I do not see it listed in the actual recipe. I’ll probably try it again, because it was super easy and I love having a dinner that leaves me with less dishes, but just with some adjustments.
Michelle, everyone has different likes and dislikes when cooking. When I make this recipe I do not add peas because my husband hates them. As for the garlic powder I added it to the recipe card and appreciate you pointing out that inconsistency. Many people, myself included, enjoy a bit of fresh minced garlic in this recipe as well.
This was quite good. Only addition I made was a 1/2 TSP of Garlic Powder! We will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked it, Ben!