Julie Clark
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Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper
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We’re throwing it back with this old fashioned comfort food! This slow cooker hamburger helper is an easy dinner solution. Makes a large batch for a potluck or picnic.
This slow cooker Hamburger Helper recipe is in honor of the good ol’ days, when Matt and I used to live on hamburger macaroni casserole in our first years of marriage. Those were good times, but I’m glad we’re not there anymore. 😅 The boxed version wasn’t amazing, but now you can make a homemade version of hamburger helper.
This nostalgic dinner of cheesy pasta and beef is comforting, versatile, and only needs 3 hours in the slow cooker.
What was the first hamburger helper?
The first box of Hamburger Helper was most likely macaroni and cheese. Just like this one! Add a pound of beef and boom, cheeseburger macaroni….you just made a new meal. 🙂
Did you know??
Hamburger Helper was first introduced in the early 1970’s when there was a meat shortage. This type of dinner made it easier to stretch a pound of meat. And it could all be made in one pan!
You can cook noodles in a slow cooker?!
When making this homemade hamburger helper recipe, one thing I had never thought of before was cooking noodles in a slow cooker. It seemed somewhat ok…I had just never tried it. Turns out it works well, just like in our slow cooker taco pasta.
You’ll need to have enough liquid…and this recipe includes chicken stock along with creamy cheddar cheese soup to add to the texture.
Ingredients Needed
This slow cooker hamburger helper has simple ingredients:
✨ Get all of the ingredient amounts in the recipe card below. ✨
How to Make Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper
- Brown the ground beef in skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain well.
- Combine the chicken broth, half and half, and cheese soup together in a large bowl with the seasonings
- Into a well-greased slow cooker, pour in the rotini pasta, ground beef, soup mixture, and half of the cheese mixture, and sliced butter. Mix it together.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Stir once every hour to ensure the noodles are cooking evenly. With 30 minutes left, top with remaining cheese and allow it to melt.
- Garnish with freshly snipped parsley and sliced green onions.
pro tip
Looking for easy clean-up with this easy dinner idea? Use slow cooker liners with this crock pot hamburger helper. You can easily remove the liner and throw it away after serving. No mess at all.
Recipe Variations
- Switch up the meat. Try ground turkey, ground sausage or even ground chicken.
- Add veggies! Diced onion or bell peppers, broccoli or tomatoes would be a great addition.
- For an extra pop of delicious flavor, try onion powder, garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, or a dash of paprika.
- Love cheese? Add ½ cup of Velveeta cheese for extra creaminess. Or pepper jack cheese for a kick of spice.
Make it a meal.
So what can you serve with this easy slow cooker meal at dinner time?
It’s a hearty meal as it is, but a simple side salad, green beans and homemade rolls would be delicious!
Other Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
You may also love our hamburger gravy served over whole wheat hamburger buns.
Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper
We're throwing it back with this old fashioned comfort food! This slow cooker hamburger helper is an easy dinner solution. Makes a large batch for a potluck or picnic.
Servings 10
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 15 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup (Campbell's brand soup)
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt or regular salt
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni noodles
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter diced
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain well. 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- Combine the condensed soup, half and half, and chicken stock together in a large bowl with the seasonings. 15 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup, 2 cups half and half, 2 cups chicken broth, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt
- Into a well-greased slow cooker, pour in the elbow pasta, browned ground beef, soup mixture, 3/4th of the shredded cheese mixture and diced butter. Mix it together. 12 ounces elbow macaroni noodles, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Stir at one hour and again at 2 hours. Then with 30 minutes left, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Place lid back on the slow cooker and allow the cheese to melt for 10-15 minutes.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Cook times may vary based on different slow cookers. I do not recommend cooking on high heat.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1.059mg | Potassium: 587mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 716IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 300mg | Iron: 2mg
