Homemade Hamburger Helper

5 from 5 votes

For an all-time favorite comfort dish, make our Homemade Hamburger Helper recipe. Made from scratch with ground beef, spices and creamy cheddar cheese.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 30 minute dinner, easy dinner idea, ground beef recipe, pasta skillet

Servings:

Calories: 789kcal

Author: Julie Clark

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
½ medium white onion diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
⅓ cup ketchup
3 cups chicken or beef broth
2 cups uncooked macaroni
2 ½ cups cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the ground beef. Cook until it's no longer pink and nicely browned, breaking it up into small chunks as you go. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Drain off the excess fat if necessary.
Stir in the diced onion, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, dried parsley and ketchup. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes so the onion starts to soften.
Pour in the chicken broth. Stir everything together and bring to a low boil.
Stir in the uncooked macaroni. Cover the skillet or Dutch oven and let it simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let it cook until the macaroni is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the macaroni from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
When the macaroni is cooked to your liking, remove the skillet or Dutch oven from the heat. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until it is completely melted.
Dish out the homemade hamburger helper while it's still hot. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley on top for a touch of color.
Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze any leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 6, with 1 serving being 1/6 of the recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition