Easy Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
I am sure most of us have eaten or used store-bought Hamburger Helper at least once in our lives. Especially in childhood when mom needed a shortcut, or as young adults just starting out and on a budget, or as newlyweds when you had no idea what to cook, or how! However, the days of relying on a box containing dry pasta and a seasoning packet are officially over. Enter this fast and easy homemade version of Hamburger Helper. But this scratch recipe is a one-pot meal that’s ready in 30 minutes and seriously just as easy as the store-bought stuff. Honestly, you won’t miss it when you’re devouring this cheesy, saucy pasta with ground beef, onions, garlic, tomato puree, and seasonings for loads of flavor. This DIY Hamburger Helper recipe is a huge hit with kids (and grown-up kids) as you may have guessed. It’s hard to say no to warm, cheesy pasta and ground beef. It’s family favorite comfort food in a flash making this an awesome recipe to whip up on busy weeknights.
What Even Is Hamburger Helper?
If you’re not familiar with the store-bought version, allow me to explain in a nutshell. After browning ground beef, you add dry pasta that comes out of the Hamburger Helper box, a seasoning packet, milk, water, and simmer. It’s basically a store-bought shortcut that quickly lets you make hamburger pasta in a jiffy! But homemade is so much better and just as easy to make when you use my recipe!
Ingredients in Homemade Hamburger Helper
To make this easy and oh-so-classic recipe at home, you’ll need the following common and easy-to-find fridge and pantry ingredients. Make sure to read my tips, substitutions, and rationale for all ingredients:
Olive oil Lean ground beef – I like to use at least 90% lean ground beef (90/10 or 93/7) to keep this one skillet recipe super easy and without having to stop to drain off the grease in fattier ground beef such as in 80/20. You can also use ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork if you’re trying to shave off some excess fat from the recipe White or yellow onion – Use what you prefer, I tend to go with yellow Paprika – If you have smoked paprika on hand and like the smokier flavor, it’s great Salt Black pepper Garlic or garlic powder – Actual garlic is nice but garlic powder works perfectly well and there’s nothing to mince All-purpose flour – This is sprinkled to thicken up the sauce a bit later on. I have never tried using cornstarch and don’t think it’s necessary; flour is just fine Beef broth – I always suggest using reduced sodium broths, be it vegetable, chicken, or beef, and this is no different so that you can better control the salt level. If you need to substitute chicken or even vegetable broth, they’ll be fine. Water isn’t ideal but if that’s what you have, you can make it work but adding additional salt, and a bit more garlic powder, paprika, and doctor up the flavors to your liking Tomato puree – You can use tomato sauce in a pinch but tomato puree is better because it’s a bit thicker. However, don’t grab for tomato paste which is too thick Dijon mustard – I like the smoother flavor of Dijon mustard as opposed to basic yellow mustard. If you have honey mustard on hand, it would be an excellent choice too Dry small shaped pasta – I used cavatappi pasta to make this copycat Hamburger Helpder It’s very similar to small elbow macaroni but grooved and slightly larger with a slight twist. However, small elbow macaroni, small shells, penne, ziti, rigatoni, rotini, small wheels, or ditalini pasta will all work Shredded cheddar cheese – Classic medium sharp cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese is what gives this dish its nostalgic taste and vibe. If possible, buy a block of cheese, and great it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting Sweet pickle relish, optional – Why? Because it adds a tangy-sweetness that I love but if you don’t like it, or don’t have it, you can just skip it. In place, consider adding 1 teaspoon granulated sugar to balance the acid from the tomato sauce, and the overall very savory nature of the dish but sugar is optional Green onions, optional for garnishing – Fresh parsley is another optional garnishing idea
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper from Scratch
You won’t need to reach for the boxed version when you can whip up this family-favorite homemade hamburger helper in less than 30 minutes and in just one skillet!
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you’re planning on serving a huge batch of this for say a game day party, birthday party, or backyard get-together and want to make a few batches in advance, you can do that. Also, note that pasta always continues to absorb whatever sauce it’s mixed with so it will appear dryer 45 minutes after you make it and leftovers the next day, even more so. Pay Attention to Package Sizes: Pasta is commonly sold in 16-ounce (1-pound) boxes, so, in this case, you’ll use half of the box. However, sometimes it’s sold in 12-ounce boxes or packages, in which case you’ll use 2/3 of the box. If you’re using the eyeball method for measuring a half box, make sure you’re eyeballing it from a 16-ounce box, and eyeball two-thirds of a box if it’s a 12-ounce box because remember you want to use 8-ounce dry pasta. I recommend keeping the sauce just a tiny bit soupier and looser (maybe simmer it about 12-13 minutes rather than 15) because it will tighten up when you take the pot off the stove. And the sauce will continue to absorb into the pasta as it sits. Therefore, just be a little careful not to overcook it on the stove. Of course though, make sure you cook it long enough that the pasta is done! That’s above all else.
More Easy Beef Pasta Recipes:
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