This homemade hamburger helper has a rich and creamy sauce with pasta and hearty ground beef, and is best served with a light side dish like salad for a complete dinner meal!
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Hamburger Helper is a family favorite for several reasons; it has a cheesy pasta sauce that most of us love to devour and it also is made in one pan, adding ingredients one at a time to make this simple for even novice cooks!
Types Of Cheeses to Use
You can vary the flavor of this dish by changing the cheese you use. For instance, old cheddar is usually the best but you can mix half old cheddar and half double smoked cheddar for a hint of smokiness. In addition, a lightly sweet Monterey jack cheese would go well with half old cheddar as well. I would avoid using a stringy cheese like mozzarella, however.
Cavatappi Pasta
The best pasta to use in this recipe is a sturdier pasta like cavatappi that won’t turn into mush when stirred. Elbow macaroni tends to fall apart when stirred too much even when it’s cooked properly. Cavatappi is also called tortiglioni by some pasta brands.
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
You can make this recipe easily on your cooktop and it is ready within 20 minutes! For detailed instructions see the recipe card below.
- Cook in a large lidded skillet the ground beef and onions. Add the garlic and sauté.
- Whisk the spices together in a small bowl, then add to the meat mixture.
- Add the beef broth and ketchup and stir well. Then add pasta
- Simmer for 10-11 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
- Stir the cream into the mixture until mixed throughout and the sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the pasta and mix in until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired, then serve.
Cooking Tips
- If the pasta isn’t done by the time the liquid has evaporated, add another 1/2 cup of beef broth. My hamburger helper turned out perfectly, but results can vary depending on the brand of pasta and how hard you are boiling the dish.
- I didn’t need to thicken the sauce at all by the end, the natural starches in the pasta will thicken the sauce as you cook. If however, you have too much sauce at the end, simply make the heavy cream you add at the end of the recipe into a cornstarch slurry and whisk into the pan.
How to Store Leftover Hamburger Helper
Homemade hamburger helper is also great as leftovers for lunch the next day! Just put it in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to three days to enjoy later!
Happy Cooking
Love,
Karlynn
More Great Dinners!
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium white onion diced finely
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 4 cups hot beef broth
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups cavatappi pasta
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Topping
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large lidded skillet over medium high heat, add the ground beef and onions. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is browned and the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and sauté until browned and fragrant, around 2 minutes.
- Whisk the spices together in a small bowl, then add to the meat mixture, sauteing until fragrant, around 1 minute.
- Add the beef broth and ketchup, mixing into the mixture. Stir in your pasta of choice.
- Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10-11 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
- Prepare the cornstarch slurry. If the mixture doesn’t need thickening, simply add the cream. If you have a lot of liquid left, add 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the cream to thicken up the sauce.
- Stir the cream into the mixture until mixed throughout and the sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the pasta and mix in until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
- Remove from the heat. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Carola says
What if you don’t have heavy cream, can I use regular milk instead?
Cathleen Harvea Guthrie says
Yummy Karlynn! I love your recipes! Just a note: I discovered that when preparing boxed hamburger helper for children, you can add 1/2 a cup of pasta/macaroni and it will not change the consistency much. AND this trick makes a larger quantity. Money stretching tip. Thank you for your wonderful passionate effort here, much appreciated Karlynn!
Judy says
Very good and I know what’s in it! Added a little more chili powder, and my husband ate his with salsa.