Homemade Hamburger Helper
Servings 6 servings
Calories 513kcal
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion or sweet onion diced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups low sodium beef broth or beef stock
- 1 cups whole milk or half and half
- 1/3 cup ketchup or chili sauce (i.e. Heinz or similar)
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley for garnishing optional
Instructions
- Add ground beef and onion to a large skillet and heat over medium to medium-high heat until beef is browned, about 7-9 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes longer. Drain excess fat from pan.
- To the pan add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, black pepper, chili powder and ground mustard. Stir to combine.
- Mix in beef broth, milk, ketchup and dry macaroni. Bring to a light boil while stirring constantly, then immediately lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan.
- Simmer until the macaroni is tender, cooked to al dente and the sauce is starting to thicken, about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover the pan and add the cheddar cheese. Stir until completely melted.
- Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Protein - You can make this hamburger helper dish with ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork.
- Noodles - You can use a similar size pasta shape such as small shells or penne regatta. If you change the size of the pasta you may need to adjust the amount of cooking liquid to accommodate. Add more beef broth or more milk to thin the sauce.
- Cheese - You can use colby jack cheese. medium cheddar cheese or spicy pepper jack cheese.
- Milk - To add even more creaminess to the texture use half and half or heavy cream in place of milk.
- Veggies - You could sauté red or green bell peppers along with the ground beef and onion to expand the flavor profile.
- Spices - You can use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder in place of fresh garlic and add crushed red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce for extra spice.
- Thin the Sauce to Your Taste - If the sauce thickens too quickly, you can add additional milk in steps 5, 6, or 7. This can happen if the macaroni boils more quickly.
- Thicken the Sauce - If the sauce is thinner than you like, you can cover and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes or add additional tomato paste.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 936mg | Potassium: 761mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 562IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 372mg | Iron: 3mg