With just 5 minutes of prep and a few pantry staples, my grandmother’s one pan homemade Hamburger Helper is a quick and easy dinner recipe that kids and adults will love! Top it with cheddar cheese, and serve it alongside a salad, cornbread, or biscuits. The made from scratch pasta and ground beef skillet is always a weeknight winner!
Table of Contents
For even more ground beef recipes, be sure to try these cast iron skillet burgers, a pot of creamy tomato soup with ground beef and noodles, this Frito pie recipe, this stuffed bell pepper casserole, this Jiffy cornbread taco bake, and a bacon cheeseburger casserole with rice, too!
Homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Pasta
This homemade Hamburger Helper is one of those simple dinners that will be a regular lifesaver for your busy family. It only requires one pan (which equals fewer dishes to clean up), and the meal practically cooks itself after about 5 minutes of hands-on prep. There’s no need to boil the pasta before you add it to the ground beef and sauce. Everything cooks together in a single skillet for a flavorful, family-friendly meal in about 30 minutes!
What is Hamburger Helper?
The original Hamburger Helper is a packaged food product, made by the Betty Crocker brand, that consists of boxed dried pasta with seasonings in a powdered sauce packet. The idea is that you simply add ground beef to the boxed ingredients and dinner is on the table!
There are many, many varieties of the prepared dish — from pizza and nacho flavors to bacon cheeseburger, Italian shells, and beef Stroganoff. This homemade recipe most resembles the Chili Macaroni Hamburger Helper, thanks to the ground beef, elbow pasta, and rich tomato sauce that’s seasoned with plenty of zesty chili powder. It’s so much better than the boxed version!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of homemade hamburger helper. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Ground beef: or substitute with ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken.
- Water and beef broth: the liquid base for the sauce. You also need the water to cook the pasta.
- Elbow macaroni: there’s no need to boil the noodles before adding them to the pan. They cook right in the sauce, releasing starches that help to thicken the mixture.
- Tomato paste: gives the sauce a thick, rich tomato flavor.
- Minced dried onion, garlic powder, and chili powder: these add savory, zesty flavor to the sauce.
- Brown sugar: balances the acidity of the tomatoes, giving the dish a more complex tomato flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce: adds salty, umami flavor.
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
You only need a handful of pantry staples — plus hamburger meat — for this easy dinner recipe that cooks entirely in one skillet. You just can’t beat childhood favorites for cozy, comforting family dinners!
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink; drain off the fat.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender, the liquid reduces, and the sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over top, if desired, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
What to Serve with Ground Beef Pasta
This one-pot meal pairs nicely with any of the following easy sides:
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits or Drop Biscuits
- Skillet Cornbread, Honey Cornbread, Corn Sticks, Mexican Cornbread or Sweet Cornbread Muffins
- Crusty French Baguette, Jalapeño Cheddar Bread, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins, Applesauce Pumpkin Muffins or Pumpkin Bread
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Wedge Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Fried Corn
- Southern Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Broccoli or Broccoli and Cheese
- Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter, Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Sauteed Zucchini
- Cranberry Sauce
- Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables
Storage
Leftover hamburger helper will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat the meal in a covered skillet over low heat just until warmed through, or microwave individual servings for about 1 minute. I do not recommend freezing this dish. The pasta will swell and change texture in the freezer, resulting in a mushy texture when reheated.
Recipe Variations
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken instead.
- In a pinch, vegetable broth or chicken broth will be a fine substitute for the beef broth.
- Don’t have dried minced onion? Substitute with about 2 teaspoons of onion powder. You can also use about ⅔ cup of minced fresh onion; however, you’ll need to cook the onion with the ground beef so that it softens.
- Add a dash of paprika to the sauce, or season with herbs such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, or basil.
- For added texture, sprinkle cheese and a few buttered breadcrumbs over the top, and then place the skillet under the broiler for a few minutes. This will give it a crunchy, cheesy topping similar to mac and cheese.
Tips for the Best Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
- Brown the hamburger first. This gives the beef color, and seals in the flavor.
- Drain the fat. This is another important tip, since it’s not only a healthier way of cooking, but it also prevents the finished dish from having a greasy texture.
- Don’t omit the brown sugar. In order to achieve great tomato flavor, it’s important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a sauce that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Start with about 2 teaspoons of sugar here, and add more to taste, if necessary.
- The cheese garnish at the end is optional, but it sure adds great flavor! You can use shredded sharp cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack, Colby, Colby Jack, or any other good melting cheese. A sprinkling of Parmesan would also be nice.
More One Pot Meals to Try
- One Skillet Cheese Tortellini with Chicken Sausage
- Creamy Beef and Shells {a homemade version of another Hamburger Helper favorite!}
- One Pot Chicken and Rice with Garlic and Herbs
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Dump-and-Bake Meatball Casserole
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
One Pan Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
- ½ cup tomato paste (from a 6-ounce can)
- 2 tablespoons minced dried onion
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional toppings: grated cheese; chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain off the fat.
- Add remaining ingredients to the skillet, as well as about ½ teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper.
- Stir to combine; bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and the sauce thickens.
- Taste the pasta and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with cheese and parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Brown the hamburger first. This gives the beef color, and seals in the flavor.
- Drain the fat. This is another important tip, since it’s not only a healthier way of cooking, but it also prevents the finished dish from having a greasy texture.
- Don’t omit the brown sugar. In order to achieve great tomato flavor, it’s important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a sauce that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Start with about 2 teaspoons of sugar here, and add more to taste, if necessary.
- The cheese garnish at the end is optional, but it sure adds great flavor! You can use shredded sharp cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack, Colby, Colby Jack, or any other good melting cheese. A sprinkling of Parmesan would also be nice.
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken instead.
- In a pinch, vegetable broth or chicken broth will be a fine substitute for the beef broth.
- Don’t have dried minced onion? Substitute with about 2 teaspoons of onion powder. You can also use about ⅔ cup of minced fresh onion; however, you’ll need to cook the onion with the ground beef so that it softens.
- Add a dash of paprika to the sauce, or season with herbs such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, or basil.
- For added texture, sprinkle cheese and a few buttered breadcrumbs over the top, and then place the skillet under the broiler for a few minutes. This will give it a crunchy, cheesy topping similar to mac and cheese.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in December, 2016. The photos were updated in February, 2022.
I was so happy that I came across this recipe. I forgot to write a review the first time that I made it. This is made with staples that are always in my house. I am making it for the second time tonight. I told my husband what we were going to have, and his response was, ” I love that meal! YAY!”
Thank you for a awesome easy recipe, that is way better than the box! So easy too! 🙂
Wonderful! Thank you, Jeane! I’m so glad that your husband even enjoys the meal, too! 🙂
Is it weird that I want to add a bag of frozen mixed veggies in this?
Should I add quarter to half a cup ofbroth to accommodate veggies?
Hey, Jessica! The frozen mixed vegetables would be a great addition. Try adding them first (without the extra broth) and see how the texture is. I bet it will be fine. If you would prefer it to be thinner with the vegetables, you can always add a little bit of broth at a time to reach your desired consistency. 🙂
This is very good. My hubby really likes this dish. Since our kids are grown, next time will add a little more garlic and maybe a pinch of basil. Yummy stuff. ????????
Thanks, Betty!
This is perfect! I have made this many times now. I pretty much stay on recipe except I generally use all broth and I am always pretty liberal with the listed seasonings.. It is really fast, really simple, and really flavorful! At the end I sometimes add a pouch of Velveeta cheese sauce which totally ruins the homemade aspect but my kids absolutely love it. Seriously all 6 of them are beyond happy when I make it, it’s one of their all time favorite meals.
That’s awesome, Angela! Thank you!
So good and so easy!
Thanks, Rebecca!
Wonderful recipe! I added Worcestershire sauce to hamburger mixture and cooked noodles separately. Then stirred altogether with shredded cheese. Big hit! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is seriously sooooo good!!!! To die for.
Thank you very appreciated
Thanks, Veronica! I appreciate that you took the time to leave a note. So glad that you liked it!
Question: I feel like 1 cup of macaroni is not enough because I need a few more servings and don’t want to double the whole thing. Would I need to add more liquid? Thanks
Hi! Yes, you would want to increase the liquid a bit, since the extra pasta will absorb more liquid. Just be aware that the final product will be different if you’re not also increasing the other ingredients along with the pasta.
I have this recipe bookmarked because my finicky husband loves this recipe. I add an additional teaspoon of chili powder- but very little tweaking needed. Super easy to make! Thanks for this!
That’s awesome, Frankie! Thank you for letting me know. I’m so glad that he approves! 🙂
Second time making this! My family loves it, I always have the ingredients on hand. Thanks for sharing a great recipe
I love this recipe. I make it quite often. So quick and easy and delicious. Thank you for all your great recipes.
Thank you, Patti! I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know. 🙂
I just found this recipe and am anxious to give it a try. Can anyone let me know about how much is 1 serving? Thank you!
Hi, Kathleen! The recipe calculator automatically creates the approximate nutrition information for 1/4 of the recipe. I don’t know how much that equals if you were to measure it in cups, but I would just make the recipe, then divide it into four portions. Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Next time I’ll add some taco seasoning. Just a little too bland but quick & easy Sprinkled a cheese blend on top. Great for make ahead
Thanks, Sharon!
Made this tonight….easy, tasty and a hit with the family! Another great recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Barbara. Thank you!
Made it and was a hit in my house of picky eaters. Very delicious and simple to make. I used whole wheat egg noodles instead.
Thank you, Cynthia!
We had this tonight. It was very much like a spaghetti sauce which was unexpected because of the ingredients that were used. I told my husband if we didn’t have jarred store bought spaghetti sauce, we can use this recipe leaving out the macaroni. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
That’s a great idea, Toni! We’re glad you enjoyed it.
Made it tonight! Opted to add a yellow onion as recommended in the notes and it turned out wonderfully. Added a bit of flour, maybe a tablespoon, to thicken the sauce (I love a thick sauce). My very picky partner loved it 🙂 Lot of leftovers too!
We’re so glad it turned out well for you, Beatrice!