One Pan Homemade Hamburger Helper

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!

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!

1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink; drain off the fat.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender, the liquid reduces, and the sauce thickens.
4. 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, Cheddar Chive Beer 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

This recipe was originally published in December, 2016. The photos were updated in December, 2021.