With just 5 minutes of prep and a few pantry staples, Grandma's One Pan Homemade Hamburger Helper is a healthy, fast, and easy dinner recipe that the whole family will enjoy!
This 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.
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!
My grandmother's recipe for a homemade Hamburger Helper includes all of the classic flavors that we loved -- minus the weird packaged ingredients. Best of all, this version is just as easy!
How to make a Homemade Hamburger Helper:
You only need a handful of pantry staples -- plus hamburger meat -- for this easy dinner.
Ingredients for Homemade Hamburger Helper:
- Ground Beef
- Water
- Beef Broth
- Elbow macaroni pasta
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato Paste
- Chili Powder
- Optional toppings, like cheese and parsley
First, brown the ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink; drain off the fat.
Then add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer (uncovered) for about 15 minutes. The pasta cooks right in the pan and the sauce thickens up as it simmers.
If you like, sprinkle some grated cheese over the top of the skillet during the final few minutes, just to give it time to melt. Then add a pinch of fresh chopped parsley, and serve!
What to serve with this ground beef pasta:
This pasta and ground beef dinner pairs nicely with any of the following easy sides:
- A simple green salad with Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Garlic bread, French baguette, or 3-Ingredient Homemade Breadsticks
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- 2-Ingredient Italian Sugar Snap Peas
Tips for making the best Homemade Hamburger Helper:
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
- 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.
- The added cheese is optional but it really makes this hamburger helper extra comforting. Go for a sharp cheddar or other good melting cheese.
- For added texture, sprinkle cheese and a few fresh breadcrumbs over the top, and then place it under the broiler for a few minutes. This will give it a crunchy, cheesy topping similar to mac and cheese.
- I wouldn't recommend freezing this dish. The pasta will swell and change texture, so the reheated version may be a bit mushy.
More Delicious Homemade Pasta Recipes:
- Dump and Bake Chicken Pot Pie Pasta
- Dump and Bake Pasta Puttanesca
- Dump and Bake Creamy Chicken Penne Pasta
- Taco Pasta Casserole
One Pan Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (I used 96% lean, but any will work)
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons minced dried onion
- ½ teaspoon minced dried garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup tomato paste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional toppings: grated cheese; parsley
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain off the fat, and 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, and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes (or until it reaches your desired thickness). Taste the pasta and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. At this point, I also like to stir in about 1 teaspoon of sugar, which is just a nice counter to the acidic tomatoes (but totally optional). Garnish with cheese and parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
- 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.
- The added cheese is optional but it really makes this hamburger helper extra comforting. Go for a sharp cheddar or other good melting cheese.
- For added texture, sprinkle cheese and a few fresh breadcrumbs over the top, and then place it under the broiler for a few minutes. This will give it a crunchy, cheesy topping similar to mac and cheese.
- I wouldn't recommend freezing this dish. The pasta will swell and change texture, so the reheated version may be a bit mushy.
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