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Cue all of the nostalgic feelings because Hamburger Helper is making a comeback — and this One-Pot Hamburger Helper is just as good as the boxed version and a little bit better for you.
Raise your hands if you grew up on Hamburger Helper! My mom made it all the time when I was a kid and I think we can all agree that stuff is freaking delicious. This homemade version has all the same flavors of that nostalgic dish, but is made with nourishing ingredients that will make you feel good. It’s also such a great option for when you just don’t have time to think or cook dinner!
Plus, it doesn’t take any longer to make than the boxed version! For families that have picky eaters, this dish may just be the answer to your prayers.
ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Ground Beef
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic Powder
- Paprika
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Tomato Paste
- Dried Elbow Pasta
- Beef Broth
- Milk
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Fresh Parsley
step-by-step:
step one: cook the beef
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot set over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook, breaking up the ground beef with the back of a spoon, until the beef is cooked through, no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of excess fat, if needed.
step two: add the tomato paste
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
step three: cook the pasta
Add the pasta, beef broth, and milk and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is tender, stirring very often, until most of the liquid has absorbed and the pasta is al dente, 12 to 15 minutes.
step four: fold in the cheesy and herbs
Remove from heat and fold in the cheese. Garnish with parsley, if using. Serve and enjoy!
recipe faqs:
You can substitute the two cups of milk with almond milk or use four cups of beef broth instead. You can also omit the cheddar cheese altogether.
Heat the mixture in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup of beef broth to rehydrate the noodles, depending on how much you’re reheating, until the noodles are tender and you reach your desired consistency.
So here we have it—a one-pot, easy, and delicious One-Pot Hamburger Helper that your kids will love!
looking for more one-pot recipes? try these!
One-Pot Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff
One-Pot Spaghetti-O’s with Mini Meatballs
One-Pot Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 12 ounced dried elbow pasta, such as Jovial Brown Rice Pasta
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot set over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook, breaking up the ground beef with the back of a spoon, until the beef is cooked through, no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of excess fat, if needed.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
- Add the pasta, beef broth and milk and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is tender, stirring very often, until most of the liquid has absorbed and the pasta is al dente, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and fold in the cheese. Garnish with parsley, if using. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
Where do I find the nutrition info? It’s so delicious!
This is one of my family’s favorite recipes! I’m wondering though, can it freezer-friendly? Hoping to make it before baby #3 comes. Thanks!
Hi Melanie! Glad you loved it, and congrats to you!
I love this one for an easy and fast weeknight dinner, but it’s not my favorite frozen as the pasta gets a little too dried up and the milk gets weird.
This recipe ticks all the boxes. The whole family loves it.
This is on the weekly dinner rotation because we love it so much! So easy for a busy weeknight meal. Also is great for cooking up any veggies you need to get rid in the fridge 🙂
So glad you love!
Very yummy and comforting, my high schooler had 3 large helpings… so much left overs. 🙂
So delicious! Brought me right back to childhood.
This was delicious! My kids loved it! I seemed to have had the opposite problem as some and rather than the liquid not absorbing, mine seemed really dry and wasn’t creamy at all! Still had great flavor, but the beef and noodles were completely separate, as if the noodles soaked everything up. I used everything exactly in the recipe other than the cheese and cooked the time recommended as well. Any ideas on why it didn’t turn out creamy?
Hi Taylor! What type of noodles did you use? I am surprised it didn’t absorb because, like you mentioned, usually people have the other problem. It makes me think the noodles you used weren’t starchy enough to add a creaminess to the liquid or soak it up!
Hi Alex,
I used a Barilla Elbows. Do you have one that you would recommend though?
The first time I made this recipe I used the entire box/bag of pasta – which is 16 oz. I had similar result as you. The n realized it calls for 12 oz of pasta. Maybe you made the same mistake I did?
Hi Alex! This was delish! Do you have the nutritional facts for this recipe? Thanks so much!
This is so delicious! I’ve also made a spicy chicken version! I swapped the beef for chicken, beef broth for chicken broth, ran out of tomato paste (so I used Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce), and followed the recipe the rest of the way. Yum!!
I added a jalapeño, mushrooms, carrots and greens. I also added better than bouillon beef instead of salt. Nice hearty recipe.
i made it with impossible meat and veggie broth and it was SO good !! i was happily surprised because a lot of recipes like this don’t work super well with meat substitutes but i’m so happy 🙂 and i have leftovers for a while!