My easy homemade Hamburger Helper recipe with cheesy pasta and tomato sauce is ready in 30 minutes and so good you’ll never go back to the box.
As a newlywed, mac and cheese and Hamburger Helper™ were favorites of my husband and mine. The combination of pasta, hamburger, cheese, and sauce was an easy, comforting, weeknight fave. But when I struggled to pronounce half the ingredients listed on the label the boxed version went by the wayside. That’s when I started making my homemade version of Hamburger Helper from scratch. This Hamburger Helper fits the bill when you’re craving something hearty, beefy, and cozy. The noodles are cooked directly in the sauce to soak up all the rich, beefy tomato flavor. To make it extra cheesy, I add a simple cheese roux, giving it that classic cheeseburger taste everyone loves. If you’re a fan of my Mom’s spaghetti and meat sauce, homemade sloppy joe’s, and shepherd’s pie, it’s time to add this cheesy, flavor-filled Hamburger Helper to your favorites list.
Why You’ll Love It
- This homemade Hamburger Helper takes 30 minutes to make
- It’s made with real ingredients and full of comfort food flavor
- This dish is hearty on its own but you could serve it up with a simple salad or some veggies
What’s in The BEST Homemade Hamburger Helper
While this dish is homemade, it takes pretty much the same amount of time as using the boxed version. But it’s SO. MUCH. BETTER!
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Olive oil—for sautéing the onion
- Lean ground beef—85% lean ground beef for the best texture and flavor without a lot of extra grease
- Yellow onion—chopped red onion or shallots are good substitutes
- Chicken or beef broth—this is the foundation of our savory sauce
- Water–this helps with the saucy consistency
- Ketchup—for a sweet tomato flavor
- Tomato paste—adds umami and builds a flavorful, robust sauce
- Garlic powder—for savory, umami flavor
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper—for seasoning
- Rotini—or try elbow or shell macaroni
- Butter–this is needed to make our roux for the cheese sauce
- Flour–helps thicken our cheese sauce
- Milk–you could also use half and half to make it a bit richer
- Cheddar cheese–essential for making our cheesy sauce (choose one that’s at least medium in flavor versus mild or a simple American, giving this dish its real cheese flavor)
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
How to Make The BEST Homemade Hamburger Helper
This recipe comes together quickly and easily. Here’s how to make it:
- Brown your beef. Then add in the onions and cook until softened.
- Build that umami base. Add broth, water, ketchup, tomato paste, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook your noodles. Bring the beef mixture a boil, add the noodles, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes.
Say Cheeseburger!
- Make the cheesy sauce. In a separate saucepan, make the cheese sauce using the milk, butter, flour, and shredded cheddar.
- Mix it all together. Pour the cheese sauce into the hamburger mixture and stir to combine.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Make the sauce less sweet. Swap the amounts of tomato paste with that of the ketchup for a sauce that’s not quite as sweet. You may need to add a bit more broth or water to taste and for consistency.
- Mix up your meat. Try swapping the ground beef for ground turkey, or ground pork
- Noodle around. We typically use rotini noodles, but elbows, penne, shells, ziti, rigatoni, or another short-tubed pasta works well. Choose a noodle where the cheese sauce and burger can hide in each bite.
- Add some veggies. Adding sliced cremini mushrooms, bell pepper, frozen peas, or corn would be great additions. Spinach would also be a great addition, but wait until you’re near the end of the cooking time before adding it so it doesn’t overcook.
- Spice is nice. A dash of red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, chopped jalapeño, or roasted chiles would bring a punch of heat. You could also top with fresh basil or chives for extra color and flavor.
- Try a different cheese. Monterrey Jack, pepperjack, havarti, a smoky cheddar, or even American cheese would all work great here.
FAQ and Recipe Tips
- How do you make Hamburger Helper better? Using real ingredients and good quality meat. These are simple ingredients, so make ’em count.
- For the healthiest homemade Hamburger Helper, I recommend using ground turkey and adding veggies. Mushrooms, spinach (or kale), and maybe some bell pepper would be my picks, but any of the veggies I mentioned above would be delish. Feel free to use a gluten-free pasta or less pasta as well, if desired (just note if you use less pasta you’ll have a saucier Hamburger Helper).
- Leftovers will keep stored in the fridge for about 4 days, or stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Make Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper
To make this Hamburger Helper gluten-free, substitute corn starch for the flour, and try gluten-free or quinoa noodles.
What to Serve with Hamburger Helper
- THE BEST Garlic Bread
- The Best Roasted Asparagus
- Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
- Easy 5-Minute Zucchini Parmesan
- Kale Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
The BEST Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground 85 percent lean ground beef
- ½ medium onion , chopped
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ½ cups dry rotini noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups medium cheddar cheese , shredded
- fresh parsley , for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and add ground beef. Break into chunks with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
- Add onion and cook for another 5 minutes or until beef is cooked through and onion is softened.
- Add broth, water, ketchup, tomato paste, garlic powder, and salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Add macaroni and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until macaroni is al dente and liquid has reduced.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in another pan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes or until flour is cooked through. Add milk and whisk until smooth. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
- Add cheese sauce to hamburger and noodle mixture and stir to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Mac and Cheese Recipes You’ll Love
- The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
- Stovetop Pesto Macaroni and Cheese
- Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Chicken Divan Mac and Cheese
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Erin L.
Made this last night, and MAN! This was WONDERFUL! Will most definitely be added to our rotation!
Melissa
I never leave reviews, but I had to with this recipe! It was delicious! My 1 1/2 year old is being a picky eater and he ate all of it! The only thing I changed was I had to use sharp cheddar because I didn’t have any medium cheddar on hand. Definitely going to make this again!
angelina witman
ok i just made this and my noodles are chewy in a gross way… i think where i went wrong was I stirred it multiple times during the 10 minutes…. was i supposed to let it sit and not stir it? anyway
i also think there is too high of a sauce to meat and pasta ratio, it’s not balanced. I’d add 3/4 the cheese sauce next time, if i do make it again. tastes yummy though! so i might have to try it.
Thanks for your input Angelina. Did you use a smaller noodle? That may contribute to the chewyness. I stirred it as it cooked too.
Tina
YUM!!! This is a very good recipe. Simple and you can do things to make it a bit healthier. But I like it just the way it is. :)
Thanks!!
I’m so glad you liked it Tina. ALl the girls loved it too, and still do.
Aimee
Made this recipe a second time last night with a few changes to adapt to my personal taste/preference. I’ve actually never had Hamburger Helper in my life (I grew up in a bubble – my mom is a healthy home-cook extremist), so I didn’t have much to compare it to.
I followed the recipe exactly the first time around, but I thought it was way too sweet for my liking. This time around, I made the following changes and it was absolutely delightful! I omitted the ketchup all together and reduced the tomato paste by half, but added half a can of fire-roasted tomatoes to make up for the subtle tomato flavor. I also doubled the amount of onions as I love onions, used about 4 cloves of garlic in place of the garlic powder, added two dashes of low sodium Worcestershire sauce, dice half a green and red bell pepper (for crunch and color), a bag of sliced baby Bella mushrooms, reduced the amount of cheese to just a cup and a half and finished it off with a light dusting of smoked paprika.
Super easy, quick and very versatile recipe – thanks for sharing! Cheers!
Brandon
Thanks for the recipe! Overall I thought it was absolutely amazing (especially compared to boxed Hamburger Helper) but my kids complained that it was a little too cheesy and rich.
I didn’t have any medium cheddar cheese, so I used some shredded sharp cheddar and some aged cheddar, and added some Fontina because I was afraid it wouldn’t melt well. Ended up with 2 cups – about 2/3 cups cheddar and 1/3 cup Fontina. Turned out really smooth, but it was VERY cheesy. Not sure if it was just the flavors of our cheese vs just medium cheddar or if the recipe is just really cheesy, but I’ll definitely be cutting back just a tad on the cheese next time.
I also found that it was a little too sweet, so next time I will switch out the ketchup (we used Hunt’s Natural) for just plain tomato sauce. I will taste as it cooks and add a dash of sugar if needed.
Lastly, in addition to the 2 tsp garlic powder I added 1 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp smoked paprika. I omitted the fresh parsley, just because I didn’t have any at home and this and made this on impulse because the kids were requesting Hamburger Helper.
Overall, I’m so glad to have found a recipe that is a decent substitute for Hamburger Helper! I feel so guilty for occasionally succumbing to my kids because I too love the flavor. At least this way there’s no partially hydrogenated oil or HFCS.
Thanks again, I think this is going to be in regular rotation around here!!
Trisha
Made this last week and it was a hit for my hard to please family
Victoria
I made this for dinner tonight. It was just OK…the ketchup made it a little too sweet and it was a bit too saucy. I think next time I would cut back on the ketchup and water…or maybe use 2lbs of ground beef and 3 cups of pasta.
Victoria, maybe cook the pasta in the sauce a little longer so it thickens. And good to see you’re fitting it to your taste!
Anne
made this tonight for my 3 kids and it was a big hit! They are big fans of ketchup so they didn’t mind the sweetness. I also sprinkled some warm bacon bits on top before serving :)
Andrea
I made this tonight for dinner. It is delicious!! Thanks for the recipe, I just added it to my pins on pinterest. PS I used the whole box of pasta and there was plenty of sauce for the whole thing! :)
Abby
We love hamburger helper at my house, so I thought I’d give this a whirl and we loved it! I really like the tomato-y flavor it has, and it’s really easy to make too! I featured your recipe on my blog, http://andthewindchanged.blogspot.com/, which I hope is okay. I quoted you as the source and linked your site to mine. :)
Lisa
My husband loves HH and I love homemade all natural items so when he wants the old box stuff I make up this version! So much better!
Cherril
Hiya! Tried this for my girls and they liked it, but I think I would cook the macaroni separately next time so that it is not as starchy, and less cheese sauce. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah Bramblette
I’ve made this twice, love the taste…I’m a huge fan of ketchup! Any tips to get the pasta to stop cooking, it gets mushy…I even used more pasta than recipe calls for and it soaks up every bit of moisture…even after removed from heat. I’ll be honest I have this same issue when making other recipes, like Pasta Fagoli soup. Just thought you might have a tip.
Sandra Sozzi
Cook pasta separate. Just hold back a little pasta water and add to sauce for good flavor. Add pasta just before cheese that way control of pasta . I do this in other recipes too.
CYT
This has become one of my favorite dishes to make! I hate onion so I sub with sliced mushrooms, bell pepper, and minced garlic. It’s so cheesy and delicious!
That’s the beauty of cooking at home, we can substitute ingredients to make it work for our tastes to become family favorites. Thanks for the idea on the recipe substitutions.
JKB
I actually invented a version of this of my own since the last time I had Hamburger Helper, I got horribly sick years ago. I’m amazed at how closely my version resembles this one. I do use a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and juice as I’m not a fan of ketchup and don’t keep it in my house. I love seeing other people “think outside the box”….Quite literally in this case!
Naoko
I just made this for dinner. It’s quick, easy, and delicious!! Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Stephanie
I mde this for dinner last night and it was delish! Hubby went back for seconds :).
Todd
Way to much ketchup!!!! Could have drank ketchup straight from the bottle and got the same taste! Threw most of it away.
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama
I just want to say thank you for posting this recipe. I googled “homemade hamburger helper” and found your recipe. I made it with ground turkey and mini penne for my three year old and everyone loved it, including my husband!
Brandon Palmer
I made this for dinner last night and we really enjoyed. My personal liking would be for a little lest ketchup so next time I make this (which will be in the coming weeks) I plan to cut that down some.
But just wanted to say thanks for this great recipe!
Thank you for letting me know! If you feel like it, post a photo to Instagram or Twitter and tag it #foodiecrush :)
Sheri willoughby
This recipe was spot on. My husband hates onions, mushrooms, peppers, casseroles, etc. He loves this. I changed nothing!
Thanks :)
So glad you liked it!
Jenna
Just made this for supper and it’s good but I definitely will reduce or eliminate the ketchup next time.
Farah.F
Found this recipe and blog on pinterest. And this sounds soooo delicious im already salivating. Going to make this tomm.
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