Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni
This easy, one-pot dinner is a copy of the popular Hamburger Helper recipe. This version uses “from scratch” ingredients to recreate this classic comfort dish in minutes. Flavorful and kid-approved, this is clean-ish eating at it’s finest.
Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni
Cheesburger Macaroni….those two words were my favorite to hear when I would ask my mom “what’s for dinner.” I absolutely LOVED Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni. It was so simple and cheesy and filled with carbs. And browned ground beef….which I could easily just eat out of the pan and be really, really happy.
Simple can be cool. And nostalgic and just in case you were wondering, mom….I used to eat about half the beef out of the skillet when you weren’t looking. Sorry….I have no self-control.
An easy weeknight dinner any time of year, this Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe is ready in just about 30 minutes. If you’re not familiar with the Hamburger Helper version, it’s basically like macaroni and cheese with browned ground beef. A cheesy masterpiece we used to make from a box, this homemade version is made with real cheese, milk, onions, garlic and love.
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
This easy dinner comes together quickly, easily and inexpensively. This Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet is made in one pan so clean up is a breeze, too!
- Brown the ground beef until no longer pink and transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Drain off all but two tablespoons of fat.
- Saute the onion in the pan until softened.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add the salt, pepper and garlic.
- Return the beef to the pan.
- Stir in the milk, chicken stock and macaroni.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn to low. Simmer.
- Cover and cook until the macaroni is tender.
- Stir in the cheese and serve immediately.
Note: If you want a creamier consistency, you can swap the milk for heavy cream or Half and Half. This adds so much richness to the recipe.
What To Serve It With
Even though this is a one pot dinner, we like to serve Cheeseburger Macaroni with a little side dish sometimes.
These are our favorites:
If you don’t count salt, pepper and water….this Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet recipe doesn’t require more then 7 ingredients. You probably already have everything you need to make it right now….and the one-pot deal keeps things clean in the kitchen. I hate dishes more than anyone I know, in fact, I have a sink full 80% of the time. So, one-pot dishes are king in this house. I’m sure you all agree.
More Easy Weeknight Dinners
- Taco Pasta Skillet Recipe
- Chicken and Dumplings Skillet Casserole
- Easy Skillet Chicken Cacciatore
- Beefaroni
Get the Recipe: Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 vidalia onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock (or broth
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 5 slices american cheese, cut into small pieces
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- In a large skillet over med-high heat, brown the ground beef until completely cooked and no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon and drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.
- Return the beef to the pan. Stir in the milk, chicken stock and macaroni. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn to heat to low.
- Add the onion to the pan and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the macaroni is tender.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Serve immediately.
58 Comments on “Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni”
Needs more liquid. I had to add more milk.
Depending on the brand of pasta, it may soak up the milk more than others.
I’ve made this many times, Great recipe, but I also add green or red bell peppers or both. Adds both more depth of flavor & color to the dish. Jalapeno’s pepper are great also.
Love the addition of peppers…..my kids would not, though. :-). I’m so glad you like it!
Turned out a little watery and needed more salt maybe some cayanne next time
If you cook it a little longer, the water will be absorbed into the pasta.
This was amazing! Highly reccomend! Way better than hamburger helper!!
Thank you!
This was so good,easy and a hit with the family. I used ground turkey instead of beef and protein plus elbow noodles. Yum! Also doubled the recipie so there was plenty for 5 people.
Love the protein plus noodles in this!!!
Can’t go wrong with hamburger, cheese and pasta!
Right? Our favorite!
Oh my! This is wonderful. Made this on a cold New England night with predicted snow. Very tasty and cheesy …… oh stop me now!
This looks amazing! I have no chicken broth. Can I use vegetable broth? You think it would ruin it?
You can absolutely use vegetable broth, it will not make too much of a difference.
Thank you!
I have to confess that, although I have a 4 and a 6 year old, I made this with me in mind! I grew up on hamburger helper and was so happy to find a copycat recipe made from scratch. My 6 year old, who is typically a very picky eater, asked for THIRDS!!!! This is definitely going in the rotation:) thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
I totally made this one for myself, too! I’m so glad your little ones enjoyed it as much as I do! :-). Thank you so much for the lovely comment!!!
Gorgeous photos! I can’t believe you made this look so good! (I mean, I know it TASTES good but it’s not generally an attractive dish. ;))
Thanks so much, Lauren!
Love the addition of 2 cheeses! This looks wonderful!
Thanks, Serena!
I don’t really eat pasta but I am now craving this!
I’m not a huge pasta eater either but this is my fave!
I just made this and it is fantastic!! My super picky daughter is eating it and my son already told me that i better have made more because he’s coming back for seconds!
I’m so glad they love it! My kids are picky too so it’s always a great night when they eat whatever it is I made. This is definitely a favorite of our’s too. 🙂 Have a great night!
Pinterest is pretty much a hit or miss with recipes. I’ve found some good and bad. But had to comment here because this is one of the best recipes I have ever made. I was hesitant because nothing tastes like hamburger helper (and you know its just so unhealthy!). But went out on a limb and tried this. WOW! Don’t be afraid to use LOTS of onions and LOTS of garlic. I browned mine until it was almost a goo. You want the base to be really flavorful because it has to flavor the entire dish. This recipe makes a lot but I doubled it because I was feeding 2 of my son’s friends. Needless to say there was barely anything left. And one of my son’s friends said I really hit it out of the park this time. 🙂 GREAT recipe that everyone needs to try! I made it with everything exactly as stated and it came out perfect (but maybe used a little more onions and garlic!)!.
Oh and I have to add that my son is gluten intolerant so I used Ronzoni gluten free elbow noodles. Ronzoni makes THE best gluten free noodles. This was just so tasty… thank you!
This was so AWESOME everyone loved it. I usually don’t leave reviews but after making this for dinner tonight I had to thank you for this simple one pot dinner. I never follow a recipe exact, i usually add something, however fir your creation nothing needed to be added this was Amazing as is☺ thanks so much for this is one pot easy dinner please post more one pot wonders your Awesome
Thank you so much for coming back! I love to hear what my readers think of the recipe and I’m thrilled that you loved it. It’s a favorite of mine and I have a lot more one pot dinners coming soon!
It’s like Salisbury steak meets hamburger helper…of course ai use yellow onion, so vidalia would taste the same only sweeter. Not bad.
That’s a great analogy! I LOVE salisbury steak! 🙂