Over the weekend I thought I’d try and combine the best of my worlds and make an old boxed favorite, Hamburger Helper’s Cheeseburger Macaroni, from scratch.
It was everything I hoped it would be! It was smooth and cheddar-cheesy with seasoned ground beef and a last minute addition of sour cream, and I guarantee you that this is a dish that you will not find anywhere in Italy.
You may interpret that however you’d like.
This dish took less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, then add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain the extra grease, then add seasonings and a little flour. Pour in low-sodium beef broth, milk, and dried macaroni noodles, cover, bring to a boil, then let simmer until noodles are al dente. Remove lid, toss in freshly grated cheddar cheese and a couple of tablespoons of light sour cream, then give it a quick taste to test seasonings. Serve warm and be sure to grab seconds!
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2.5 cups cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1.5 tsp low-sodium seasoned salt
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried paprika
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2.5 cups milk
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp light sour cream
- 2.5 cups dried macaroni
- freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and continuously stir for 1 minute before tossing in the ground beef. Cook until no longer pink, then drain extra grease.
- Add the seasonings: seasoned salt, flour, oregano, parsley, paprika, brown sugar, chili powder and pepper. Stir for 1-2 minutes until well coated, then pour in the milk and beef broth. Add the pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer, cover with a lid, and let simmer for 8-9 minutes (I'd suggest tasting at 8 minutes to the consistency). Remove from heat, then toss in the freshly grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. Taste to adjust seasonings, then top with fresh parsley, and serve warm.
Oh wow!! That dish looks sooooo delicious!!! ❤️??
Thank you, John!!
This looks amazing Jasmine! yumm
Thank you, Lynn!!
It really looks quite delicious and nothing like the store bought version! I hope I can entice you to make your own homemade pasta….recipe coming up soon ?
Thank you, Marisa! I’d love to check out your homemade pasta recipe.
Oh my goodness! This looks delicious! My husband and I used to eat boxes of hamburger helper when we first got married. They were $1 per box back then. I can’t say I would eat a box of them now, but your recipe is going down in my recipe book! Thanks so much for sharing. Blessings.
Thank you so much!! I hope you guys like it! Yes, we ate a ton of hamburger helper and ramen in college because it went a long way! 🙂
The impasta line. I’m dead. Nothing else matters now.
Haha! You just get me. 😀
I lived off of Hamburger Helper in college. This recipe could have saved me like $11 😀 Looks delicious!
Same here, sister! Thank you!
This looks so homey and inviting Jasmine! The days just turned cooler yesterday– and I’m ready for some cozy warming foods– like this one! And great idea to cook the noodles in beef broth!! more flavor! I think lots of people are going to love this dish! Hope all your pasta dreams come true!! xox
Thank you so much for putting a smile on my face this morning, Rhonda!! I, too, am excited about any slight changes in the weather (I’m currently wearing a scarf although it’s only 80 degrees!). Looking forward to more cozy, fall recipes on your blog!
Thanks for your approval to showcase your recipe on The Recipe Hunter – Post will be release on Oct 2. Hope your followers will also join and participate in this venture Thanks again
Looks yummy!
Thank you, Jenny!! 😀
Wow, this is great, my happy pixel!! I’m making this recipe using tofu!!
Thanks for sharing!!
Love, thp
Thank you!!
This looks delicious and so much better than store bought. You’re not an “impasta” in my books 😉 Thanks for sharing it at Fiesta Friday!
Haha, thank you, Natalie!! 😀 Hope you had a wonderful weekend.
An impasta! Bahahaha! And I am sorry-not-sorry to say those childhood nights with Hamburger Helper dinner were not disappointing. Great idea! (Pinning it!)
Thank you, Sadie! I completely agree.
Thanks again for approval. Post released. https://cookandenjoyrecipes.wordpress.com/2016/10/02/homemade-hamburger-helper/#more-21911
No limits on entries. Feel free to send more and please let your followers now in order for them to follow and also participate in the Sharing is Caring exchange. ?
This is great!! Thank you so much.
Looks great and definitely gonna save this. One question, do you cook the pasta on the side and then serve the meat on top of it? Or does it cook in the pan for those 8-9 minutes? Just checking because I would really love to do this instead of buying Hamburger Helper in the future.
Thank you for catching that!! I’ve updated the recipe! The pasta should be added with the milk and broth and everything should be brought to a boil, and then a low simmer. I always like to do a quick taste test a few minutes before it’s done just gauge if it’s ready or not. I hope you like it!
Hey, happy pixel, I nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award! If you have accepted this award already, just ignore, but here is the post:
https://thehappiestpixel.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/the-versatile-blogger-award/
Thank you for being amazing!?❤
This looks and sounds absolutely amazing! It’s making my mouth water 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing on the Healthy Living Link Party! We hope to see you back tonight! Pinned!
Thank you!