Hubby has been bugging me to make Hamburger Helper for years. He has fond memories as a child stemming Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet from a box of dry pasta and powdered cheese.
I just couldn’t bring myself to buy the box and low and behold, it actually takes the same amount of time to make it from scratch. Powdered cheese? Please!
Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet is a great ground beef recipe with plenty of cheddar cheese, seasonings and tomatoes all ready in 20-minutes! Perfect for busy nights.
Pasta boils in the same cast iron skillet with beef broth, infusing an immense amount of flavor into the pasta itself. The residual liquid is what creates the decadent cheese sauce that clings to crumbled ground beef and swirly pasta.
I didn’t have much to compare my Hamburger Helper Skillet to, as I never had the box mix, but I have to admit, it was pretty good! I paired it with a nice green salad with Creamy Italian Dressing and sprinkled a quality Maldon sea salt over top.
The fanciest Hamburger Helper you’ve eaten!
I used sharp cheddar cheese and elbow macaroni noodles, but feel free to create your own copycat Hamburger Helper and use any type of pasta you’d like and change up the cheese.
You can even use a cheese blend, cleaning out all the odds and ends in your cheese drawer.
Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Ingredients
This simple ingredient list can easily be found at your local grocery store. It’s such a quick and easy recipe to get on the dinner table for busy weeknights. Check the recipe card below for full measurements.
- Butter – I always opt to use unsalted butter when cooking. That way I can control the amount of salt that goes into this cheeseburger macaroni hamburger helper.
- Ground beef – I like to use a lean ground beef just to make this homemade hamburger helper recipe a little healthier. I suppose you could use any ground meat you’d like. Ground turkey or ground chicken would also work well.
- Salt and pepper – A mix of coarse sea salt and ground black pepper is what I prefer to use. If you use salted butter, go ahead and omit the salt altogether.
- Seasonings – Besides the salt and pepper, all we need to season this meal is garlic powder and onion powder. Simple seasonings that you already have in your spice cabinet.
- Beef broth – I prefer to use low sodium because it keeps the salt content down. But you can also use chicken broth, chicken stock or vegetable broth if needed and in a pinch.
- Elbow macaroni – Elbow macaroni pasta is the traditional shape for eating hamburger helper. But check the section below for other options.
- Whole milk – Whole milk helps to keep this cheese sauce thick. But if you find the sauce is too thick, just add a splash of water. And if it’s too thin, just add some corn starch. You can also use heavy cream.
- Cheddar cheese – The best part about this family favorite is that is uses real cheese to flavor the sauce rather than the cheesy sauce packet from the boxed stuff. There are no artificial flavors like from the cheesy sauce mix of the boxed version.
- Petite diced tomatoes – If you have picky eaters, you can leave out the tomatoes if you’d like. I just like the flavor and dimension they bring to this homemade version. You could also use tomato paste to prevent there from being chunks in your cheeseburger macaroni skillet recipe.
How to Make Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet
- In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the ground beef, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, breaking ground beef as it cooks. Cook beef until brown on all sides.
- Drain any excess grease. Stir in the uncooked elbow macaroni and beef broth. Spread evenly in the pan, simmering on low. Stir twice to ensure all of the pasta has had a chance to soak up the broth. Simmer until pasta is al dente.
- Fold in the milk and cheese until incorporated and cheesy. Fold in drained tomatoes.
Variations
Put your own twist on one of your childhood favorites. I like this recipe the way it is written, but there are plenty of ways to make it your own.
- Make it spicy – Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or hot sauce to take the heat up a notch for this comfort food.
- Meat – You can substitute the ground beef for ground chicken or turkey instead if you’d like to use a lean meat.
- Pasta – Although elbow pasta is the traditional pasta shape for this dish, you can use any pasta you have on hand. Preferably a hollow pasta to soak up that creamy cheese sauce. A larger pasta might not work great.
- Greens – Top this dish with some fresh parsley to add some color. You can also serve with a fresh green salad to add some veggies to this one-pot meal.
- Flavor – Consider adding some worcestershire sauce or even montreal steak seasoning to this classic comfort dish for even more flavor and deliciousness.
Storage and Freezing
Storage: You can store leftover hamburger helper in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay good for up to three to four days.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this recipe. Cooked pasta doesn’t thaw at the same texture as before.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 4 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 16 ounces dry elbow macaroni
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
- 16 ounces petite diced tomatoes drained
Instructions
- In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the ground beef, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, breaking ground beef as it cooks. Brown on all sides, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Drain any excess fat, if there is just a little, don’t worry about it. Stir in the uncooked elbow macaroni and beef broth. Spread evenly in the pan, simmering on low. Stir twice to ensure all of the pasta has had a chance to soak up the broth. Simmer for 7-9 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
- Fold in the milk and cheese until incorporated and cheesy. Fold in drained tomatoes.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
The ULTIMATE comfort food! And something my kid will actually EAT! The leftovers are awesome, too. Thanks for the recipe!
So much yes!! I love how easy this is and of course, it takes me right back to childhood, only it’s better than that stuff LOL. Thanks for sharing!
We can’t get hamburger helper here in the Uk (thank goodness!). This recipe sounds delicious, my kids are going to love it!
My kids loved this dish so much they even had seconds! Sent leftovers in their school lunch and they ate it all! Delicious.
Nothing beats homemade comfort food like this classic cheeseburger macaroni skillet. It looks fantastic and is perfect for my family.