Just as delicious as the classic, this one-pot homemade hamburger helper is not just a nostalgic recipe but a go-to dinner recipe for a busy night! It's simple, flavorful, and whipped up in one pot. Made with simple ingredients elbow macaroni pasta, ground beef, cheese, and passata sauce, you'll have this lightened-up version ready in around 30 minutes.

A bowl of one pot homemade hamburger helper with a pink spoon touched in.

Get transported back to your childhood memories of inhaling a huge bowl of Hamburger Helper with this homemade recipe. I swear, things tasted way better as a child, and I was definitely feeling a little disappointed when I picked up a box on sale out of nostalgia, and it just didn't hit the spot. So I decided to try to make my own. The listed ingredients made it simple enough to DIY!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's so easy to make this homemade hamburger helper with pantry staples! I literally had all the ingredients on hand in my kitchen and freezer.
Made in one pot, cleaning up is such a breeze! I love that you don't need a separate pot to bring pasta to a boil. Just dump everything in one and you've got dinner.
This pasta recipe is very easy to customize. You can easily sneak some vegetables into this pasta to make it healthier for the kiddos.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredients needed to make one pot homemade hamburger helper.

oil — I use olive oil but feel free to use any neutral oil.
aromatics — I use a small onion and garlic. There's no such thing as too much in my opinion, so you can totally use a larger onion if needed.
beef — I use lean ground beef but you can also use ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey. You can even use a combination if that's what you have on hand.
seasoning — I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried oregano.
beef broth — I recommend using low-sodium beef broth when possible. I just add salt to taste instead!
milk — to keep this hamburger helper from feeling too heavy (I add a ton of cheese, haha), I add milk to the sauce instead of heavy cream.
tomato passata — tomato passata is pureed strained tomatoes with nothing added. It's 100% tomato!
pasta — I use elbow macaroni pasta, but you can also use shells or another small pasta shape.
cheese — I use shredded sharp cheddar but you can also use your favorite cheese.

How To Make Hamburger Helper

Set of two photos showing onions, garlic, and ground beef cooked in a pot.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they've softened. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the ground beef and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, making sure to break the beef apart with a wooden spoon as you cook.

Set of two photos showing beef browned and then macaroni and passata sauce added.

Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried oregano to the beef and cook for another minute.
Add the beef broth, milk, pasta, and passata sauce to the pot.

Set of two photos liquid added to the pot and pasta simmered.

Give everything a good stir and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Once the pot has started simmering, uncover and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes, stirring throughout.

Set of two photos showing shredded cheese added to the pot of hamburger helper and mixed in.

Remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until melted and well combined into the homemade hamburger helper. Garnish with some parsley if desired.

An overhead view of homemade hamburger helper in a pot garnished with parsley.

Recipes Variations

Stir in spinach before you add the shredded cheese.
Stir in frozen peas or corn before you add the shredded cheese.
Add bell peppers to the pot after adding the onions.
Add sliced or diced mushrooms to the pot after adding the onions.
Add a few pinches of red pepper flake for some heat.

A spoonful of homemade hamburger helper lifted from the bowl.

Tips and Notes

The sauce will continue to thicken as the pasta cools.
If using a fattier ground beef, make sure to drain the fat after browning. This will keep the pasta from feeling oily.
If you have leftovers, allow them to cool before refrigerating them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or the stovetop.
I like to freeze my leftovers in one-cup portions, so I can grab single servings as needed straight from the freezer. I use Souper Cubes to help with that. To cook from frozen, you can either thaw it in the fridge the night before, microwave it on high in the microwave until it’s ready, or reheat it from frozen on the stovetop with a bit of liquid. You can use code "CARMY10" to save 10% off Souper Cubes on their website!

Recipe

One Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings: to 6 servings

Equipment

Round Dutch Oven, 5.5 qt

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
4 cloves garlic roughly chopped or minced
1 pound ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2¾ cups beef broth low sodium
1 cup milk
1 cup passata sauce
2 cups elbow macaroni pasta
1 to 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar

Instructions

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they've softened. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the ground beef and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, making sure to break the beef apart with a wooden spoon as you cook.
Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried oregano to the beef and cook for another minute.
Add the beef broth, milk, pasta, and passata sauce to the pot.
Stir and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes, stirring throughout.
Remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until melted and well combined into the homemade hamburger helper. Garnish with some parsley if desired.

Video

Nutrition

Course: One Pot

Cuisine: American

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More places to find me: @onepotonlyrecipes on Instagram and One Pot Only on Pinterest.