This homemade cheeseburger macaroni recipe is made with whole, clean ingredients, tastes better than the boxed stuff and is ready in 20 minutes!
Sometimes it’s those simple comforts that hit the spot best.
I grew up in health-conscious home where things like Hamburger Helper were only served on very rare occasions. And I’m grateful for a mom who took the time to cook healthy, wholesome meals for her family. I now do the same. But on those rare occasions we certainly enjoyed those quick, less-than-healthy meals. Let’s face it, they taste pretty good. I specifically recollect those moments of eating Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni and Tuna Casserole. Probably because it was so infrequent.
So here is a version of it you can eat and enjoy without any worry about of the nasty ingredients that typically accompany pre-prepared foods.
Like this ingredient list below from Hamburger Helper’s Cheeseburger Macaroni – you don’t have to worry about any of those items I’ve emphasized in bold:
“Enriched Macaroni (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Corn Starch, Salt, Enriched Flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Sugar, Ricotta Cheese* (whey, milkfat, lactic acid, salt), Tomato*, Monosodium Glutamate, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Paprika, Spice, Color (yellow lakes 5 & 6, yellows 5 & 6), Mono and Diglycerides, Cheddar Cheese* (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Yeast Extract, Enzyme Modified Blue Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Cream, Whey, Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Butter Oil, Nonfat Milk, Blue Cheese* (milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), Sodium Caseinate, Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent), Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Calcium Caseinate, Enzymes.*Dried”
Now compare that with our ingredient list:
“Macaroni, beef, onions, tomatoes, avocado oil, spices, sugar, flour, milk, beef broth, cheddar cheese”
And that’s including the out-of-box ingredients of beef, milk and broth.
With a clean list of ingredients you can feel good about what you’re feeding your family. Our kids love this cheeseburger macaroni and I don’t have to worry about what’s in it.
Ready for the table in 20 minutes, there simply is NO good reason to every buy the packaged stuff again!
Ready to get cooking?
Let’s get started!
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef until no pink remains.
Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and add the seasonings and flour.
Add the milk and beef broth and stir.
Stir in the macaroni.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until the macaroni is done. I prefer mine a little al dente and check after 9 minutes.
Add the cheese.
Stir until the cheese is melted.
For serving you can garnish it with a little chopped fresh parsley if you like.
Dinner is served.
Enjoy!
PIN ME!
For a fun and tasty variation for autumn, try our Pumpkin Mac and Cheese!
BEST Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni (Hamburger Helper Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 small onion ,finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour (Gluten Free: dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in the beef broth)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 3/4 cup natural non-MSG beef broth
- 2 cups dried whole wheat elbow macaroni pasta
- (Gluten Free: Use GF Macaroni)
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef until no pink remains. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, seasonings and flour. Pour in the milk and broth and stir. Stir in the macaroni.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the macaroni is done. For al dente check after 9 minutes.
- Stir in the Cheddar cheese until melted.
- Serve immediately garnished with some chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Kellie Bott says
Hubby wanted Cheeseburger Mac tonight,and I saw this Recipe. I omitted the Sugar and added a bit more of the Spices,Tabasco and Worcestershire Sauce. Hubby is Happy.
Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So glad your hubby enjoyed this, Kellie, thank you! :)
Teri says
Love this recipe! But both times I’ve made it, it turns out grainy/curdled. Is there something I did wrong?
Lee Ann King says
Turn the heat off and wait a bit before adding the cheese. That usually helps me when I make things like this. Have a great day.
Sherilyn says
Try skipping the flour instead of broth use 1 cup of water put on a low to med heat with a lid on your pan steam will help cook and keep from clumping …. Another thing you can do is try sprinkling the flour out just adding it than stirring into something hot can make clumps
Tammy Swinney says
This was very good! I did alter it some. I upped some of the spices, added oregano, used chicken instead of beef broth and 3 cups of it. I used 12 oz of macaroni and 2 cups cheese. I also changed up the order a bit based on how I generally cook, I cooked the onions down first then added the tomato paste and spices and cooked that a minute or two. Then I added the need and cooked that. The flour then went in, cooked for 2 min, then the liquids and macaroni.
Dan says
This was great! I had to comment after reading a few posts. I’d think Cheeseburger Macaroni (copycat hamburger helper) all by itself would steer you in a different direction if you were looking for a heart healthy dinner. I ate the boxed stuff when I was a kid and this is light years better so I guess is not really a copycat. Thank you for sharing this, it is definitely going to be in the rotation.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Dan, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Anonymous says
I have been using this recipe to make a quick, easy, delicious meal for my family for quite a while. I use gluten free pasta and it turns out great!
Thea K. says
So good! I didn’t change anything except I didn’t have macaroni noodles so I used shells. The recipe is delicious as is. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Thea, thanks so much!
Anonymous says
Have made this a few times and there’s never any leftovers. Just a little less sugar and a little more spice makes it perfect for my family. Thank you!
Kori says
Growing up American, this really brings back the childhood memories! I’ve made this for my British family several times now and they love it so much that my sister-in-law asked for the recipe! While we love the original recipe as you’ve written it, I tried it today with ground turkey, semi-skimmed (2%) milk and low fat cheddar cheese and it works just as well with less guilt for me. LOL! Thank you for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this, Kori, thank you!
Jo says
This was so good! I added shredded carrots and spinach plus I made it entirely dairy free. Tastes amazing! Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Jo, thanks for the feedback!
Marc Capps says
Do you drain the meat or no?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Marc, that’s purely personal preference. There’s no need to drain it but if you prefer to cut down on the fat then feel free to drain.
Bonni says
I’m originally American and I grew up on Hamburger Helper. I moved to Australia years ago, and while I can get Hamburger Helper at an American import grocer, it’s really expensive. A few days ago I got a deep craving for this dish, and found this recipe. We added a large, shredded zucchini to the dish during the onion-and-ground-beef stage (we also use zucchini in tacos and enchiladas that way, just to increase the vegetable content). And the dish was fantastic. Better than I remember the box version ever being, certainly. Everyone in the family enjoyed it (they’re all native Australians). We’ll definitely be doing this again.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Bonni, I’m thrilled that you and your family enjoyed it! Friendly greetings to Australia!
Jenn says
Thank you for submitting GF alternatives within the recipe !
Makes my life easier !
Eli says
I used about 203 – 205g Catelli gf Fusili 2-3 tablespoons of extra water. Next time I will mix the Cold milk (we only have 1 % and it was great) and cornstarch together. May go up to 220g of pasta plus a little water next time too. I used ground chicken that I seasoned with pepper, several parikas, garlic powder, a little cumin. Dinner for 3 adults, the 2 men in the family went back for more… cleaned this up!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Eli, thanks so much for the feedback!
Anonymous says
Very good and super simple. I followed the recipe but added extra on the spices. We all loved it. Thank you for the easy recipe!
Troy says
Just finished supper. Repeatedly heard “This is really good!” and “I’d eat this again.” High praise from my family 😄
Since I called it cheeseburger pasta when I told the kids about it, I served with bacon crumbles, green onions, and dill pickle chips. Yum!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Troy, well done serving up a delicious dinner for your family! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Mykell says
We made this for dinner tonight, following recipe exactly. It was amazing! This is going into our rotation for sure.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Mykell, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you!
Angie Moeller says
Wow….this was disaster. It turned out being a strange light yellow/grey color. My husband said he followed the recipe to the letter. It looked NOTHING like the picture! Not even close!
Nitrous says
Sit down with your husband….. read item by item. The milk through me off a little because I’d usually add it to soften the meat but evaporate the water away…. this was not the case and I got a pretty light, pinkish color…… add a bit more paprika, or chili powder for color…. it really is delicious
not sure why, but I couldn’t get the 4th or 5th star darkened but the recipe was that good…. go lightly on the salt. it creeps up in the cheese!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Nitrous, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hillary says
Can this recipe be made in the Instant Pot?
Ash says
The recipe is super easy and but I felt like it was a little underseasoned. I added more seasoning and some red pepper flakes for a little kick.