BEST Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
This homemade cheeseburger macaroni recipe is made with whole, clean ingredients, tastes better than the boxed stuff and is ready in 20 minutes! It’s both a family favorite and a favorite among our readers. We’re confident you’ll love it as much as we do!
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!
Cheeseburger Macaroni Recipe
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.
Enjoy!
For a fun and tasty variation for autumn, try our Pumpkin Mac and Cheese!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
BEST Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni
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 quality 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
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 19, 2016
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
So good! I followed the recipe exactly. Everyone loved it. I will definitely make this again.
I’m so glad it was a hit and I appreciate the positive feedback, thank you Noelle!
Hi Kimberely .. just wondering if it will be as good if I make the day ahead? Any suggestions to keep it moist?
Thanks.
Hi Jenny, it can be, yes, but the pasta does tend to swell as it continues to absorb the moisture, so it won’t be quite as moist (though definitely not “dry”). I’ve reheated leftovers in the microwave for my young teens the next day and they didn’t mine one bit :)
Delicious, love to cook up one pot meals with ingredients I have on hand.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you very much, Marla!
I don’t know if I left a review after the last time I followed this recipe, but now, I MUST! 😌 I made this a few months ago and my wife & I had to stop ourselves from eating until we popped! It provided all the nostalgia of childhood Hamburger Helper but was utterly delicious. I’d never considered making “Hamburger Helper” from scratch & didn’t know it was a thing! I saw a YT video but wanted to find a recipe I really liked so I tried yours!
I’ve been getting requests to remake it & finally decided tonight’s the night…but I couldn’t remember whose recipe I used! I’m so grateful to have found your page again. Tonight, I’m adding green peppers & a little mushroom. I’ve seen so many variations of this dish online but your measurements were perfect last time & I don’t wanna be disappointed by someone else’s recipe. I’ll have to check out more of your recipes! Thanks for such an affordable & simply delightful meal idea!
Keli, I really appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback, thank you! I’m thrilled that this has become a regular and that you’ve found my site again. I hope you’ll come back often and find more recipes that you enjoy! <3
Several of the Hamburger Helper ingredients you highlight, such as MSG, enzyme-modified cheeses, sodium phosphate, are not in any way bad for you.
I’m not saying it’s not better to make something like this from scratch, particularly to avoid preservatives and artificial additives (not to mention being able to choose all of your ingredients for maximum quality), but let’s leave the fear-mongering out of it.
That’s a bit extreme, Boo-Urns. There’s no “fear-mongering” in my blog post. First of all, I didn’t use the word “bad”, you did. Furthermore, to say that these are “not in any way bad for you” is a wildly sweeping statement and is just plain inaccurate. For example, while many people tolerate MSG just fine, some people are very much allergic to it. And sodium phosphate is of particular concern to those with kidney disease. As for enzyme-modified foods, there are a lot of people who have concerns about genetically engineered foods and this lands squarely in that category.
so did you actually make this dish or just providing commentary?
thank you so much my dear, Kimberly ❣️ my family loves this meal
This was such great comfort food! And so nice to just be able to make it without the box! I’ve been trying to cut out using packaged meals as they have so much that isn’t good for us in them. Thanks for a keeper recipe that will be on our rotation!
Jess
That’s wonderful, Jess, I’m thrilled that it was a hit and has become part of your rotation, thank you so much!
really enjoyed this. I made it for my husband and sons. Was a hit. thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Paulette, I’m so glad it was a hit!
This was delicious and so easy! And I love the lack of additives too! We opted for some chopped dill pickles to complete the “cheeseburger.” I’ve bookmarked and saved this to add to our rotation ☺️
I’m so glad, Rae, thank you for the feedback! And what a fun idea to add the dill pickles, love it!
I haven’t tried it yet, but I can tell by the ingredients that it will be good. That DC person sounds like an a**hole, along with his/her kids. Such a horrible and negative thing to post.
This is an amazing recipe! Made exactly as written. Getting added to my permanent rotation. Thanks!
Fantastic, thank you so much, Melissa!
Absolutely delicious!! LOVED!💕
Thank you so much, E! :)
We love this recipe! It tastes great.
Not great. Kids referred to it as the same crap they get at school.
Wow. So your kids refer to food that is made from scratch without additives or preservatives as “crap”. That’s a definite first in my 11 years of reader comments. I’ve no words for that one, DC, it’s one a whole special level of its own. But on a side note, that is one amazing school!
I also do this, and question chili powder. Is it the kashmiri red chili powder, OR is it the mix for like taco season?
Hi Jennifer, not Kashmiri, it’s Mexican/Tex-Mex chili powder.