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
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.
Anne says
Can you bake it to finish it off with buttery panko crust?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Sure, Anne!
Dee says
Huge hit with my family tonight. Had ground beef defrosted but tired of the same stuff! This was not only a good change but also a demanded repeat in the near future!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Woohooo, I’m so happy it was a family hit, Dee, thank you!
Tennery says
Can I use Rigatoni pasta? It is all I have on hand.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Tennery. Happy cooking!
Kathleen says
This is an outstanding recipe! I make it all the time and my family loves it. No changes, no substitutions…just as is. It’s super easy to make too. Thank you for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy it’s been a hit in your family, Kathleen, thank you!
Roger Longfellow says
There is usually some confusion when “chili powder” is listed as an ingredient. Are you asking for American chili powder which is ground chiles with other ingredients or pure ground chiles?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Roger, yes I definitely understand your point – in the case of this recipe either will work great.
Brian says
Hello, my wife isn’t a huge fan of tomatoes…Is there a substitute I could use for the tomato paste?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Brian, there really isn’t a substitute. Unless she’s allergic to tomatoes I can assure you that this dish does not have a “tomato flavor” in the least. The paste is just used to balance the flavors and add some depth. But if you prefer to omit it you can simply leave it out and not worry about a substitute.
Becky says
I omit the chili powder and use red chili sauce, the spicy cousin to enchilada sauce in place of the tomato paste. You have to adjust the liquid, but u used bullion cubes anyway so I just added less water and a small handful more noodles.