Homemade Hamburger Helper

 

Homemade Hamburger Helper
(served with Brussel Sprouts and Cheesy Toast)

Hello Everyone! I started experimenting with different ingredients to create a homemade version of the classic dish, Hamburger Helper.  My daughter loves this dish so much that she has nicknamed it, "Happy Hamburger." 

One thing about this recipe that makes me happy is that it doesn't dirty up too many dishes.  Many cheesy pasta dishes use separate pans for the pasta, cheese sauce, meat, and so on.  This dish, however, is cooked using one large nonstick skillet with a well-fitting lid.  

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 tsp. burger seasoning mix (see recipe below)
• 8oz. uncooked elbow macaroni pasta 
• 8oz. tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1 1/2 cups broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable)
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Notes: 

• I typically use 1% milk, low-sodium chicken broth, and reduced-fat grated cheddar cheese. 
• I pour the 8oz. of tomato sauce from a 15oz. can.  I freeze the remaining tomato sauce (in a freezer bag) to use on other recipes such as Naan Pizza, Pizza Quesadillas, and Salsa Chicken. 
• Feel free to modify any of these ingredients to suit your tastes.

Burger Seasoning Mix:

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp. paprika

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

To make the burger seasoning mix, simply mix the dry ingredients listed above and store the seasoning in a small container with a tight lid.  

Assembly:

• In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over Medium heat and drain the excess fat.  (Note: I use either a silicone spatula or a silicone spoon to stir this recipe because it requires a lot of stirring, and I have found that the silicone helps prevent the pasta from sticking.)
• Add 2 tsps. of burger seasoning, pasta, and tomato sauce.  Gently stir the ingredients.

• Keep going! Add the milk and broth.  Yes, it looks a bit "soupy" at first.

• Gently stir the ingredients until everything is mixed.  
• Turn the heat up from Medium to Medium High.  The pasta dish will slowly come to a boil. Keep stirring gently as needed. 
• Once the mixture begins to boil, place your lid on your skillet, and turn the heat down from Medium High to Medium Low.
• Set a timer for 12 minutes.  This is how the pasta cooks.  
• Lift the lid during the 12 minute cooking process to stir the ingredients.  I usually stir about every 3 minutes or so to prevent sticking.  
• When the 12 minutes are up, remove the lid and remove the skillet from the heat.  
• The next step is to stir in 2 cups of shredded cheese.  
• After adding the cheese, this recipe is ready to eat!  Or, if you are cooking this meal in advance, simply transfer it to a container and place it the refrigerator after it has cooled down.  (I transferred our meal to an 8" x 8" dish.) 

  

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• The Dinner:
I was able to stretch this meal into 6 portions (3 dinners and 3 prepped lunches for 3 hungry people.)  For the dinner, I usually add a vegetable, such as Brussel sprouts (pictured at the top of this post), and a piece of bread. The picture below is our dinner from last night.  As you can see, we had a side salad and a piece of cheesy toast.  

The Work Lunch:

For the work lunch, I serve the pasta with either a vegetable or side salad.  The picture below includes broccoli seasoned with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  This lunch is packed in a glass 3 cup rectangular container, and everything reheats well.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about this recipe.  

Thank you for visiting.