Homemade Hamburger Helper
This easy recipe makes hamburger helper at home in less than 30 minutes.
Servings 10 servings
Calories 394kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup finely diced yellow or white onion
- 16 ounces dry elbow macaroni pasta
- 3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 28 ounce can crushed tomato
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or large deep skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add beef, and cook until browned.1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- Drain ground beef, and return to skillet.
- Stir in onion, and, stirring regularly, cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.1 cup finely diced yellow or white onion
- Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT cheese, and stir to combine.16 ounces dry elbow macaroni pasta, 3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth, 28 ounce can crushed tomato, ¼ cup tomato paste, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried onion powder, ½ teaspoon chili powder, Salt and pepper
- Bring to simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. You want the mixture to simmer gently, not boil.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed but mixture is still saucy. At this point, the pasta should be al dente.
- Stir in cheese.2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired.
- Remove from heat, and serve.
Notes
- Ground beef: I like to use either 85% or 90% lean ground beef in this recipe. You could also use ground turkey or even ground chicken if you prefer.
- Pasta: You can use a similar type of pasta, but you may find that you need to adjust the cooking time depending on the type of pasta that you use.
- Broth: I like to use reduced-sodium broth in this recipe.
- Sour cream: If you prefer, you can use 2% or full-fat plain Greek yogurt, regular sour cream, and lite sour cream in this recipe.
- Cheese: You can also use a similar cheese, such as mild cheddar or extra sharp cheddar.
- Dutch oven: If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can use a similar, large pot (at least 5 quart) instead.
- Cooking: In order to keep the pasta saucy, it's important to keep it at a simmer. If you boil the pasta, you may end up with dry pasta.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 392mg | Potassium: 651mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 525IU | Vitamin C: 9.9mg | Calcium: 213mg | Iron: 3.8mg