Homemade Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper (One-Pot Wonder)

I can remember, back in the early 1970's when Hamburger Helper first hit the supermarket.  My mother, being born and raised in the Bavarian Alps, had a limited repertoire of  American cooking. We were both shocked and surprised when Mutti brought this home to make for our dinner. My two brothers and I absolutely loved it!    I think Mutti loved how inexpensive and easy it was, since she also worked full-time, while raising the three of us.

Today, the times have changed, as many families are becoming more health conscious (thus, moving away from "processed foods). However, I still have great food memories of Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper, but now I can make my own with ingredients from my pantry and refrigerator, and I can control what's in it!

When I spotted this recipe on "The Daring Gourmet", it was a windy and rainy day and I was transported back to my childhood. I especially loved that this recipe is a One-Pot meal, and I had all of the ingredients on hand.

The main ingredients are ground beef and cheddar cheese...of course. You can use medium or sharp-- whatever you prefer.


I keep avocado oil, on hand, because I can find it at my local Trader Joe's. I like it, because it has a high smoke point-- but you can certainly use olive or vegetable oil  I started the ground beef to browning in a 12"skillet, with a little oil.

In the meantime, I prepped the spices: paprika, onion & garlic powder, salt, sugar, chili powder, flour on the side. I measured out whole milk, beef broth and elbow macaroni.

This is just too easy, folks!  So the ground beef is cooked, and I add the chopped onion, then tomato paste and a little Worcestershire sauce. Now, for some flour...

I pour in the milk, beef broth and noodles and give it a stir. Cover, bring to boil and cook for about 12 minutes-- just enough time for me to tidy up my kitchen and throw a salad together (gotta have some greens).  I lifted the lid, and tasted a piece of pasta. Ha! It was cooked! So I added shredded cheese and gave it a nice stir. Dinner was ready in less than 30 minutes!

Gotta love it!

What a fun twist on Mac 'n Cheese! 

TASTING NOTES:  My husband immediately remarked that this brought him back to his college years. He said it tasted exactly as he remembered! Win!   I had plenty of leftovers, so I packed it up in a container for my adult son to take home (who was grateful and raved about how good it tasted).

I took a serving for my lunch, the next day.  I thought it tasted even better!

If you love pasta, cheeseburgers, mac 'n cheese, and want a fast recipe to make for your family-- please give this one a try.  This one will be a repeat recipe, for sure.

I recall that there was a Mexican version of Hamburger Helper that was my favorite so I made a version of that by adapting this recipe. It was bomb!

For another super simple "One Pot" pasta dish click here.

As always, a printable recipe card is at the end of this post.