One-Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper
This one pot homemade hamburger helper is extra cheesy and creamy, and takes under 30 minutes to make! Homemade hamburger helper, is sure to be your new favorite recipe! Super easy to make, with minimal cleanup, this homemade version of the boxed classic is full of flavor, and more importantly – full of cheese! Perfect for any weeknight!
Homemade Hamburger Helper: A Take on a Childhood Classic
There is though one great childhood food that I still to this day enjoy quite a bit, and that is Hamburger Helper! But the only problem with this great boxed food is the abundance of chemicals and lack of nutrition it has. We can change that though by making it from scratch at home! I know that sometimes the boxed version is just so much easier, but this recipe for homemade hamburger helper is truly as easy as making it from the box, with the only slightly annoying ‘extra’ being cutting up the onions, but this is easily solved with a small food processor! Furthermore, just like the original, this uses only one pot as well, making it such an easy clean up!
Use Whole Milk
One pointer I do have to stress is to use milk with a higher fat percentage. I have found the best to be whole milk (3.25%), but you could get away with 2%. I would just stress not to use anything like skim or 1%, as the tomatoes and the heat could easily curdle a low-fat milk.
Extra-Creamy with the Addition of Mascarpone
I have also found the addition of mascarpone cheese to be absolutely divine! It really adds an unbeatable creaminess to this version of homemade hamburger helper, without changing the flavor in anyway. You can most likely find mascarpone at any large grocer, in the deli or cheese area typically. Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese, however its taste is much more neutral than cream cheese. You could use cream cheese here, however be aware the cream cheese does have a tangier flavor to it, so add slowly and keep tasting, as you do not want the cream cheese to overpower the dish. If you are wondering what to do with the mascarpone after, it is great in many cream based dishes (pasta cream sauce for example), and it also makes mac and cheese extra creamy as well! You could also make my excellent tiramisu recipe as well!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 lb Extra Lean Ground Beef
- 1 Small Onion, , diced small
- 2 Garlic Cloves,, crushed or minced
- 4 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
- 2 cups Whole Milk, †
- 1 3/4 cups Beef Broth
- 2 cups Elbow Macaroni
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar
- 1/4 cup Mascarpone
Instructions
- In a large oiled skillet over medium heat, add ground beef and onions. Cook until beef is browned and the onions are translucent. Add garlic, cook for around one minute, or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add tomato paste, flour, spices, sugar, and salt & pepper to ground beef, mix until well combined and cook for 1 minute. Add milk and beef broth, and bring to a light boil, then add macaroni. Bring to a boil once again, then lower the temperature to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until macaroni is tender.
- Remove from heat and add cheddar and mascarpone, mix until cheese is melted and the mascarpone is distributed evenly. Enjoy!
Notes
Source: Adapted from Daring Gourmet
