Homemade Hamburger Helper

Homemade Hamburger Helper

delicious take on hamburger helper

Recipe by
Reviewed by Arturs Arnicans
Prep Time: 5m
Cook Time: 15m
Total Time: 20m
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
4.9 (17 Reviews)
Cooking Mode
Prevents your screen from turning off while cooking

Ingredients

Adjust servings:

Nutritional Information

467
Calories
8.1g
Fat
101mg
Cholesterol
682mg
Sodium
52.9g
Carbohydrate
43.6g
Protein
Homemade Hamburger Helper

Recipe Description

Homemade Hamburger Helper is one of my kids favorite meals. Of course you’ll know hamburger helper as a packaged dried pasta, with delicious seasonings contained in a powdered sauce packet. To prepare the boxed food, you just need to combine the contents of the box with browned ground beef and water to create a complete one-dish meal. This is my homemade take on the classic convenience food.

This hamburger helper is really easy to make too. Simply cook ground beef, onion and carrots in a skillet until beef is browned. Add the uncooked macaroni, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and herbs. Stir to combine and cover with just enough water. Simmer until the pasta is cooked through. Serve warm garnished with fresh herbs or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. When you are cooking this dish, if the water boils off before the pasta is done, add extra water ¼ cup at a time until pasta is cooked.

To make my version of Homemade Hamburger Helper, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for Homemade Hamburger Helper

Recipe Features

No specific features for this recipe

Steps to make

  1. 1

    Cook beef, onion and carrots

    7 min
    Step 1 - Homemade Hamburger HelperStep 1 - Homemade Hamburger Helper

    Place 1 pound of ground beef, 1 small chopped onion and 1 cup of chopped carrots in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the ground beef for 5-7 minutes until beef is browned. Break up any large chunks of meat using a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the fat.

  2. 2

    Add pasta, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce

    1 min
    Step 2 - Homemade Hamburger HelperStep 2 - Homemade Hamburger Helper

    Place the drained beef and vegetables back in the pan. Add 8 ounces of uncooked pasta, 15 ounces of tomato sauce, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt and ¾ teaspoon each of basil and oregano. Stir the contents to combine then add 1 to 1½ cups boiling water just enough to cover.

  3. 3

    Simmer

    12 min
    Step 3 - Homemade Hamburger Helper

    Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the pasta is cooked through.

  4. 4

    Serve

    1 min
    Step 4 - Homemade Hamburger Helper

    Serve immediately garnished with fresh herbs or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

This Homemade Hamburger Helper is a delicious take on the classic convenience food! Try it out soon and don’t forget to come back and leave a review with your thoughts.

About the author

Lilly Mathuse

Lilly is an enthusiastic and cheerful young mom. She knows as well as any parent that children can be really picky when it comes to food. And she’s had plenty of experience trying to cook meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and able to satisfy the tastes of a fussy kid right away! To save you some precious time, Lilly's going to share with you all the tricks she learned the hard way, so you don’t have to! She has a wealth of recipes for quick and easy meals for kids and families on a budget.

Recipe Reviews

Have you made this recipe? Share your experience and help other cooks!

★★★★★
★★★★★
4.9 out of 5 (17 reviews)
Xander
March 21, 2025
Verified

Superb

Fiona
January 31, 2025
Verified

I made this homemade hamburger helper last night and my kiddos devoured it. It was super easy and so much better than the box stuff. This is now a weekly thing for us. Love it.

Claudia
January 13, 2025
Verified

Mi familia ama esta receta de Hamburger Helper casero. Es tan simple que puedo hacerlo entre las tareas del día. La primera vez que lo hice, mis hijos me dijeron que era mejor que el de caja. La mezcla de carne, cebolla y zanahorias es genial. Definitivamente se ha convertido en una de nuestras comidas favoritas.

Nina
September 18, 2024
Verified

Delicious!

Zoe
May 31, 2024
Verified

Kids loved it! Easy to make and perfect for a busy weeknight. I made it last night and they couldn’t get enough. Will definetly make again!

Sophie
January 21, 2024
Verified

Super easy and delish. My kids devoured it, just like I did when I was young.

Patricia
December 12, 2023
Verified

Delicious!

Quinn Anderson
November 22, 2023
Verified

So easy, loved it

Will
July 15, 2023
Verified

I made this Homemade Hamburger Helper last night, and it turned out so good. Its simple and quick to prepare. I was surprised by how tasty this version is compared to the boxed ones I used to buy. Very thankful for this recipe.

Gina Thompson
February 8, 2023
Verified

Superb! My kids loved this homemade version! It brought back memories of making dinner together while laughing in the kitchen.

HappyH
January 8, 2023
Verified

This homemade hamburger helper rocked! So simple and delish, my friends were amazed at my cooking skills.

Rita
June 11, 2022
Verified

My niece loved it, easy and tasty.

Emily Thompson
June 16, 2021
Verified

Superb! Made this on a busy weeknight and it was a hit. My friends loved it and I felt so proud to serve homecooked food.

Fabi
April 19, 2021
Verified

Super fácil y a mis peques les encanta!

Sarah
March 9, 2021
Verified

This homemade hamburger helper was super easy. My friends loved it.

Taste of the dish
Accuracy of stated difficulty
Instruction accuracy
Would you recommend this recipe to others?
0/1000
Add photos
Upload photos of your result. This will help others see how the dish should look.

Author Information

Email will not be displayed publicly