This Homemade Hamburger Helper is easy to make and is packed with the flavor we all know and love! Pasta and ground beef are sautéed and covered in a creamy, cheesy sauce. With just a few tweaks, this easy homemade version is WAY better than the boxed kind.
Homemade Hamburger Helper
This easy Homemade Hamburger Helper recipe is the flavor-packed, cheesy meal of your dreams! This is one of my kid’s favorite meals and I think the leftovers are DELISH!
Not only is this one-pan dinner easy to make, but it also requires no fancy ingredients, is ready in 20 minutes, and is a meal the whole family will love!
Homemade Hamburger Helper Ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Water
- Elbow macaroni pasta, uncooked
- Can corn, drained
- Cream style corn
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Velveeta cheese, cubed
- Milk
In a large, deep skillet, brown the ground beef until fully cooked. Then, drain the excess grease from the skillet. Since this is a 1 pan meal, it’s time to start adding the next ingredients to the cooked beef. So easy!
Next, add water and macaroni to the pan. Turn the burner on high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. The starch from uncooked noodles is the key to this recipe because it holds the hamburger helper all together.
After that, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 6 minutes. You will want to stir it occasionally. This ensures that the noodles are cooked evenly in the skillet.
Finally, add the remaining ingredients. Gently stir as the ingredients heat through. It should take about 3 minutes for the Velveeta cheese to melt, the soup to warm, and the corn to cook.
Tips for Making Homemade Hamburger Helper:
- Adjust Amount of Milk Used: This dish should be rich and creamy. If you need more milk for your pasta, add a little more!
- Use Velveeta Cheese: Everything is better with Velveeta, ha! It melts wonderfully and gives this dish the best flavor, similar to the box kind.
- Season to Taste: You can add your favorite seasonings to this recipe or tweak the ones listed if you’d like!
- Add Sides: Fresh fruit, steamed veggies, or a salad are wonderful sindes for this recipe.
Let’s Talk About the Leftovers
Store your leftover Hamburger Helper in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want to freeze it, store it in an aluminum pan tightly covered with plastic wrap. You can reheat your hamburger helper on the stove or in the microwave. Add a splash or two of milk to bring back the creaminess.
More Easy, Comforting, and Delicious Dinners by The Blogette to Try Next:
- KFC Chicken Bowl Casserole
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Dinner
- Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Equipment
- Large Deep Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pounds ground beef
- 2 cup water
- 2 cups elbow macaroni pasta, uncooked
- 1 15.25 ounce can corn, drained
- 1 14.75 ounce can cream style corn
- 1 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- ⅓ cup milk
Instructions
- In a large, deep skillet, brown the ground beef until fully cooked; drain.
- Add the water and macaroni and turn the burner on high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the remaining ingredients and heat through, about 3 minutes.
Oh my goodness! This brings me right back to when my kids were little and they used to look forward to when I would make HH out of the box! I’m sure your version is 100x’s better. I can’t wait to make this.
could you sub cream of chicken for cream of mushroom soup?
I’m sure that would work too!
Is it possible to leave out the corn? If so do I need to add more liquid?
Of course! And, no, you won’t need to add more water. Enjoy!