Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe :- The traditional pairing of meat and macaroni in a cheeseburger sauce with basic ingredients is found in this homemade hamburger helper. It tastes the finest handmade and is really simple to make!
Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
The first to acknowledge it is me. Every now and again, I get a terrible yearning for Hamburger Helper. Sadly, I no longer find the box to be appealing. Not only is this homemade version infinitely superior, but my 6-year-old daughter loves it even more than chicken nuggets!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- Salt/Pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup half and half, (half milk/half light cream)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ beef bouillon cube, see notes
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- ½ lb. macaroni, equal to 2 cups
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, mustard powder, parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon Smoked paprika
Instructions
Prep Work
Mix the half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, beef broth, and seasonings in a large measuring cup with a spout. (This is the “mixture of sauce.”) Put it away. Before starting, measure out the remaining ingredients.
Put the macaroni in boiling salted water to cook. While the water heats up, follow the procedures below.
Prepare the Beef
Use a small amount of salt and pepper to season the ground meat. Add the beef to a large skillet that has been preheated to medium-high heat. For about eight minutes, heat and crumble until thoroughly cooked and browned. After draining the grease, reserve the ground meat.
Prepare the Sauce.
In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat and stir in flour. Cook, stirring to mix well, for 2 minutes, or until starting to brown.
Turn down the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the sauce mixture while swirling all the time. By moving carefully, you may prevent the roux from “breaking” and maintain a consistent consistency in the sauce. Add the beef bouillon and stir.
After bringing the sauce to a boil, simmer it. As you bring the spaghetti to a boil, simmer, covered.
Bring the pasta to a boil.
To prevent overcooking, add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook until it’s just al dente. After cooking, drain.
Turn down the sauce’s heat to low and add the cheese shreds gradually, stirring constantly to mix them in. Reintroduce the ground beef and mix everything together.
Stir in the drained macaroni after adding it. The macaroni will continue to absorb the sauce, giving the consistency a slight initial thinness that will thicken as it stands. Take off the heat and proceed to serve!
ALSO SEE
Notes
Better than Bouillon: I use 1/2 tsp of beef bouillon, which adds depth of flavor. If you choose not to add it, you can use 1/4 tsp of salt instead.
Cheese: Rather than using prepackaged shredded cheese, shred cheese straight from the block. Compared to pre-shredded, it will melt and taste much better. Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow is what I use.
When adding the cheese, make sure the soup base isn’t too hot to prevent the dairy from separating and forming a gritty texture.
Broth: To provide depth of flavor, this dish combines chicken and beef broth. If desired, you can use all of the beef broth.
Pasta: For this recipe, bowtie, rotini, and medium pasta shells are all excellent choices. Use little less than half a pound of pasta if you enjoy it extra-saucy. you prevent overcooking your pasta, make sure you set a timer. Particularly macaroni cooks quickly.
Try my Beefaroni recipe for a tomato sauce-infused spin on this dish!
Nutrition
- Calories: 595kcal,
- Carbohydrates: 40g,
- Protein: 38g,
- Fat: 31g,
- Saturated Fat: 17g,
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g,
- Monounsaturated Fat: 8g,
- Trans Fat: 1g,
- Cholesterol: 129mg,
- Sodium: 981mg,
- Potassium: 548mg,
- Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g,
- Vitamin A: 775IU,
- Vitamin C: 0.4mg,
- Calcium: 374mg,
- Iron: 3mg
