Ditch the box and easily make your own Homemade Hamburger Helper in less than 30 minutes! This easy skillet dinner has been given a healthy upgrade, but yet still comes together in one pan, making this homemade hamburger helper a perfect weeknight meal for busy nights!
Do you love 30 Minute Meals? Check out Easy Homemade Beef Stroganoff, Baked Potato Soup, Chicken Asparagus Stir Fr and Pasta Primavera.
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Boxed Homemade Hamburger was my husband’s favorite meal as a child. In fact, he said his mom made it at least once a week for him.
I don’t blame his mom at all for resorting to the short-cut that a boxed dinner provided. It made her life easier and kept her kids happy. And we all like easy, meals our family will actually eat, don’t we?!
But the truth is, you CAN achieve a delicious, homemade meal quickly as well. I have over 50 Homemade 30 Minute Meals, and one of my family’s absolute favorites is my take on boxed hamburger helper.
Why Homemade?
- You can pronounce all the ingredients.
- WAY less sodium than the boxed variety.
- Homemade Hamburger Helper is just as easy to make.
- The homemade version is often much cheaper than the boxed variety–especially if you have spices in your spice cabinet.
- It is a meal the family LOVES and you know exactly what you are feeding them!
- Most importantly– IT TASTES BETTER!!!
Seriously, this one pot hamburger helper comes together with almost no effort and always puts a smile on my family’s faces. Even my husband agrees this recipe trumps his childhood favorite by a landslide!
Ingredients for Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Ground Beef–I love to use lean ground sirloin, but ground turkey or ground chicken work as well.
- Spices–paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper. I keep this simple in flavorings. No fresh onions or fresh garlic–just onion and garlic powder in this hamburger skillet recipe. You know, to keep the kids happy–which makes dinner a much more pleasurable experience!
- Beef Broth
- Tomato Paste
- Tomato Sauce
- Elbow Macaroni–whole wheat or regular
- Worcestershire Sauce–This adds the POW to this hamburger skillet recipe, you don’t want to omit this ingredient
- Optional: shredded cheddar cheese, to turn this Hamburger Helper into Cheeseburger Helper
How to Make Healthy Hamburger Helper
You start off making this healthy homemade hamburger helper recipe just as you would when making a boxed version.
- In a large skillet or saucepan add in the of choice meat and as the meat browns, break it up into small pieces. Once meat is cooked, drain off any fat and return to heat.
- Add in tomato paste and spices and let it toast for a minute to develop the flavor of the spices and tomato paste.
- Add in the beef broth and the tomato sauce and bring to boil.
- Add in the noodles and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender.
- Turn off the heat, add in Worcestershire sauce to finish this easy skillet dinner.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Homemade Hamburger Helper Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground sirloin or turkey
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 3 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups dried whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles
- 1 teaspoon Worchestire sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the meat and brown up, breaking up into small pieces. Once meat is cooked, drain off any fat and return to heat.
- Add tomato paste and seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes to develop flavor. Add in tomato sauce and beef broth and bring to a boil.
- Add in noodles and turn down to medium heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirrinng occasionally, or until noodles cooked through and sauce is absorbed.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce and serve.
Notes
- Homemade Hamburger Helper will last in the fridge for 3 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- If you don't have Worcestershire Sauce, you can use soy sauce or fish sauce for a rich finish as well.
- Feel free to sub out ground turkey, pork or chicken for the beef in this hamburger skillet recipe.
- For a Gluten Free Version of Hamburger Helper, it is best to use Barilla Gluten-Free Noodles--most gluten-free noodles brands give off too much starch to cook in the sauce. I have used Barilla brand many times with great success.
Kristen Chidsey
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Even with the box version of Hamburger helper, I like to use Garbanzo beans instead of beef. This is particularly good with their stroganoff recipe. We call it ‘banzo bean stroganoff. Can’t wait to try this homemade version without the chemicals and stuff. And, will probably substitute water and an extra dash of salt, pepper, and Worcestershire instead of the beef broth. Thanks for this recipe!
I LOVE that idea Walter–perfect for a meatless meal any night of the week!
This recipe was so delicious! It’s so surprisingly good for how easy it is to make, now Im addicted. Thanks for sharing your recipe !
Sounds like a new family favorite, and that makes me so happy! 😊
H, thanks for the recipe. How can I reduce the sodium in this meal? 38 % is high.
Hi Beth! Well first of all, the calculations for sodium always seem to run higher on this then when I calculate myself. That being said, use low or no-sodium beef broth, low sodium Worcestershire sauce, no salt added tomato sauce and you will cut that in more than half! Hope that helps!
I used no sodium tomato sauce and only 3 cups of low sodium broth and 1/2 cup of water. Still plenty salty.
Hi, quick question on the ingredients. Are you calling for 3.5 cups of beef broth or 1.5? It’s hard to tell from the way the list is published above. I attempted to make the dish, which was delicious, but I had to cut it with water as it was too thick to cook the noodles with only 1.5 cups of the broth. Thinking it’s supposed to be 3.5? Thanks for the great recipe! 🤗
Hey Austin! Sorry for any confusion, the recipe states 3 1/2 cups liquid. I am not sure where it was that you saw 1.5 cups. Let me know so I can fix that ASAP!!! Thank you!
May have been my mistake. I cut and pasted the recipe to print and it changed the 1-6 ounce can 1-8 ounce can of tomato paste/sauce respectively to 16 and 18 so when I fixed it I mistakenly changed 3 1/2 ounces to 1 1/2 thinking it meant three half cups or 1 1/2. Thanks so much for clarifying!
That makes sense now! Thanks for your reply Austin. I want to be sure the recipes are correct and easy to follow 🙂
I just love how darn easy this is! And real foods every time! Thanks for the recipe, Kristen, my family loves it!
YAY!!! I am so happy to hear that this is such a well loved recipe for your family! Real foods for the win!
I love this healthy option! So perfect for a weeknight meal!
Thanks Tayler! It makes a busy night SO much easier!
So salty. Otherwise, pretty yummy. Next time, I’ll eliminate the salt.
Hey Kelly, Sorry this dish was a bit too salty for you. It may have to do with your beef broth. If you don’t use low-sodium it would be overly salty.
definitely a great idea to make a boxed classic from scratch for a healthier option. I need to give it a try!
I hope you do David!
This looks better than the box. I can’t wait to try this.
So much better than the box 😉
So easy—perfect for a busy weeknight! Reminds me of the goulash I used to make as a newlywed, but a heck of a lot better 🙂
It is very similar to goulash!
Hi Kristen
What brand of MSG free low-sodium beef broth did you use in this recipe.
It was actually from ALDIs. However, Pacific Foods has a great organic beef broth, as does Swansons and Kitchen Basics.
A delicious meal for a busy family, looks just fabulous! Thanks for sharing with us at #FoodieFriDIY! Have a great weekend!!
Thank you Debra!! Have a great weekend yourself!
Wow, this looks tasty! I love hamburger helper.
It is a winner at our house–I hope you give it a try!
Visiting my professional tennis player Mom in the US during summertime, I remember being mesmerized by the Hamburger Helper. Very glad to see this healthy and truly just as easy alternative. Thank you! Ps.. Love the idea of grating in some fresh cheese for the cheeseburger version =)
I hope you give this healthier version a try! And yes, the cheeseburger version is awesome!
Hamburger helper is a guilty pleasure of my brother. I don’t know why because my mom never made it and my sister in law (who is a fabulous cook) only cooks healthy things. I can’t wait to show her this. Looks delicious!
Thanks Denise. I hope your sister in law has success in making this for your brother 🙂
Yup, this sounds like the “goulash” my mom made back in the day. We all loved it—so easy, too!
It is surely simple comfort food at it’s best!
In our house we call this goulash. I have never had hamburger helper but your version sounds delicious.
I think many people do call this goulash–but whatever you call it, it is just pure comfort 🙂