One of our go-to dinner recipes when we are in the throes of busy school schedules and extracurricular activities and I haven’t planned ahead is this easy Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet made with browned ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, and cavatappi or macaroni noodles.  It’s may not be fancy, but it’s always easy, satisfying, and a hit with my family!

Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet

I didn’t grow up eating Hamburger Helper.  It’s not something my mom ever made, so the first time I tried it was at college when a roommate made it for our apartment one night.

Did anyone else trade nights to make dinner for roommates?  I loved taking turns cooking for my roommates or enjoying what they cooked when it was their turn.  It made life easier and it was fun to taste the staple recipes they grew up with.

I know hamburger helper is probably less than impressive to anyone who grew up with it, but for me, I was embarrassingly delighted by the meaty, cheesy, carb-fest of pasta noodles in a savory, cheesy sauce with browned ground beef in it.  It just tasted so good and comforting!

So I was super delighted when I learned you could easily make the cheeseburger pasta skillet recipe from scratch!  It’s essentially the same ol’ hamburger helper that you grew up with, but so much better homemade!

And it is a TOTAL lifesaver on busy nights when I don’t really want to cook or haven’t planned ahead.  I always have a pound or two of ground beef in the freezer, along with cheese in the fridge and pasta in the pantry, so that solves the first question of whether I have all the ingredients I need to get dinner on the table.  And homemade hamburger helper actually solves the other impediment to a homecooked meal (for me) which is the inevitable clean-up afterwards.

Dishes are the worst.

But an easy one pot skillet meal means much less to clean, which means I’m more likely to cook, even when I might otherwise cave and say it’s an eating out night.  And really, since I can make this from start to finish in about 15 minutes, it’s a lot faster than even fast food!

How to make homemade hamburger helper

Making homemade hamburger helper is super easy.  You start by browning ground beef in a large skillet.  Just break up the meat so it cooks evenly and drain any extra fat that cooks off.

Next, sprinkle the flour and spices over the browned meat and stir them in before adding the milk, hot water, and pasta.  I also prefer using cavatappi pasta, which is one of my favorite noodle cuts ever, but you could use macaroni noodles too.  If you haven’t tried cavatappi before, it’s basically macaroni, except longer spirals instead of elbows and it’s the same pasta that I use when I make my copycat costco mac & cheese.

Once the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid and cooked to al dente perfection, sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top and stir it in.  I love Tillamook Farmstyle Cut medium cheddar cheese for this because it tastes amazing and melts beautifully, unlike most other prepackaged grated cheeses I have tried.  This isn’t sponsored, I just really, really love this product and find it super convenient to have on hand, especially on nights when I’m short on time, trying to get a meal on the table, and not feeling like grating cheese with the cheese grater.

After just a couple of minutes the sauce will have thickened slightly and dinner is ready to be served with a nice salad or maybe some green beans and fresh fruit.

The leftovers heat up great the next day as well.

If you are looking to add some new easy weeknight dinner ideas to your meal rotation this school season, definitely consider adding this homemade hamburger helper to the mix.  Or try one of my other easy dinner recipes like sheet pan shrimp fajitas, one pan green bean, chicken & potatoes, or ground beef stroganoff.

5 from 6 votes

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Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

One of our go-to dinner recipes when we are in the throes of busy school schedules and extracurricular activities and I haven't planned ahead is this Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet made with browned ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, and cavatappi or macaroni noodles.  It's may not be fancy, but it's always easy, satisfying, and a hit with my family!

Course: Dinner, Main Course, pasta

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hamburger helper, one pot, skillet meal

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 470 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups dry cavatappi pasta or macaroni noodles
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, then add the ground beef and break it up, cooking and stirring until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain any remaining fat in the pan.

2. Sprinkle the cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, sugar, and pepper over the browned meat and stir well to evenly distribute the spices.  Add the hot water, milk, and pasta, then bring to a boil.  Cover with a lid, reduce heat and simmer for 8-11 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.

3. Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the cooked pasta and stir until melted into the sauce.  Remove from the heat, and let stand for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a bit.  Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired, then serve.
   

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts.

Nutrition Facts

Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet

Amount Per Serving

Calories 470 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 30g 46%

Saturated Fat 14g 70%

Cholesterol 99mg 33%

Sodium 899mg 37%

Potassium 401mg 11%

Total Carbohydrates 21g 7%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 4g

Protein 27g 54%

Vitamin A 21%

Calcium 36.5%

Iron 12.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.