Description
This homemade Hamburger Helper recipe is a flavorful and comforting one-pot meal featuring ground beef, elbow macaroni, and a rich blend of spices and cheddar cheese. It provides a classic, easy-to-make dinner perfect for the whole family.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup finely chopped sweet yellow onion
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni pasta, uncooked (8 ounces by weight)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Brown the beef and onion: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and chopped onion, cooking and crumbling the beef until browned. Drain excess grease as needed.
- Add spices and tomato paste: Stir in tomato paste, sweet paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix well to combine the flavors.
- Add beef broth and pasta: Pour in the beef broth and stir in the uncooked elbow macaroni. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Simmer and cook pasta: Once simmering, reduce heat to maintain a moderate simmer and cover the pot. Cook, stirring every few minutes, to prevent pasta from sticking, for about 12 minutes until pasta is tender and the sauce is slightly brothy.
- Add cheese and serve: Turn off the heat and stir in shredded cheddar cheese until melted and creamy. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use 80 or 85% lean ground beef for more flavorful results compared to very lean beef.
- Boost nutrition by adding finely chopped vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, or celery during the browning stage or stir in peas or spinach near the end.
- For a lighter beef flavor, replace half of the beef broth with water.
- To make the dish creamier, substitute 1 to 1 ½ cups of beef broth with whole milk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
