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For this comfort food, One Pot Pasta Hamburger Helper is made with a handful of ingredients from the fridge, and the rest of the ingredients are a handful of pantry staples. 

This will be a nice change if you are used to having the boxed version of Hamburger Helper. With still a simple dinner, you will get even more flavor to a childhood favorite dinner recipe. 

You cannot go wrong with one pot meals, and since you will be using elbow pasta and cheese, the whole family is sure to enjoy this one pot hamburger helper recipe (even your picky eaters).

So be sure to make this recipe if you’re looking for the best homemade hamburger helper recipe. 

Ingredients for One Pot Hamburger Helper:

• Protein: use lean ground beef
• Sauce: you will need to use tomato ketchup and yellow mustard
• Seasoning: be sure to have garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper
• Pasta: I like to use uncooked elbow macaroni pasta for this homemade version of Hamburger Helper
• Liquid: use either chicken broth or beef broth to add even more flavor to this cheeseburger macaroni dinner
• Cream: the sour cream will add to the creamy sauce for this skillet dinner
• Cheese: use shredded cheddar cheese for the one-pot meal

How to make One Pot Hamburger Helper:

To a large pot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium high heat add in the regular ground beef break the beef up and cook it through.

Remove any excess grease in the pot.

Turn the heat to low and stir in the ketchup, mustard, seasonings, pasta, and broth stir well.

Cover and let simmer for 12 minutes stirring occasionally until the pasta is tender.

Stir in the sour cream and cheese. Serve.

How to store this one-pot hamburger helper:

Fridge: Let the leftover hamburger helper pasta cool down to room temperature, pour it into an airtight container, and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Tips and tricks for making this easy dinner recipe: 

Protein to use for Healthy Hamburger Helper: 

When making this great weeknight meal I like to use lean ground beef, but you could also use ground chicken or ground turkey with the elbow noodles and sauce. 

Substitutions to use:

• Instead of using sour cream, you could replace it with plain Greek yogurt. 
• Sharp cheddar cheese will work in place of mild cheddar cheese or your favorite dairy-free cheese. 
• If you don’t have chicken broth, vegetable broth could work in it’s place.

Type of pasta: 

I like to use pasta that is short or has small pieces, so anything similar to elbow pasta is great. You can even use gluten-free pasta or chickpea pasta to pair with this savory ground beef recipe. 

More beef recipes:

• Tomato Bacon Pasta ($5 Dinner)
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
• Caprese Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Doritos Taco Pasta Salad

Quick links for making dinner easy:

• Family meal plans
• Tools for the kitchen and more
• The best cookbook for family dinner recipes
• FREE budget meal plan
• Cooking videos to watch

If you give these recipes a try, make sure to tag us on Instagram @julia.pacheco.cooking and let us know how much you liked the recipes!