Easy Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 12 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni or other small pasta, like ditalini or shells
- 3 ½ cups beef broth or stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce (or 2 8-ounce cans)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup 1%, 2% or whole milk (see note)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ to 2 cups shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese (see note)
Instructions
- In a 12-inch deep skillet or similar size saucepan, cook the ground beef and onion over medium heat, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink. Drain excess grease.
- To the skillet, add the pasta, beef broth, tomato sauce, salt, basil, oregano, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 to 9 minutes. Moderate the heat and stir often to prevent sticking.
- While the past cooks, blend the milk and flour together until smooth. Stir the milk mixture into the skillet, and simmer over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened.
- Off the heat (or over very low heat), add the cheese a handful at a time, and stir the cheese in until melted. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve warm. The pasta will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Milk: For a richer, creamier pasta, you can sub in half-and-half or cream for the milk.
Cheese: Freshly grated cheddar cheese will melt creamier than pre-shredded cheese (which is coated with a powdery substance to prevent clumping).