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Make your own delicious, homemade Hamburger Helper recipe–it’s as quick as the box and tastes SO much better. This one’s a family favorite!
Back when Hubby and I were newlyweds, our grocery budget was $25 a week. Because things like Rice-a-Roni and Hamburger Helper seemed cheap (and we didn’t know any better), we ate a lot of “foods” that we wouldn’t touch now. Those packaged foods are full of sodium, MSG, and other mystery ingredients that aren’t good for our bodies.
In a fit of nostalgia, I looked at a box of Cheeseburger Helper the last time I went to the store. Does this ingredient list seem a bit excessive and chemical-laden to anybody else?
Now check out this real food ingredient list for Cheeseburger Helper. Doesn’t it sound better?
Ground beef seasoned with onion and garlic
Tomato sauce
Mustard
Pasta
Cheddar cheese
Big difference, right? Those are all recognizable foods that I’m happy to feed to my family. Let’s get cooking!
Tools Used to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
Here are the tools I recommend to make this recipe quickly and easily:
Daterra Cucina ceramic nonstick skillet: for even heating and easy cleanup
Susi garlic press: no need to peel your garlic–just drop it in and squeeze
Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 clove minced garlic
½ onion, chopped fine
1 ¼ c. tomato sauce
1+ tablespoon yellow mustard
1 ¾ cups water
2 ½ cups short pasta, any shape (I used elbow macaroni)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet, brown the beef with the salt, pepper, garlic, and onion. Drain the fat and add the tomato sauce and mustard, stirring gently.
Add the pasta and water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the pasta is cooked.
Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese, and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley or green onions. Deeeee-licious!
Homemade Hamburger Helper is just one of the amazing recipes in Better Than A Box, which is my new favorite cookbook. It has over 200 pages of tutorials and recipes that show how to transform the processed food recipes we grew up with into real food recipes.
The first 100 pages teach you how to reverse-engineer recipes yourself, and the remaining 100+ pages are transformed recipes for favorites like:
- Real Food Beef Stroganoff
- Spicy Cheesy Chicken Dip
- Homemade French Onion Dip
- Bisquick Substitute
- Stovetop Stuffing Substitute
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- Ranch Dressing Mix
- Homemade Barbecue Sauce
- Instant Pudding
- and lots more!
If you aren’t hungry by now, have your taste buds checked…then buy Better Than A Box and make your tummy happy.
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Make your own delicious, homemade Hamburger Helper recipe--it's as quick as the box and tastes SO much better. This one's sure to be a family favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ onion, chopped fine
- 1 ¼ c. tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 2 ½ cups short pasta, any shape, (I used elbow macaroni)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the beef with the salt, pepper, garlic, and onion. Drain the fat and add the tomato sauce and mustard, stirring gently.
- Add the pasta and water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the pasta is cooked.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese, and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley or green onions. Deeeee-licious!
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