You don’t need to open a box of Hamburger Helper ever again after you’ve tried this recipe! This quick dinner is ready in twenty minutes and tastes just like it’s packaged cousin.
When I got married, my husband stock piled a cupboard full of Hamburger Helper. He didn’t want to starve and so he would make it up on the nights that I attempted a dinner that turned out less than wonderful. In fact, most nights dinner turned out less than wonderful. While he could down a boxed easy quick dinner, I couldn’t. I ate it so I wouldn’t starve, but there was always something a little….off about the way that it tasted.
When I learned to finally cook, I made sure that the boxed meals didn’t stay in the house. It costs a lot less to cook from scratch, and boxed is never better than fresh.
This Hamburger Helper beef dinner recipe is sure to be a winner in your house!
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef or bison
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 1/2 cups skim milk or soy milk
- 2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni
- 1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese (I used Cabot)
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, brown the meat over medium heat. Drain and set aside.
- While the meat is cooking, add the cornstarch, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar, pepper, water, milk and macaroni.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn to medium heat and allow noodles to cook for approximately 8-10 minutes or until noodles are tender.
- Add the browned beef and cheese to the noodle mixture and stir until cheese is melted. Serve.
***For Gluten Free: Substitute gluten free noodles for whole wheat. We used Deboles GF noodles***
Recipe Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

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