Cheeseburger Macaroni (A Hamburger Helper Make-Over!)
ByI’ve been meaning to share this recipe with you forever!!! It’s really become one of my favorites because it tastes so good and is SO easy to make. When I threw out the Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Challenge, a few of you mentioned Hamburger Helper make-overs. Isn’t there one that’s like a “Lasagna Skillet” or something like that?? You might want to try Lasagna Casserole as a very tasty alternative. And now…this Cheeseburger Macaroni!
Here’s the background information (that you may or may not care about) for my Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe:
Back in my good ol’ Coupon Queen days, I used to buy oodles of boxes of Hamburger Helper anytime they went on sale for 99¢ and I had a coupon to get them for less than that. Sometimes I’d have cabinets full of them that I’d found for just a few pennies each. I’d enjoy them for a quick and easy meal (and I’d drink a Pepsi or two with it, you can be sure).
My favorite variety of Hamburger Helper was Cheeseburger Macaroni. I LOVED it. I’d save it for special nights. Yes, special nights with Hamburger Helper, Cheeseburger Macaroni style. Wow.
Gone are the days of having a stockpile of Hamburger Helper (and my beloved Pepsi)…and I’ve gotta say that now that I’m used to eating more whole foods, the idea of either one makes me feel a little bit woozie in the tummy. But I still crave that hamburger-cheesy-noodly taste, you know?
So one day, I had some leftover taco meat and just for fun, I stirred it into the Creamy Mac and Cheese I was making for lunch. Wowza!!! My Cheeseburger Macaroni days were back…only better! Here’s how I make it:
Cheeseburger Macaroni
1 Pound (give or take) Ground Beef or Turkey
1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning
1 Recipe of Creamy Mac and Cheese
Sea Salt to taste
The directions are super complicated…are you ready? Make the Creamy Mac and Cheese. Meanwhile, brown the meat. Once the meat is fully cooked, sprinkle in the taco seasoning. Stir the seasoned meat into the Creamy Mac and Cheese. Done.
If you feel like it, you can mix in just a little bit of cream cheese or sour cream or tomato sauce…this recipe is very flexible. It’s super kid friendly, and very easy to throw together on a busy night.
Now, it’s been several years before I’ve made a “convenient” box of Hamburger Helper, but I’m going to venture to say that this healthier variety of Cheeseburger Macaroni doesn’t take any longer to fix than making a box of Hamburger Helper. How ’bout that?
Were you (are you?) a Hamburger Helper lover? If you currently are…is there anything more I can say that will help you stay away from the pretty little box?
P.S. I have a Tater Tot recipe almost ready to share with you!! :)
I do something similar to this except mix ketchup, a little mustard and chili powder to my hamburger meat. Then mix with noodles and pour into a casserole. Top with cheese and bake until cheese is melted! Chili Cheesburger Mac & Cheese!
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I have one box left in the pantry and we are done with HH for life. The HH is for hamburger helper not heavenly homemakers :)
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I can’t wait to try this! I’d gotten away from hamburger helper because the amount of sodium in those boxes is atrocious! But my mother lives on the stuff. So I’m hoping I can show her this recipe and get her to kick the box habit!
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When I was a young teen my mother spent many weeks in the hospital. Our neighbors are Mennonites, (the formal ones that wear the dark dresses and caps). My dad was doing his best to take care of the house, our farm and feed us two teen girls. The neighbors came with a foil pan of food for us to make in the oven. I opened it up ot see this macaroni mixture with hamburger and cheese milk. It was amazing.. I sure wish I could replicate it. I have often wanted to ask them for the recipe but if they are like me… They might have no idea what im talking about. .
I vow- to attempt to make one just like it… (this was some 18 years ago.)
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I wish that I could kick the box habit, but my b.f doesnt like this, I have had the mac n cheese n hamburger many times as a kid, and wanted to make this as I had my own family, but he just doesnt want it. So I RARELY buy HH bcz of the sodium. Thanks for the added suggestions, I really hope I can talk my b/f into it.
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Jenni Reply:
January 27th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
I never tell my family when I make the switch from regular to better for us…until after I hear how good the food was…then its too late for everyone to retract their statement!!!
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Can’t wait to try this one! Cheeseburger or three cheese was my fave HH meal as a kid (and a grown up too I must be honest). My mom was a single mother of three and worked 12 hr night shifts as a peds icu nurse. Hamburger helper/ riceoroni/ boxed mac and cheese were pretty much nightly meals in our house, things even as 10-12 year olds we could make ourselves. Vastly different from when we were little tots and she vowed to make all her own whole grain bread and never feed us out of a box. The first time we had white bread my sister was about 3 and she asked my aunt if the bread was raw…Im greatful for sites like your’s Laura that set a good example for nutrition and well as Godly womanhood. My Mom really tried and I learned some great things from her about cooking. When she was able she made great healthy stuff and always had fruits /veggies in the fridge for snacks even if dinners were out of a box. I feel blessed with so many resources to be able to do what my Mom so deeply wanted to do for us when we were little. Thanks for being a part of that.
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I am so unbelievably excited about tater tots! I’ve had a long time love affair with potatoes. TOts! TOTS! TOTS!
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Laura, I’m a former Hamburger Helper devotee and Cheeseburger Mac has been a favorite! Mmmm! I will have to try this on my family soon
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I NEVER liked HH. It was the taste or something, I just never liked it.
Looking forward to the TT recipe!
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bookmarking this recipe for my next menu plan :)
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growing up, my mom cooked more whole foods than processed foods. except for hamburger helper. as a kid, i hated it and i think it was because i knew it was so “gross.”
i think my family of picky eaters would probably love this!
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Growing up we never ate anything that came out of a box. My dad won’t touch hamburger helper! When I started my own family I was a super couponer and loved to get hamburger helper deals. I might just have to try this and see what my family thinks about “real food” hamburger helper!
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This sounds wonderful!! I’m excited to try it, and I can’t wait to see the tater tot recipe!!
Weird, I know, but I dreamed about Tongue-tied design t-shirts last night! My husband opened up his own shop selling them! (in the dream of course) =)
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My husband and I lived on Hamburger Helper when we first got married. Cook once, eat like 4 times it made so much. Ugh!
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I’ve never had Hamburger Helper before but your recipe looks great! Between sports and other school events, we have many busy evenings, so I really appreciate your recipes that are quick and easy and, most importantly, healthy!
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Hamburger Helper is something I love – it’s so easy and convenient. Now that we’re trying to eat better, I don’t make it as much. I’m so happy to have a healthy alternative. When I would make the store bought version, I would add frozen veggies and some extra noodles to make it ummmm, a little healthier (is that possible??). I’ll have to try this one although my family wasn’t very impressed with my first attempt at the mac & cheese (I liked it). I can’t wait for the tater tot recipe!!
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I also used to make boxed HH alot. When my son was younger, he loved it! Now that I have better cooking habits and cook healthier foods I stay clear of boxed foods! From time to time, my son will still ask for HH. He will be so happy tonight when I make this recipe! Thanks for the recipe!
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My husband won’t touch hamburger helper. Which is good because I love the stuff! Especially the crispy taco one… But I won’t buy something he won’t eat. Lucky guy :)… And the mac n cheese, last time I made it, it wasn’t very creamy. I’m going to try again, messing with it a little bit to get it right.
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My hubby is a no HH guy. His mom burned him out on over processed, packaged, un-healthy food as a child and when we got married he said no more, (it’s a good thing I knew how to cook because he sure didnt!) I on the other hand only got HH type stuff as a treat, and grew to love many vaieties. Thanks for sharing this recipe Laura I think I will try it next Wednesday for an easy meal before church.
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ha ha ha… we used to eat Hamb. Helper and cheeseburger mac was our favorite too. In fact, i think there are still a couple of boxes in my cupboard which need to be thrown out. I’m sure they are past date! My kids wanted some about 2-3 months ago, I took them out and couldn’t bring myself to fix it. Especially after looking at the ingred. list. oh my!! lots of stuff that I don’t even know what it is.
We are now eating better, lots of homemade things. I’m going to make your homemade version and make my kids happy!!
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How ironic that Hamburger Helper cheeseburger mac is actually my planned meal for tonight! I don’t usually buy that stuff, but it was a great last minute helper during my first trimester when morning sickness & cooking don’t get along well. I bought several boxes of HH for nights when I needed/wanted hubs to cook. This is one of the last boxes left over! Can’t wait to try your recipe for a healthier version of it sometime!
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Sound yummy! We used to buy it all the time too until I realized that MSG in boxed foods makes me super sick. I have been making homemade hamburger helper for a couple of years now and my kids love it so much better! I’m definitely gonna add your recipe to my binder. Thanks!
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I grew up on boxed and canned foods. Cheeseburger mac was my favorite HH meal. I used to make it once a week but threw it out over a year ago. I make my own from real food although yours sounds better! My last pregnancy I craved boxed mac n cheese though. Sounds (and looks) gross now, but man was it good when I was pregnant!
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Very excited about this recipe, I remember having HH all the time when I was a kid, now I can have a healthy version! But I must say I am even more excited about the tator tot recipe coming soon!!!
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Waaaaaa! Lactose intolerant! :(
But my mouth waters over the recipe!
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Debbie Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Amanda, my husband is also lactose intolerant but he can have soy so I make his by using lactose free milk and thicken it with Tofutti brand cream cheese. He says the flavor isn’t the same as the “real deal” but it is better than not getting mac and cheese at all. I have not found any lactose free organic cheeses but use a lot of Kraft brand cheeses because they are lactose free and it gives him his cheese “fix.” I hope this helps with your lactose free cooking.
Debbie
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I stumbled upon your website nearly a year ago, and I have been “redoing” are eating habits…you have been an inspiration to me (Now I am NOT quite as far into my quest as you…I still buy yogurt and milk and noodles…) But I have been working out my issues with the missing hamburger helper meals…but like you said…super easy, no more time than the box, and I know its better for us!!!
Thanks for everything!!!!
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I love adding all sorts of things to our mac’n'cheese! Tuna, leftover chicken, broccoli, that sort of thing. But I never thought about ground beef or taco meat! That makes so much sense, I bet it is really good. I was never a big hamburger helper eater, my mom was mostly a from-scratch cook and I never could understand the appeal of those box meals (until I had horrible morning sickness and a family to feed).
By the way – I used the hashbrowns I made with your directions to make a breakfast casserole – it is very popular with the family!
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Can’t wait to try this recipe! We are a HUGE fan of your Creamy Mac and Cheese recipe (we have that about once a week) so I’m looking forward to adding the beef and taco seasoning! Thanks again – I love your blog!!
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Making this tonight! Also making a couple of the Enchilada Bakes (which we tried and loved last week) to take to a couple of moms who’ve had babies recently! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog! I’m learning so much! Thank you!
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My husband will love this. Now if someone could just come up with a healthy Pepsi… :)
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I printed off the recipe(s) and am going to give this a try real soon! It sounds delicious and easy!
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gonna try it, the sauce mixes for hamburger helper scare me, you just don’t know what’s in it. YIKES!
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Thanks for the recipe. We make up a hamburger helper powder mix that we use. The night we eat all you do is brown your meat, add 1/2 c mix, water, noodles and you let it simmer for 20 mins. Depending on the kind- beef stroganoff, cheesburger, lasagna, you add a can of tomatoes or some sourcream. Its great- hamburger helper without all the preservatives and really for a fraction of the price
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Crystal Reply:
January 27th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
You can’t leave us all hanging! What’s the recipe for your powdered mix?! :O)
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Teri Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Here’s what I use: Basic Sauce Mix
2 Cups powdered no-fat dry milk
3/4 Cup cornstarch
1/4 Cup instant chicken or beef bouillon (w/o msg)
2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon each dried basil & thyme
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
Combine all ingredients, mixing well & store in a glass jar. Use to make cream soup or skillet dinner. (hamburger helper) For cream anything soup combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cup of cold water. Cook and stir on stove top or microwave until thickened. Add canned or sauteed mushrooms, cooked chicken or cooked veggies, if desired. Add this mixture to your casserole as you would a can of soup. To use as HH: Brown 1 pound ground beef or turkey, add 1 onion, chopped, 1 16-oz. can tomato sauce, 1/2 cup Basic Sauce Mix, 2 cups water (may need a little more) and 3 cups uncooked egg noodles. Stir and cook about 15 mins. until noodles are done. Add 1 – 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese and a little parmesan cheese. Stir to melt and serve.
This sauce mix can be used in other HH types of recipes. Hope this helps. I’ve used it for many years and it is not only better for you but less expensive. I don’t buy boxed foods so I try to make my own mixes and cook from scratch. :) Teri
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Teri Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Sorry, I forgot to say that the skillet dinnet recipe is like lasagna. It’s very tasty! Also, use the flavor of bouillon that you would like your recipes to taste like. I use beef for mushroom and that kind of soup and chicken bouillon for cream of chicken soup or veggie soup.
Thanks!!! I have some leftover bow tie noodles from dinner this evening and was wondering what to do w/ them tomorrow night…now I know :) And my husband will be thrilled b/c he used to enjoy Hamburger Helper back in his bachelor days.
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Made this for dinner tonight, it was a hit with my husband and 3 kids, we all loved it and will make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
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We made this tonight with a couple of changes. I used all my ground beef last week making up your super scrumptious sloppy joes to put in the freezer. So I put in a portion of sloppy joe meant instead of taco meat. I put in a small bag of frozen veggies to round it out.
I also didn’t have any whole wheat pasta, we usually use brown rice pasta when we use any at all. (I haven’t gotten up the courage to actually make my own just yet…) So, if you use brown rice pasta, you may not need to use milk to make the creamy mac and cheese. Cooking rice pastas makes rice milk in your pan out of the cooking water! I cooked mine in milk not thinking about that though – it was certainly thick and creamy! :O) So, if I do that again, I’ll use water with the rice pasta!
Back in my Hamburger Helper days, I thought they were way too salty and we always had so much sauce left when the pasta was gone. So we always cooked up a couple of cups of a matching noodle/pasta to add to the HH pan with a bit of veggies too. My husband always mixes his vegetables into everything, no matter what; so I stopped making them separate and now just add them in and make everything casserole-ish. Bonus: there are less dishes to wash by putting your veggies in to cook with the pasta! :O)
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Crystal Reply:
January 27th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
I forgot to say, we loved it though! Now on my next shopping trip I’ll be buying up a bunch of ground beef again to stock my freezer with taco meat in addition to sloppy joes! :O)
Quick side story: I have an aunt named Vali Jo and she’s a fantastic cook. When we were visiting my family last summer we had sloppy joes at Aunt Vali Jo’s… one of my children still talks about my Aunt Sloppy Joe! :O)
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I actually hate Hamburger Helper (my mom never made it when I was a kid, and the one time I had it as an adult it was like I could taste the preservatives in it), but this looks so good I’m going to try it anyways!
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Looks yummy! Can you believe I’ve never had Hamburger Helper (and I’m 33)?? :)
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I made this tonight and once I added the cheese (I used 1 c Mexican blend – it was what we had) it got very “glommy.” I added 1 c sour cream to try and combat that, but it was still quite sticky and not so creamy. It still tasted wonderful but I wonder what I might have done wrong?
On a side note, I am super excited about that taco seasoning. I usually just throw seasonings in, willy-nilly, so I am excited to have it taste the same each time now!
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Was looking for a way to liven up Hamburger Helper. This sounds like a good way to do it. Thank you for the recipe.
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Made this tonight and it turned out great! At first I thought I used too much milk, but in the end I probably could have used just a little more. One note for anyone who wants to try this: make sure your meat is done before your macaroni. I had to leave my macaroni sitting for about ten minutes while we finished the meat, and I’m sure it would have been better if we ate it immediately. Either way, this is going in the “tried and true” recipe binder! Also, I think that your homemade taco seasoning would make a lovely gift layered in the jar. It was so pretty I almost didn’t want to shake it!
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Made it and loved it! Mine was kinda thick so I added some tomato juice and it put it over the top in taste! I probably added about 1/2 cup. Oh my! Delish!! Thank you for this recipe!
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Hi Laura! This looks really good! I am really trying to make everything that I can from scratch. I will try this sometime next week. God Bless you!
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can you freeze this??
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Laura Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 7:51 pm
I’m not sure it would freeze very well. I think the noodles would get mushy. ;)
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This is definitely a fave at our house! We also like to add salsa to it (or the fresh equivalent) and make a “Taco Mac” version.
I’ve featured the recipe link on our site’s “In the Kitchen” page.
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I just made this! I must say it is delicious! As tasty as hamburger helper. I did use more taco seasoning and added corn. Thank you so much for this recipe. This site is great for cooking on a budget.
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This is a fantastic recipe! I really try not use box prepared foods. Did not make to the store this weekend, and what to make for dinner when my hungry nine year old won’t wait. I had ground beef 93%, plenty of chesse, and penne pasta, but not milk! I had about 1/2 cup, plus 1/4 cup heavy cream and then found a can of evaporated milk, not condensed milk, in the pantry. Google is my friend and suggested that I add an equal amount of water to the canned milk. It was fabulous. I did almost double the recipe to use the 16oz box of Barilla Pasta ensuring leftovers lunches this week. My daughter loved it served with a cucumber tomato salad. Who says that single working moms can’t cook fresh healty meals everyday! Cannot wait to explore this website tonight.
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This came out great! My husband wanted some ‘hamburger helper’ and we don’t typically eat processed foods, but with the fall weather coming in, it sounded good to him. I am pretty good with recipes, but not having grown up on hamburger helper type meals, I didnt know where to start! This was a great help- I added about 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp mustard, Italian Seasoning and 1/2 C sharp cheddar with 1/2 cup mozzarella and used ground turkey meat. It was a quick and tasty meal!
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my family’s all time favorite
ZIPPY BEEF CASSEROLE
ingredients for casserole:
2# Ground beef 1 C. cheddar grated 2 can equiv. Mushroom soup
8oz. elbows raw ½ C. chopped bell pepper 4T. minced onion
1+1/2 C. milk 2 t. salt 1,1/3 C. catsup
1 t. garlic powder 2 C. crushed chips (opt)
Use the healthy version of mushroom soup and fry the fat out of any beef and use the healthy cheese of your choice.
side dishes:
candied carrots: 1T. ea. brown sugar, honey, ‘real’ maple syrup, dash salt
broccoli or green beans (steamed green beans) w/EVOO drizzled over top is outtasight.
dinner rolls and butter (if you like)
Directions: if using oven preheat to 350º now
Fry meat and peppers and drain fat. Boil elbows in plenty of water and drain.
In large covered casserole combine all casserole ingredients except chips and either microwave for 20 minutes or bake in preheated oven at 350º for 40-45 min. (ADD EXTRA CATSUP OR CHEESE TO YOUR TASTE) When done make a circle of crushed chips on top edge of casserole and heat an extra 10 min in oven (or 4 min in microwave.) NOTE: chips are mainly ‘verboten’ now and I eliminated them. Sub. maybe homemade onion rings?
While casserole cooks, bring fresh cut carrots to slow boil till almost fork tender and add sweeteners and salt and boil 5 minutes more.
Heat (steam) green beans or boil broccoli for 12-15 minutes.
If using baked rolls put in oven with casserole or preheat oven 30 minutes before microwave casserole is due to be done and bake according to directions.
makes about 10 servings, can be frozen
Variation on a Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper recipe.
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I tried this tonight. But i think i cooked the pasta too long it was kinda starchy. I’ll experiment with it and see but it was tasty.
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