Reading Time: 7 minutes Easy Dinner: Homemade Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper Recipe
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As a child, Hamburger Helper was a staple in a lot of family kitchens, never ours, but I always wanted to taste it.
I finally had the chance as an adult. It wasn’t anything that I thought it would be, and after the first bite, I knew I would be able to make the same thing, only better.
So I did. Through trial and error, I perfected the taste of this core menu item for our family.
It is guaranteed that your family will want seconds, and there will still be enough for leftovers. This is also one of those dishes that somehow tastes better the second day.
This dish comes together easily in under 30 minutes. It pairs well with most vegetables, so pick whatever your family loves. I like to make easy homemade French Bread with this dish.
Table of Contents
What you’ll need
This recipe is full of what I consider staples, and you probably already have them in the fridge and pantry, but maybe you never considered how to mix them.
This photo does not show all the ingredients I use, but they are Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and cornstarch.
Any type of noodle will work if you’re in a pinch and don’t have elbow macaroni. In the past, I have used penne, rotini, and bowtie pasta as well.
One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can prepare the 3 main components simultaneously. This is why this recipe comes together so quickly.
Step by Step Directions To Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
Start by preparing bacon. This recipe calls for 6 slices. I always have to prepare extra because we like to snack on it as a little appetizer.
If you prefer precooked bacon, this recipe works well with it. Just heat it according to the package directions, cool it, and then crumble it.
For this recipe, I like my bacon to be cooked through but not crispy. A few times, I have overcooked the bacon, and it didn’t bring the right flavor, but it worked.
Once the bacon has cooled, crumble and set aside until ready to mix in.
While the bacon is cooking, you will want to thoroughly cook 1 lb of hamburger meat.
You can season your hamburger meat to your liking. I like to use a little onion and garlic powder, but this recipe is still delicious without them. A dash of salt and pepper works well, too.
While you’re cooking the bacon and ground beef, bring a pot of water to boil for cooking your pasta.
While most pasta boxes indicate how much water to use, I have never measured. I do, however, follow the cooking time directions. For recipes that require me to add the noodles to a dish after cooking them, I will subtract a minute or 2 from the cooking time. This will leave you with perfectly cooked noodles, and not mush.
Once your water has come to a boil, add the elbow macaroni and cook according to the package. This is usually 9-11 minutes.
Drain the water and set aside until you are ready to bring the ingredients together.
While you prepare the hamburger, bacon, and noodles, you will prepare the sauce, which is packed with flavor.
You will need 1 and 1/2 cup beef broth. You can make your own using the directions on powdered beef flavor or prepackaged if you keep that in your pantry. I like to make my own so I can control the flavor. The powder I use recommends 1 tsp of beef powder to each cup of water, but I like to use 1 and a half tsp for a little extra flavor.
Add 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (you can add more or less to your liking.)
Add 3 TBSP of ketchup and mix thoroughly.
When adding cornstarch as a thickening agent, I like to mix the cornstarch using a smaller bowl. For this recipe, I pour 1/4 c of the beef broth mixture into a small bowl, then mix in 2 TSBP of cornstarch. Once the cornstarch has dissolved completely, I add the mix back into the beef broth cup and stir well.
In the skillet used to cook the hamburger meat, add the crumbled bacon, cooked noodles, and beef broth mix over medium heat.
Stir the mixture until the beef sauce thickens.
Add in 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese and 2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese.
I tend to shred my own cheese and have this great hack for making it easier. But when I am short on time, I will use pre-packaged shredded cheese.
If I don’t have these particular cheeses, you can use whatever you have. You can only use cheddar, or you can use Colby or Colby jack. It even tastes great with gouda.
Bring it all together
Over medium heat, mix everythig together until the cheese is melted.
Serve with a vegetable, fresh bread, or a nice side salad to balance your meal.
This recipe will quickly become one of your family favorites. It’s very affordable to make, and you can even adjust the measurements based on the number of people you’re feeding.
Easy Dinner: Homemade Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices of bacon or precooked bacon
- 1 lb hamburger meat
- Onion powder optional
- Garlic powder optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 and 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 TBSP ketchup
- 2 TBSP cornstarch
- 2 cups elbow macaroni or any pasta like penne, rotini, or bowtie
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese or other cheeses like Colby, Colby Jack, or Gouda
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until through but not crispy. Crumble and set aside.
- Cook the hamburger meat thoroughly, seasoning with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper if desired.
- Boil water and cook the pasta according to package directions, usually 9-11 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare the beef broth by mixing 1 and 1/2 tsp of beef powder with 1 and 1/2 cups of water.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and ketchup to the beef broth and mix thoroughly.
- Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of the beef broth mixture, then mix back into the remaining beef broth.
- In the skillet used for the hamburger meat, combine the cooked bacon, noodles, and beef broth mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Add shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese, stirring until melted.
- Serve hot with a vegetable, fresh bread, or a side salad.
The Best Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
If you’re looking for a quick easy dinner that can feed a lot of people, will leave you with left overs, and is a family favorite, give this one a try.
You can mix it up by using different meats and cheeses, if your family likes cooked onions, I have have diced and sautéed these to mix in. The onions add a great pop of flavor to the mix. Adding various side dishes, or a creaser salad rounds out this dish to make a complete meal.
To avoid longer clean up, if you’re not in a hurry use the same skillet to prepare the bacon, and hamburger meat. Some nights having one less dish to clean is worth starting dinner 15 minutes sooner. Another way I make clean up easy, is to wipe the stove and counters with my favorite natural all in one cleaner, Force of Nature.
