I remember back in my 20’s loving hamburger helper and the older I got the less I liked it. Most people would say I became a food snob. But honestly the older I got the more I got into cooking and baking. Most days I really enjoy cooking dinner. When I asked the kids their favorite meals, hamburger helper was one of their top meals. I have made this a few times, but really never perfected it until recently.

This is another one pot meal, that takes less than 30 minutes to make. So perfect for those busy weeknight dinners. Start by cooking the lean ground beef and onion in the pot. If you are using ground beef that has a lot of grease, you will need to scoop some of the grease out. Add in the garlic, tomato paste, tomato sauce and beef broth. Bring to a boil and add a pasta. I will say I usually use short/small pasta because that is usually what I have on Hand. I add anywhere from 3-4 cups of shredded cheese. To be honest I usually don’t measure. I just grate the cheese and throw it in. If I am lucky and Jimmy is home, he will grate the cheese for me. This meals feeds 6–8 to people, that really depends on how much each person eats. The kids usually eat two servings at dinner time and will take some for lunch the next day in their thermoses.

I will say the kids loved the homemade version so much better than the box mix and so do the hubs and I. What should be the next box mix I make into a homemade recipe?

That’s What Is Cooking In My Kitchen ????

Billie-Jo

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of lean ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 32 oz of beef broth
• 1 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes 
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni or small pasta
• 3-4 cups of  Tillamook shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, saute hamburger meat and onion.
2. Add in garlic and saute for 1 minute.
3. Next add in tomato paste, beef broth, crushed tomatoes and seasoning. Stir together until combined. 
4. Add in uncooked macaroni or small pasta and bring to a rapid boil. Turn it down to medium and a place a lid on top. Let cook until liquid is absorbed, should take about 12-14 minutes. 
5. Season with salt and pepper. 
6. Add in the grated cheese, stir until the cheese is melted.
7. Let the dinner sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Recommendations

If using fresh grated cheese, grate the cheese while the pasta is cooking. I prefer using Tillamook cheese, because it gives it a nice cream cheese sauce. You can use anywhere from 3-4 cups of cheese. You can use macaroni or any short/small pasta you have on hand.

Hey there!!

I’m Billie, a recipe creator, food photographer, a girl that just loves to be in the kitchen and a travel lover.

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