Easy Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
This healthy homemade hamburger helper recipe is made with noodles, cheeses, spices, milk, and beef to bring back the memories of this classic 90’s dish. No need to buy the less-healthy boxed version when you can make this easy recipe from scratch.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven A large stock pot will also work.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta I use Jovial einkorn fusilli pasta, but you can use elbow macaroni, bowtie pasta, or something similar.
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt divided
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese or cheddar, mozzarella, whatever cheese you prefer
- 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with water and sprinkle in some salt, cook pasta according to cook time on package directions.
- Once cooked, drain the cooked pasta and set aside.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet with minced garlic cloves and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste. Pour off extra beef fat and set aside.
- Melt butter in the large pot the noodles were cooked in, over low heat.
- Toss the noodles back into the pot with butter and add shredded cheese. Add in the milk or cream, stir, and place the lid on the pot.
- Heat on low until the cheese is melted.
- Add in Dijon mustard, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Add eggs; stir well – quickly.
- Stir in browned meat and garlic.
- Taste test and add more salt if needed. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Double the batch if you have a big family or want to have some leftovers for the rest of the week.
- Consider sprinkling on some red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce if you like a little heat.
- Serve topped with fresh parsley if desired for a little extra flavor and color.
- I love using Jovial einkorn pasta. ‘If you can’t ferment it, einkorn it’ is my slogan. Einkorn flour is much easier to digest than regular flour.
- I’ve tried this with multiple types of cheese. You could use fancier cheeses or stick to mozzarella or cheddar.
- Whole milk is preferred, as it adds a nice, smooth flavor. To make it even creamier, you can use heavy cream or half & half.
- It sounds odd, but adding eggs to this dish makes it so, so creamy and delicious.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 979mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 729IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 330mg | Iron: 3mg