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Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe

Here's the internet's best recipe for homemade hamburger helper with a special blend of seasonings, extra sharp cheese, and veggies.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pd ground beef 80/20
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups low sodium beef or chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
  • 10 oz gemelli, corkscrew, shell, or penne pasta
  • 2 cups tillamook extra shard cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 tbsp season salt
  • 1 whole red onion diced
  • 1 tbsp paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, chili flakes
  • 1 dash dry mustard
  • 4 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp Crystal hot sauce
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 cups spinach optional
  • 1/4 cup sour cream to garnish
  • 1 sprig thyme to garnish

Instructions
 

  • place the ground beef (or ground turkey for a healthier option) inside your large pot or pan and brown the meat with salt and pepper. This should take about 5-7 minutes and just until the meat is no longer pink. 
  • As soon as you start to cook the meat, throw in the diced red onion. 
  • Once your meat has browned, go ahead and remove the grease from your pan with a strainer. Feel free to leave a little grease behind. I like the added flavor.
  • Add diced garlic and mix everything together until well combined. Don’t overwork the beef to keep it tender but do break it down as you stir to combine.
  • Add dry seasonings; Italian seasoning, Lawry’s season salt, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, chili flakes, and a dash of dry mustard.
  • Finish with a few dashes of Crystal hot sauce.
  • Add your uncooked medium shell pasta noodle of choice to your pot of meat, onions, garlic, and dry seasonings. Incorporate well, 1 minute. 
  • Then quickly add a  beef broth. I prefer low sodium. But feel free to use chicken, or vegetable broth as well. Don’t skip this step. This rich and nourishing broth helps to heighten all the flavors and tie the dish together. 
  • Pour in the milk. Also, squeeze in that ketchup.
  • Bring everything to a quick boil and ensure all ingredients are covered in the broth liquid. Reduce to medium and simmer. This should take about 6-8 minutes. 
  • Fold in a bag of spinach. It cooks fast. Simply toss in  your spinach and watch it fold into the pot seamlessly.
  • Fold in your shredded extra sharp cheese and stir to incorporate. Once incorporated, remove the entire dish from your heat and add a dollop of sour cream. Stir to combine. Save a bit of cheese for the end to garnish!
  • Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream, garnish of shredded cheese, diced thyme, or parsley and an additional sprinkling of pepper.
Keyword homemade hamburger helper, pasta