Easy Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp paprika optional
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup half & half optional
- 1 tbsp minced garlic optional
Instructions
- Add the beef and onions to a soup pot. Cook over medium-high heat until the beef has browned (about 7-10 minutes), breaking the meat up with your spoon as you go along. If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
- Stir in the tomato paste, garlic powder, and chili powder. (paprika and minced garlic, if using)
- Add in the beef broth and increase the heat to high. Once it starts boiling, add in the macaroni.
- Reduce the heat so it's not furiously boiling (a rapid simmer is good). I ended up cooking mine over medium heat. Let it cook uncovered until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 13-15 minutes). I stir it every couple of minutes.
- Add in half & half, if using. Stir.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt & pepper as needed. I let it sit for a couple minutes prior to serving (soaks up the sauce and flavors more), but you can serve it right away.
Notes
I used 3/4 of an 8 oz can of tomato paste