Do your kids love hamburger helper as much as mine? It’s such an easy mom win to make, and always goes over well, but I’m not the biggest fan. Plus the boxed version has a million ingredients you can’t even pronounce. I found this homemade version that is easy AND delicious and full of real ingredients.
Photo and recipe credits to: Salt & Lavender
You could even add in some veggies to make it even more wholesome. This recipe takes only 30 minutes to make and very little prep, so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight. It’s warm and comforting, which is perfect for us right now as we are getting a ton of snow! Let me know how you like this compared to the boxed stuff.
xo, Jaime
| Prep Time | 5 mintutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground beef
- 1/2 medium Onion chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
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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.
- 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.
- While it's cooking, grate the cheese (this saves prep time at the start of the recipe).
- 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.
Recipe Notes
Recipe credit to: Salt & Lavender
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