This Cheeseburger Macaroni is the ultimate comfort food dish! It’s made with ground beef, tender pasta, shredded American and cheddar cheese, and classic burger toppings. It’s like classic Hamburger Helper but with that made-from-scratch flavor. Ready in under an hour, this one-pot dish is a weeknight hero that tastes just like a cheeseburger!
Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni Recipe
This actually tastes like a cheeseburger in macaroni form! It’s a copycat of Hamburger Helper where the pasta gets cooked in the skillet after browning the ground beef.
What’s unique about this homemade cheeseburger macaroni recipe is adding a little ketchup, mustard, dill pickles, and onions. The onions still have a little crunch, and the ketchup, mustard, and dill pickles make it taste like a cheeseburger.
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The American cheese makes the cheese sauce super creamy but adding some cheddar gives it a little depth. It’s basically a ground beef mac and cheese and you know how I love a good ooey gooey mac and cheese recipes! (there are 20 recipes on the site, this old fashioned mac and cheese is my go-to)
Right before serving, I slide the skillet under the broiler so the cheese on top gets bubbly and just a little golden. A handful of raw onion sprinkled over at the end gives it that sharp, crunchy bite you’d expect from a burger. And honestly, while I’ll never turn down a good cheeseburger, the creamy sauce and the fact that I only have one pan to wash makes this version hard to beat.
A few things you’ll need
Check the recipe card for the full list and step-by-step instructions.
- Ground beef: You can also use ground turkey, or even ground chicken.
- Cheeses: I use a blend of American cheese and sharp cheddar cheese to create a sharp, tangy flavor. You can also use Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or any other type of cheese you prefer. If you can’t find a block of American cheese, ask them to cut you a block at the deli department of your grocery store. The block works much better than the pre-wrapped slices.
- Classic burger fixings: I like to toss in chopped onion, a few dill pickles, ketchup, a squirt of yellow mustard, and a splash of Worcestershire, basically everything that makes a burger taste like a burger. You don’t have to use them all, though. Keep the ones you love, skip the rest. If you want to dress it up, swap the yellow mustard for Dijon, but if you’re after that classic drive-thru flavor, stick with the yellow.
Pro tip: Adding baking soda to ground beef helps it retain it’s moisture and brown better by raising the acidity of the meat.
Are You Ready to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper
Step One: Prep and cook the ground beef
// my go-to oven proof skillet //
Step Two: Add milk, water, and pasta
Step Three: Stir in cheese and condiments
Step Four: Broil and serve
Broil the dish until the cheese browns, let it cool a bit and sprinkle with extra onions before serving.
Featured reader review
“Very good! I used ground turkey because a family member has alpha gal. It took about 10 minutes for my macaroni to reach al dente. I didn’t have American cheese, so used Velveeta instead. Didn’t add the 8 oz of shredded cheddar because it was already very cheesy. Thanks for a delicious and easy recipe! Looking forward to trying more. “
Dawn
Every time I make this, I play around a little depending on what’s in my fridge. Sometimes I throw in extra mustard or sweet pickles. Sometimes I keep it classic. That’s the beauty of it, it’s forgiving, unfussy, and still hits the cheeseburger mark.
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Easy Cheeseburger Macaroni Without the Box
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 8 ounces elbow pasta
- 1 cup whole milk
- 8 ounces American Cheese shredded
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup onion diced, plus extra for topping
- ¼ cup dill pickles chopped
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups Water
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the hamburger to a medium bowl and add ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, baking soda and a tablespoon of water. Mix with your hands until combined and let sit for 15 minutes
- In a large oven proof skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium high heat. When hot, add hamburger, breaking it apart. Cook until it is browned, about 6 minutes. Drain grease if needed.
- To the skillet, add milk, and 1 ½ cups of water and uncooked pasta. Bring it to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes.
- Add 1 ½ cups of American cheese, 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese along with onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes. Season to taste. Remove from heat and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Place the oven rack 6 inches from the broiler and turn on the broiler function of your oven. Place the skillet under the broiler until the cheese starts to brown, about 1-2 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle additional chopped onions on top.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- If there is extra grease after browning the hamburger, drain it off before moving forward.
- American cheese is what gives this the distinct cheeseburger flavor and creamy texture. You can get it in block form at the deli in most grocery stores.
Nutrition
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Dawn says
Very good! I used ground turkey because a family member has alpha gal. It took about 10 minutes for my macaroni to reach al dente. I didn’t have American cheese, so used Velveeta instead. Didn’t add the 8 oz of shredded cheddar because it was already very cheesy. Thanks for a delicious and easy recipe! Looking forward to trying more.
Barbara Curry says
Ground turkey or chicken are a great substitute. Velveeta is a little more melty than American cheese but it provides a similar taste. Glad it turned out.