DIY Cheesy Hamburger Helper with Beef & Bacon
Trust me, this homemade hamburger helper recipe, while similar to the boxed original, is about 100 times better! Instead of just ground beef added to pasta with dehydrated cheese, my version of the pasta recipe is dressed up with crispy bacon, fresh garlic and onion, white wine, heavy cream, 2 types of cheese plus a pinch of paprika for a little kick. The recipe serves 8.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 5 strips bacon (chopped (½ lb))
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Texas Pete hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 ounces pasta (elbow or canehiglie)
- 5 ounces American Cheese
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium low heat and add onions, season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 3-5 minutes, add garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Increase the heat to medium high and add chopped bacon and ground beef. Cook until it has browned and the liquid has evaporated. If there is grease, drain it.
- Add white wine and allow it to reduce until almost dry, about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, cream, hot sauce, paprika and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add cheese stirring until melted, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chives.
Barbara's Notes + Tips
- If you are using ground chuck, you will need to drain the grease.
- For the American cheese, get it from the deli.
- If you don't like spicy food, decrease the hot sauce to 1-2 tablespoons.
Nutrition
Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 966mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 979IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 374mg | Iron: 2mg
