If you grew up on Hamburger Helper, you are going to LOVE this recipe for Cheeseburger Pasta. Everything is cooked right in one pan!
When my kids were growing up and money was tight, one of their favorite meals happened to be Hamburger Helper.
Being on a tight grocery budget, this meal typically costs only about $3 to make. When the little red box came out, the kids would squeal with delight. Me? Not so much.
I didn't like the taste of the sauce, so I set out to try my hardest to recreate this dish, making the sauce homemade -- and I finally accomplished it!
If you love the taste of a good cheesy cheeseburger, you are going to FLIP over the taste of this Cheeseburger Pasta. The best part is that everything can be made in one pan. These types of recipes are my favorite for this very reason. Be sure to check out this recipe for easy Beef Stroganoff for another easy and delicious recipe.
I have written a lot about one-pan recipes here on the blog --
- My One Pan Spaghetti Bake
- This One Pan Lemon Shrimp and Asparagus
- My One Pan Steak Fajitas
- One Pan Ranch Chicken and Veggies
The possibilities for one-pan dinners are endless!
You can't use just any skillet, either. You need something that can go from stove to oven to table (which is why I love my Lodge Cast Iron Deep Skillet).
I finally broke down earlier this year and bought this cast-iron skillet for myself. I am a sucker for anything cast iron these days, and this one has quickly become my favorite.
You can purchase them on Amazon for around $60, but this time of year, you might be able to find a deal on them. There are some cheaper brands on there, but I am not really sure how well they hold up.
How to Make Cheeseburger Pasta
To make this dish, you should have everything on hand in the pantry (that's my secret -- a well-stocked pantry!)
I used everything I had on hand -
- ½ bag of wide egg noodles
- 1 pound of ground beef from my Butcher Box Sample Pack
- 1 cup of sharp shredded cheddar cheese
- Cornstarch, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, water, and milk
Brown your ground beef and then drain. Now, add all your liquids and spices into the mix and then top it off with your noodles.
If you do not have egg noodles, you can use whatever noodle you have on hand -- elbow macaroni, bow tie pasta, spaghetti noodles, etc.
Turn it on high until it starts to boil. Then turn on low and let it cook for about 12 minutes.
When it gets done, you have this delicious pasta! Remove from the heat and then top with the cheddar cheese. Place the lid back on and let it sit for a couple of minutes so the cheese can melt. When it is done, it looks and tastes better than any Hamburger Helper I have ever had.
If a more traditional cheeseburger is your thing, then check out this double bacon cheeseburger recipe, which I am sure would be a hit.
One Pan Cheeseburger Pasta
If you love Hamburger Helper, you will love this pasta dish! Everything can be made in one pan and takes about 20 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- salt and pepper to taste at the end.
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cups milk
- ½ bag wide egg noodles(or your noodle of choice)
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- On medium-high heat, brown your ground beef in a deep skillet.
- Drain the fat off the meat and put it back in the pan/pot. Add the hot water and milk and then all of your spices, cornstarch, and pasta. Mix everything together. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat to simmer and put the lid on. Cook for about 12 minutes. Remove the lid. Add the cheese and place the lid back on for two minutes.
- Remove lid and mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper and then enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 310mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 26g
How much is a 1/2 bag of egg noodles? 6 oz.? 8 oz.?
A good pasta like this would really make my family happy. The cast iron skillet was definitely a good investment!
I am ALL for one pan meals. Especially on those busy school nights when I don't have a lot of time to cook.
Yum! A family friendly meal and I love that it all can be made in one pan! This means less dishes for mama 🙂
Oh, Hamburger Helper is one of my specialties over here! LOL This is awesome. Will definitely make this.
Thanks for the dinner idea. This is going into my menu plan for next week. As much as my family loves burgers and pasta, this dish is sure to be a winner!
My family loves having pasta. I bet this tastes amazing too. It sure does look great. I'm going to save this so I can make it later. Yum!
My kids would love this so much! I need to make it soon for them this winter.
This is comfort food for sure!!! Much tastier homemade than from a box too!
This is one of my favorite one pan dishes! I love how much you can make and how many people you can feed for cheap.
I remember eating Hamburger Helper as a kid. Nowadays, not so much. I just don't care for the taste. This dish though I am sure my family will love. Homemade is so much better.
This looks really good and pretty easy to make. Might do it next week for dinner.
Can all of this be considered just one serving? Asking for a friend 😉 Looks so delicious!
Looks like a recipe my family would love since it has all their favs .... meat, pasta & CHEESE. Are we looking at a recipe that would serve about 4 people?
There are 4 adult people in my family and we all eat healthy helpings and there is always some left over.
Hoping to cook this for dinner. New to the one pan world. Just to clarify, am I adding pre-cooked states, or is the pasta being cooked during the boiling and simmering process with everything else?
The pasta goes into the sauce dry. It takes about 10-12 minutes to soften. Everything is done in one pan!
How much pasta in half of a bag? I suspect 6 oz but please clarify.
It’s a full 16 ounce bag so half that would be 8 ounce
I made this. Then realized I was out of milk. So I used 3 Cups of water versus 1 cup water and 2 cups milk and just added some extra cheese. Turned out super still. Better than the boxed stuff. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you liked it!! That's good to know about the substitution.
I don’t have any cornstarch on hand, how would the dish be affected without cornstarch?
I don’t think it would bother it that much at all - it’s usually just for thickening purposes
I appreciate this recipe because, unlike other cheeseburger casseroles, it has no tomato products or raw onions - I'm allergic to both. I look forward to trying it!
Yay! Hope you like it. We love it here.
When exactly do you add pasta. It doesn’t say when on directions?
It tells you in step 2 when to add the pasta
Wasn’t really impressed with it, thought hamburger helper was better
It's each to his own. Most everyone else thought this was better than HH. It's usually a taste preference.
Delish! Perfect for a healthier version of a box meal. Plus I love that it only takes 15 mins and 12 secs! If it had been 14 secs it would have been over cooked😂. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad that you liked it!
Very bland. Won’t make again.
Sorry you feel that way. You can add more flavor by adding extra salt.
How much is 1/2 bag of wide egg noodles? My grocery stores sells 12 ounce bags of egg noodles.
Yes. 1/2 a bag of one of those sizes.
I’m confused. You we paid you needed a pan that goes from stove, to oven, to table for this recipe, no where in the instructions does it say it goes in the oven?
Yuck. Very bland and not good!!!!
Well I am sorry you feel that way. Feel free to adjust the seasonings and salt level to your preference.
What Is one for serving? One what?
I hate the nutrition facts on this thing...they never calculate right. One serving is is a scoop or two using a ladel? Everyone eats differently.