Crockpot Hamburger Helper

Our homemade Crockpot hamburger helper recipe is simple to make with uncooked elbow macaroni noodles, ground beef and a jar of spaghetti sauce. The best goulash style dinner, next to our crockpot hamburger casserole.

This homemade hamburger helper recipe is amazingly easy! There's something about a casserole in the crock pot that makes you feel good…..whether it's winter or summertime! It's definitely one of our favorite easy crockpot recipes We make almost every month.

We use our slow cooker at least once a week on days that are going to be busy and we won't get home until dinnertime. That way we can throw it all in before we leave and know it will be ready when we are “starving” after swimming or whatever activity we have that day.

When we can cook everything together with the meat, sauce and noodles it is a real win because there is nothing to prep when we are ready to eat, that is why this meal is such a huge hit.

Ingredient notes

In general when it comes to the meat we will use 80/20 Ground beef precooked and browned first. If we have a roll of spicy Jimmy Dean sausage on hand we will use that or half and half for a medium heat. It adds a lot of flavor. You should drain either before adding into the pot.

Do you need to cook the ground beef first?

Yes, the meat should be precooked in a pan on the stove. If you want to add bacon cook that first, leave the juices, then throw in the ground beef and diced onion together. That way all the flavors meld together. Throw that into the pot with all of the other ingredients and it's ready to cook all day.

Can you use ground sausage instead?

As far as proteins go you can use your favorite. We have found that half ground beef and half spicy sausage might be our favorite for this and our slow cooker lasagna casserole. Brings in a bit of spicy flavor to the dish without a lot of added ingredients.

To make things super easy we will add a jar of Spaghetti sauce store bought or make homemade Instant Pot spaghetti sauce before.

Onions diced are nice but optional. We will use either white or yellow for this. They will cook down to super tender so the kids don't even notice they are there but add flavor nontheless.

And then for the pasta we will use Elbow macaroni noodles. We mean you can use any shape you want but we suggest small sizes so it takes the least amount of time.

Do you have to cook the noodles separately?

NO, it cooks together!! You see those will be put it in uncooked, submerged near the end to tender in about 30 minutes right in the sauce giving them a ton of flavor.

Petite Diced tomatoes canned makes it easy to add a bit more moisture, flavor and more texture.

For the necessary liquid you need Beef broth is better than water but could be used. You want as much flavor as possible so go with broth or stock of some kind.

Swaps

If you wanted to add 1 cup shredded cheese to this you could quite easily to melt inside or leave it out for dairy free. We like to fold in some near the end and then more on top. We love sharp cheddar cheese which will make a cheeseburger macaroni version of this. Or add a few cut up pieces of Velveeta.

Add a dollop of ricotta too if you want. There is a lot of leway with this one for sure. We usually grab a box of macaroni or whatever is on sale that day for this one. They all basically taste the same. Gluten free wouldn't take as long so you'd need to keep a closer eye on those.

How Long to Cook Hamburger Helper in Crockpot

You will want to precook ground beef with your onions in a pan to begin with which takes 4-5 min.. Drain (or not, your choice) and add into your pot. You can then add diced bacon into that same pan and cook until it is not crispy, but cooked (optional).

Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. Near the end uncover and stir in entire box of uncooked macaroni noodles, stir, recover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender.

If you've jumped on the pressure cooker train we also made a version of this that takes 15 minutes called Instant Pot chili mac that you should try next that takes 5 minutes as well as:

Crockpot Hamburger Helper Recipe

By easy crockpot hamburger helper recipe made with ground beef with uncooked macaroni noodles. A goulash style dinners according to our kids. Add cheese and make it cheeseburger hamburger helper if you like! Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 6 hours hrsTotal: 6 hours hrs 10 minutes minsServings: 8 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup beef broth, or water
• 1 box macaroni noodles, 12-16 oz, uncooked
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, optional

Instructions

• Precook ground beef with onions. Pour into the pot.
• Add everything else except the macaroni noodles in as well and cover.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hrs.
• Uncover and stir in entire box of uncooked macaroni noodles in, stir, recover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender to your liking.
• To make cheesy you can add 3/4 cup of shredded cheese in at same time as your noodles and then some more on each bowl when served.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main CourseCuisine: American Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

Kitchen questions

Can you put raw hamburger in a slow cooker?

You can if that is all you are adding and using it as a way to cook it. That can be done in about 6 hours broken up into pieces. If mixed with other ingredients like we did here with sauce and noodles you will want to brown it in a skillet first.

Is Hamburger Helper better with milk or water?

We don't use either, we like beef broth instead. Has a lot more flavor than water. If you wanted it to be creamy then yes you could use a dairy product instead but we would add that near the end so it doesn't curdle with the heat.

Can you use ground sausage instead of ground beef?

Absolutely, that is a great substitution. We will sometimes use 1/2 pound of each with the Jimmy Dean spicy version of their sausage to give this meal some heat. We love it!

How to save leftovers

Yes! It might actually be better than fresh…being honest. Once it has cooled you can spoon it into a container with a lid or covered with foil tightly. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days and then reheat in a microwave safe dish for about 1 minute or so. We like to add some cheese shreds to the top when we do this to add ooey gooeyness.

Over time the pasta will soak up the sauce so it will be a bit less saucy. If you have extra spaghetti sauce you can add a tbsp or so to the top to loosen it up a bit too. OR use it a bit like sloppy joe mixture and after warmed add it in between two buns for a fun lunch time for the kiddos. We mean out of the box means fun and fun means more yummy right.

It's a warm feel good meal that our kids ask us to make often and even our husband and we like it (we eat it the next day for lunch too and it's good).

Other easy slow cooker recipes you'll love

You will LOVE our easy cheap crockpot meals here. When we are meal planning we will rotate through this list and add 1 every week when we know we are going to be busy. Here's a roundup of other crockpot hamburger recipes like this crockpot spaghetti and meatballs is always a winner