Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper

5 from 3 votes

Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper

This Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper is easy to make with a prep time of 15 minutes. You'll love this homemade version, it's better than store-bought. The macaroni cooks right inside the crock pot for a one-pot meal that you're family will request over and over.

Prep Time15

Cook Time4

Total Time4 15

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, crockpot

Servings: servings

Calories: 275kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef can also use chicken or turkey
1 cup chopped onion about 1 small onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 minced garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
14.5 ounce can beef broth
14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
seasoning salt or salt and black pepper amount as desired
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese 1 1/2 cups
Optional garnishes: chopped parsley, sour cream, additional shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble ground beef. Drain any excess fat.
Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. Season with seasoning salt or salt and black pepper as desired.,
To a Crockpot, whisk together cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and seasoning salt or salt and black pepper.
Add the cooked beef mixture to a slow cooker, and stir until combined.
Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or on high 2-3 hours.
In the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in uncooked elbow macaroni. Cover and turn the heat to high.
Stir in shredded cheddar cheese. Cover again until cook until the cheese is melted and pasta fully cooked, about 2-3 minutes.
Give the mixture one last stir, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish as desired, and serve hot.

Video

Notes

Storage:

You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove until warmed through.

We recommend freezing any leftovers before adding the noodles and cheese. This ensures that the noodles don't get mushy after thawing. When you reheat the hamburger helper, simply boil macaroni noodles on the stove and stir them in before serving.

Tips:

Cook the beef and veggies in advance. You will want to cook these stovetop before adding to the slow cooker. This ensures the right texture and gives some extra delicious browning flavor to the beef.

The crock pot cooks the macaroni for you! Just stir the uncooked noodles in during the last 15 minutes of cooking and you'll be amazed. They will be perfectly cooked.

Add the cheese right before serving. This prevents the cheesy from clumping together in the beef mixture.

Swap the beef for chicken or turkey. If you are looking for a leaner alternative, ground chicken or turkey are both great options.

Make the cream of mushroom soup from scratch. We have a great recipe for it that we make once a week for slow cooker meals.

Nutrition

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