Homemade Hamburger Helper

Steps

1. 1Bring a pot of a water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and cook the macaroni till al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. 2Meanwhile, brown the ground meat in about a tablespoon of olive oil (if your meat is on the lean side) or less (if your meat is on the fattier side). I always start this browning process over high heat and then turn the heat down to medium when the meat starts browning. With a wooden spoon, stir the meat around so that it browns evenly — don’t get too fussed here…you just want the meat to be almost cooked through with a few browned bits here and there.
3. 3Scoop the meat out of the pan with a slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the pan you cooked the meat in, add another tablespoon (or more or less depending on how much onion you are using) of olive oil, and sauté the onion until slightly soft, about five minutes. Again, don’t get too fussed here — if the onions begin to brown, that’s ok; if they don’t, that’s also ok. You can’t mess this up.
4. 4Add the ground beef back to the pan. Season with a pinch of oregano. Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir to coat evenly. Squirt in some ketchup (about a tablespoon) and tomato paste (a couple of teaspoons) and season with pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Add the cooked pasta and stir to incorporate.
5. 5Sprinkle in the cheese and stir until melted and combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. This gets better the longer it sits, so don’t be afraid to make it early in the day and reheat it come dinner time. It also reheats in the microwave very nicely.