With groceries getting increasingly expensive by the day, it’s more useful than ever to keep a roster of simple and cheap meals on-hand. For many, thinking back to childhood can provide a nostalgic and delicious inspiration point for those meals. Recently, Redditor SamuraiMarine asked, “Did you have a ‘poor person’ or ‘just getting by’ recipe when you were young that is still a comfort food or favorite now, as an adult?” Here are the budget meals that will never go out of style.
1.
“Tuna surprise! It was mac ‘n’ cheese mixed with tuna and peas. As an adult, I find the name is terribly ironic because we had it regularly, and it was always made exactly the same way. There’s nothing surprising about it at all.”
2.
“Grilled peanut butter and jelly. It’s already inexpensive and simple, elevated by a little butter (or margarine, back then) in a hot pan.”
3.
“When I was young, my mom and I had just moved to a new town, and she was going through a divorce with someone who did not want to pay child support. Times were tough. She made several recipes that were off the cuff but good. I fondly remember her potato chip sandwiches: two slices of bread, a handful of potato chips (preferably Ruffles), and a little spread of mustard. At the time, I did not know we had financial problems. But to this day, about fifty years later, I will still make these sandwiches for myself. I like them, and they bring back fond memories of the togetherness we shared.”
4.
“It wasn’t necessarily a struggle meal, but this was a go-to dinner when my mom was exhausted and didn’t feel like cooking. She’d make mac and cheese and beef Rice-a-Roni and mix them together. I still make this for myself and my kids when I want something warm, comforting, and easy to throw together (plus there’s always leftovers).”
5.
“‘Dragon noodles,’ or at least this is what they used to be called on the Budget Bytes website. I think they are a few bucks to make and felt like an indulgence when I was in college and struggling to get by! Linguine noodles (cheaper than lo mein), a squirt of sriracha, a tablespoon of brown sugar, a squirt of soy sauce, and a scrambled egg. I still riff on it occasionally but often add things that were not affordable then like shrimp, cilantro, and sesame oil! But sometimes, I just crave the pure nostalgia of its original form.”
6.
“We used to make pizzas using canned biscuits. It was a fun night activity, too, when we were kids because we would stretch out the biscuits and pretend we were working at a pizza shop.”
7.
“My mom would make or buy tortillas, cut them into triangles, deep fry them, and then sprinkle them with cinnamon or powdered sugar. They’re absolutely delicious, and I sometimes still make them when I want something sweet.”
8.
“Creamed tuna on toast was a favorite when I was homesick, and sometimes I still want it when I’m feeling poorly.”
9.
“Mine is ramen with the water drained mostly out, peanut butter, soy sauce, whatever spicy thing I had on hand (but now gochujang and sriracha). I jazz it up even more now, but it was my super cheap, comforting, and filling meal that I’ll never stop making.”
10.
My dad used to make ground meat stretch by dumping a bunch of baked beans in with it, giving it a mix, and putting it over biscuits. I still crave it sometimes.”
11.
“Butter on toast with a sprinkle of sugar. My dad made it for me all the time. Or he’d put a dollop of strawberry jam in my Cheerios. These were my two breakfast options. I didn’t realize we were low-income until I got to college. My parents silently struggled but always had a meal for me. I’m thankful they did their best.”
12.
“For us, it was steamed white rice with boiled hot dogs. I always think of living with my grandma whenever I make it as an adult.”
13.
“My mother made what she called ‘Sunshine Casserole’. I don’t think she made up the name. I later learned it was just cheesy bread pudding. It tasted fantastic right out of the oven. I learned much later that it was made with government bread, government cheese, government butter, and government milk.”
14.
“Pasta with butter and parmesan (not real parmesan cheese, the cheap store brand of the Kraft powdered version). It’s what got me through my first years on my own. I still make it a couple of times a year because it’s just familiar comfort food.”
15.
“The wife and I got married at 20. Didn’t know how to cook much at that time. One of our weekly meals was a $1 Stoufers chicken pot pie on top of a baked potato. 36 years later…. Perhaps not weekly, but still often enough.”
16.
“When money was tight, my mom would make haluski. Cabbage, bacon, carrots, and egg noodles. Makes a huge pot with tons of leftovers for pretty damn cheap, especially if you shop at discount stores. I make it sometimes for me and my partner, and it tastes like cozy days and childhood to me.”
17.
“Pinto beans with a piece of ham or bacon in a Crock Pot and served over rice with cornbread. I ate it as a kid and asked for it on my birthday. I eat it several times a year. I’m making it this weekend.”
18.
“My mom called it potluck deluxe. She cut hot dogs, fried them with chopped onions, and then added that to cooked rice and canned tomatoes. I still make it today.”
19.
“Toast with whatever spreadable thing we happen to have on hand (butter, jam, smashed raspberries, peanut butter, cream cheese, hummus, goat cheese, avocado, etc, and maybe some fruit or veggies on top and maybe a drizzle of honey or melted cheese and lunch meat). You can make so many different full meals with protein, carbs, and fat that way from having very few options in the fridge. As an added bonus, it’s so easy.”
Do you have something to add? What is a struggle meal or zero-effort dish you made when times were tough that you still love to this day? Tell us about it in the comments or in this anonymous form.