It’s hard to ignore the rising cost of everyday groceries and how expensive it has become to put a filling meal on the table. Well, if you’re looking for some cheap, satisfying dinner inspo, the search is over. Redditor IPod_Kid29 asked, “Those of you who grew up poor, what was your favorite meal?” Here are some of the “poverty meals” people still make today.
1.
“My mom would pan-fry peanut butter sandwiches like grilled cheese, then she’d put that fake maple syrup all over the hot sandwiches. Peanut butter and maple is still a favorite of mine.”
2.
“Cheater’s lasagna, but I only knew it as mom’s macaroni, and she still makes it for me cause it tastes like memories. Boil cheap macaroni noodles and layer them (twice) with Kraft single cheese and diced tomatoes. Bake until the cheese is gooey. Even just thinking about I feel like I’m a kid again.”
3.
“Elbow macaroni with diced tomatoes and a little salt and pepper. This meal got me through my teen years when we were too broke to buy meat.”
4.
“Pinto beans (washed, picked, and left in water overnight) and a ham hock. If we were lucky, we’d lucky a couple of bay leaves. We’d let that sit in the slow cooker all day, and man, that was some filling and good stuff. It lasted three or four days, too, with a big enough pot. I still make this sometimes.”
5.
“Blue pasta. My mother was quite clever, and to not make us realize that we ate pasta with little else several days in a row, she used food coloring. The blue pasta was my favorite. It tasted the same as any other pasta with ketchup, but when you’re a kid, simply believing something is special makes it so.”
6.
“Mac ‘n’ cheese, peas, and tuna. My granny made this for us all the time! We’d put onions in sometimes to be ‘special.’ I think I might make it for myself tomorrow.”
7.
“What my grandma called ‘egg surprise.’ She’d boil an egg, and the surprise would be if it was hardboiled, softboiled, or basically raw. It was the only thing she could ‘cook.'”
8.
“Mac and cheese with hotdogs cut up in it.”
9.
“Just a simple cheese quesadilla. My mom taught me how to microwave them, then crisp both sides in the pan.”
10.
“Frijoles (red beans) boiled in a pot that would last at least six days for a family of five. And pan con mayonesa was another staple, which was basically wonder bread with Miracle Whip.”
11.
“Pancakes for dinner was always a treat. It was an extra treat if there were some sliced apples in there. That and a glass of milk, and you fed a couple of kids for less than a dollar.”
12.
“Vegetarian chili is my go-to cheap meal. One can each of black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans, one can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted preferred), one chopped onion, one chopped bell pepper, three minced cloves garlic, three tablespoons chili, two tablespoons cumin, a quarter teaspoon or so of chili flakes, a tablespoon or so of tomato paste. Throw it all in a crock pot and serve over a baked potato. I usually get about six servings out of one recipe.”
13.
“Biscuit donut holes: Cut a biscuit in quarters, roll it into a ball, and then deep fry. When it’s brown, take it out and immediately roll in topping. Toppings could include a tub of cake icing, cinnamon sugar mix, or powdered sugar. Great with coffee.”
—abourque
14.
“Regular old rice and beans. We always had black beans; my mom made the rice with chicken stock and maybe some butter.”
15.
“Tomatoes on toast. So basically a BLT minus the bacon and lettuce.”
16.
“Our version of fried rice, which includes a packet of microwave rice, two eggs, and a few slices of deli ham. Fry up the ham and cut or tear it into pieces, scramble the eggs, chuck the rice into the microwave for two minutes, and then throw everything into a bowl. It’s still one of my go-to meals because it’s quick, easy, and tastes good.”
—ravenbard
17.
“Frito pie: Fritos in a bowl, chili on top, shredded cheese over that, pop it into the microwave. It’s filling and comforting. I still eat it quite often.”
18.
“My mom would mix some eggs, leftover ham, and leftover rice, pan-fry them, and then serve them on toast with a slice of cheese.”
19.
“Tomato soup and grilled cheese got me through college. I still enjoy making it today as a comfort food. The combination is delicious and cheap.”
20.
“When my kids were young, we would chop an onion and saute it with butter, then add it to a big can of pork and beans along with some mustard and cut up hot dogs. We put it in a casserole dish and baked it. I still make it occasionally.”
—angelicwizard985
21.
“Corned beef hash. Canned corn beef with frozen hash browns cooked up with an onion. The whole meal for four people came out to ~$4. I still like making this meal.”
22.
“One of my favorite ‘struggle meals’ is just a can of spicy sardines and some bread to soak up some of the oil. This meal also has the advantage of being very portable and not needing refrigeration.”
—casualpizza23
23.
“Fried Bologna sandwiches with a single cut sliced into so it wouldn’t balloon up but rather fry flat on the pan. We ate it with mustard on bread. This delicacy could also feature hot dogs in lieu of Bologna, but always on white bread with mustard.”
24.
“Hot dogs that were fried with chopped onions, red and/or green peppers, tomatoes, seasonings (salt/pepper or adobo, garlic powder, etc..), a bit of ketchup, and a bit of water to make it saucy. We’d have it with either rice or bread.”
—shaunc4ec0a868e
25.
“Toasted bread with butter and cinnamon sugar. I’m 52 and haven’t been poor since childhood, yet I still crave and make this every now and then.”
Do you have something to add? What is a cheap meal you grew up eating and still love or a “poverty meal” you make when the grocery budget is tight? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
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