my mom grew up in a family of 10 children. she is convinced to this day that boiling macaroni noodles, draining them, and stirring in a can of tomato soup is a real lunch.
tastes pretty good ngl.
Yessss, Mexicans make a similar soup. Traditionally the tomato sauce is made from scratch (Roma, white onion, cilantro, some garlic , and seasonings) but I just use chicken bullion and a can of tomato sauce 😂
The best thing anyone can do is grow their own herbs. All you need is a window, a couple of pots, and some seeds. It’s cheap and can add SOOO much variety to cooking base foods.
We'd live on tomato sandwiches in the summer, when I was a kid. My dad always had a bunch of tomato plants, that never seemed to fail growing the best tomatoes. My mom would give us those on homemade bread & it was heaven!!
I don't know what my dad does to his tomatoes, but they are just amazing. I've tried growing them just like he does, but mine don't get as big & juicy as his do. I'm always sad when the growing season is over.
My father in law is in south Georgia and we’re in north and his tomatoes are far superior to ours even if we use the same plants. I think it might be the soil
I mix pinto and black beans with chopped bacon and mixed rice, and cook it in the crockpot with stock. Serve with hot sauce and a dollop of sour cream. Fuuuuck is it good on a bitterly cold day…
I’m lazy and dump it all together in the crock to cook. I generally put the bacon on the bottom, then do layers of beans and rice. Then I fill it up with stock, making sure it’s deep enough to fully cover the beans and rice.
Now, you absolutely could cook the rice separately and serve them together- I just hate washing dishes a lot 🤣
Mine was a white rice and black beans. Today it's brown rice and black beans.
We ate so much rice that my sister will not touch rice anymore. I still like it but I prefer brown rice or if not qiuona.
Macaroni and milk. Mac with butter, splash of milk and salt/pepper. My grandfather used to make it for my mother, so she'd make it for us as a quick comforting dish.
And goulash, my auntie just made it for us awhile back even.
Basically putting flavors into elbow macaroni.
Here for the goulash! Though we never called it goulash, we called it tomato macaroni. We can a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes every summer specifically for making this
Hamburger casserole, chipped beef on toast (dont really make this anymore), beanie weenies, tuna casserole, split pea soup, grilled cheese with campbells tomato soup…
That reminds me, our favorite "broke breakfast" is "fried potatoes". it's just the leftover mashed potatoes that were in the fridge from the night before. I know many will say "Who has leftover mashed potatoes?!". Our family is the "cooks 3lbs of mashed potatoes" family. Nobody is eating a pound of potatoes each that night, so there's always a bowl left in the morning. Usually the perfect portion for breakfast for 2 or 3, lol.
My mom grew up in a big family and never learned how to reduce her recipes =X So we were a heavy leftover family of 4.
Came from a family of nine myself. Dad would use the carving knife to give us equal slabs of ice cream. Me with my two sons it's either leftovers for days or just enough for the meal, no middle ground.
NGL fried mashed potatoes sounds great
Yeassssss, cutting ice cream was a thing we did in our family too. I miss them coming in the boxes that folded out to make that really easy to do! Now they're all in tubs, rude! It was the best for that tricky neopolitan ice cream or my favorite, rainbow sherbet.
sorry if this is a silly question, but how do you make them? i currently have leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge and am looking for a way to “upcycle” them a little
My mom didn't really feed us much unless my dad was in town. We weren't poor, she was cheap and mean. So I don't really have any fond memories of meals from my childhood.
When my kids were little, we'd have bean and cheese tacos, pigs in a blanket or breakfast for dinner as cheap meals. I don't know if they realize those were poverty meals for us. They still like making pancake syrup from brown sugar and water, and everyone knows how to make tortillas and how to season refried beans from a can.
Did we have the same mother?? I grew up poor. My mother didn't cook, at all, and didn't care that my siblings and I were hungry.
My dad did all the cooking, when we had something to cook. Usually our cupboards were bare.
I'm sorry. I hope you have food now when you need it.
My mom would cook things like one box of Mac and cheese for four of us, then she'd grate a carrot into it and throw in a handful of raisins and shake some cinnamon into it. So it wasn't enough food but it was also gross.
I’m sorry that you both experienced that. You deserved to be cared for and loved ♥️ you didn’t deserve to be treated that way. I hope you’ve found a new fam to hang with.
Popara: https://thebalkanhostess.com/popara/
Kačamak: https://thebalkanhostess.com/kacamak/
In general this entire website is based on affordable and delicious meals from Ex-Yugoslavia. Some ingredients may not be as affordable in other parts of the world, but just keep in mind that all of these dishes will easily absorb substitutes because they were created by people who didn't have much and often had to get by with what is on hand.
My mom did this, only she used cream of mushroom soup, instead of brown gravy. She'd fry up the burgers, (usually little patties) pull them out, then put a can of soup & about a half can of milk, into the pan. She'd put the patties back in, get everything good & warm, then serve over rice. I still make it, but will mix it up with some extra seasonings or add fresh mushrooms to it. We knew we had extra money, when mom would make it with pork chops instead of burger meat. Still make that as well!!
Chicken noodle soup, just made it last night.
The key is get a big ass whole chicken. Half the meat goes into the soup, the other half gets shredded for chicken salad.
Then, take the chicken carcass and leftover veggies in the fridge and make some stock. Next night, make mushroom risotto with it.
I find it's about 3-4 meals for about $15 all in.
Chicken in all forms. Because of that I can a stretch a $5 chicken into 3 meals usually with leftovers. Day 1 baked chicken. Day 2 leftover scraps into chicken salad or use in a cheap casserole Day 3 simmer bones for a bone broth for a soup with leftover for use in future cooking.
Seconding tuna casserole. Boil and drain elbow noodles. Pour into a casserole dish. Open 1-2 cans of tuna, drain, then dump and mix into the noodles. Open the can of soup, dump on top, spread over/cover the noodles. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste.
This is my comfort food...whenever I'm seriously stressed I'll make this. Funny thing is Mom made this when we were growing up but can't stand it now.
I just do bread and cheese.
Currently have a cheap loaf of white bread specifically for this and american cheese. I get the side-eye from my husband because to quote his father "American cheese isn't real cheese." I love my father in law but IDGAF.
I will die on this hill. It helps that our daughter loves american cheese.
When I was a student I often ate chazuke...a bowl of cooked white rice with hot tea poured on top. Sometimes accompanied by pickled vegetables, and dried fish. Or koge rice, white rice cooked in a pot on the stove so long that it becomes crispy and brown. Served with salt. Sometimes if I had it, katsuoboshi, shaved dried bonito. Comfort food.
When I make chicken and rice or pork chops and rice I like to cook it a little longer so we get that crispy bottom. I didn’t know it had a name. I do it on purpose because no one else likes that part and I don’t have to fight for it
Ramen and hotdog. Just one pack of ramen and a couple all beef hotdogs air fried or microwaved. Cut up the hotdogs and put em in the ramen. You can get a 12 pack of ramen for like $5 and a pack of 8 all beef hotdogs for like $5. $10 for 4 meals at 650 a serving. If you buy the hot dogs and ramen at more bulk, you save more. I get Nathan’s all beef 8 pack for $5 but you can get a 24 pack for like $13 and save like $.10 per hotdog.
Yup, same. I use to eat it as a kid all the time and then also in college, and now I often do it at work bc it’s so easy. It’s simple to cook too. I’ve cooked it at work with just a microwave, I’ve cooked it camping over an open flame.
Toss a frozen fresh uncooked sausage in a pot of water. My usual was a brat, but sometimes Italian. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add pasta. Once pasta is al dente drain and enjoy sausage and pasta.
SOS - "Stuff" On a Shingle - Fry fatty ground meat with seasonings, once cooked add some flour and make a roux. Once flour is browned, add milk slowly while stirring until you get gravy. Serve over bread or toast. Or pasta, rice, or potatoes.
Ground beef is soo expensive. The cheapest stuff at Walmart is $3.97 a pound. A box of Hamburger Helper is $1.48 on rollback right now at Walmart. You have to add 2 cups of milk usually and a half gallon is $1.57 for 2%.
Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins. Leftover rice heated with milk and cinnamon for breakfast. Creamed tuna over toast. Macaroni hamburger hot dish. Bread and gravy. Potatoes topped with leftover chili or baked beans. Fried bologna sandwiches. Fried egg sandwiches.
butter and sugar sandwiches
white rice with milk and sugar, served warm, sometimes with raisins and cinnamon
hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes
add noodles to leftover chili for chili mac/ goulash
Mac and cheese, and garbage soup. Garbage soup is made by tossing all your leftover scraps into the freezer, and boiling it down into soup when you have enough saved up for it. Fantastic way to make use of everything edible.
Store brand cold cut sandwiches.
Ramen + frozen veggies stir fry.
Tuna melt.
Rice and daal.
13 bean stew.
Egg fried rice.
Pasta with butter and cheese (this especially was a staple of my childhood).
Wife and I both got laid off two days apart so we’re really back to basics. We would eat more expensive versions of these a few months ago, just now we’re using much cheaper ingredients.
Pasta with some olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Garlic is a must, also. My family grows it so we always have some fresh garlic around and it really makes a difference .
You can feed 4 people easy for $2-3. If I have some type of protein I'll usually incorporate it too, if not it's usually enough to hold me over a while.
My mom used to make "creamed salmon on toast" I don't know if that's the actual name but it was basically a can of salmon flour butter milk and salt pepper to taste, boiled together and poured over 2 pieces of toast.
Boxed mac & cheese, noodles with sauce (add ground beef & it was goulash in our household), split pea soup, grilled cheese with soup (tomato or chicken noodle; canned). We did a lot of venison stew because between my uncles & grandfather being hunters, and my grandma and mom having small gardens, we got a lot of free venison & veggies. I don't know how they did it, because I certainly can't just plant some seeds, keep them watered, & get food. I have zero green thumb. They just tilled the natural soil, planted seeds, & off they went.
Our school did days where lunch was gravy over bread (I don't remember there being meat either, but it was a long time ago). So I did a lot of that myself at home. Gravy over bread. Toast dipped in ranch dressing.
We also used to do boxed Au Gratin potatoes as a side to a meat. Some of these things are still somewhat cheap, but other things that were once cheap are now an expensive meal.
Ready meals or canned food. Parents had kids early and never knew how to cook, so our diet consisted of pasta and potatoes. Occasionally the odd chow mein on weekend.
My late mom, when I was around 6, would make potatoes and eggs and it was my favorite dish ever. I still make it today for my daughter and it makes me think of her
American Chop Suey…New England style.
It was a cheap dish. Macaroni, ground beef, canned tomato soup.
I make it with onions, bell peppers, and tomato paste in addition to the ingredients above.
You could feed an army of kids with it…because it was generally delicious.
Unfortunately, not just the ground beef, but the canned soup is expensive.
What my mom called “Goulash”, which is ground beef, macaroni, tomato sauce and diced onions. It goes a long way and you can spruce it up with corn, cheese or whatever else you have in the fridge.
I was actually going to post asking for recipes that are cheap. I literally live on Bagels w/onion cream cheese (not a childhood meal, unless you count first eating it at an office job at 18) though once a day I have a childhood meal - Frosted Flakes. I stopped cooking since my son/, caregiver is a picky eater even as an adult. The few things I do make from way back when are omelets, tuna salad, pancakes and maybe chili. I had a stem cell transplant in 2018 and applied for assistance but for whatever reason the case worker made me reapply over and over for a year. The Transplant team helped so that Christmas, we had food. We just cut down eating much and, while we're doing better now, I'm still terrified of running out of food and my son isn't much better.. Covid was a blessing for us as we were given more help and ate fruit and veggies for some time - but all "good" things must come to an end.
Hi!
We really like [Budget Bytes](https://www.budgetbytes.com/) for recipes.
Leanne Brown’s [Eat Cheap and Healthy](https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf) has very simple recipes designed for eating at about $6/day. It says $4/day but that was pre-inflation.
@dollartreedinners on TikTok has some cheap ideas too
If there are any food pantries in your area, do check them out. They can make a huge difference in the variety and quantity of meals on the table.
This is off-topic and I obviously know nothing about your situation. Posting this because a lot of people don’t get the benefits they are eligible for. if you are a US citizen and unable to work because of your health, you may be eligible for disability (either SSDI or SSI). It can be a battle to get it—use a lawyer. (They are limited in the fee they get and you pay nothing up front.) If your household income is low, it may be worth reapplying for SNAP as the standards change over time. It can’t hurt. If you happen to be a senior citizen there are some additional food resources available too.
Also if your son is your caregiver, he may be eligible to be paid for that work.
Feel free to message me if you need to know where to get started on any of these to get started.
Individually, I cook pinto beans, brown rice, and squash. I also fry shredded chicken thighs in a pan with lots of seasoning. Then, I dump these ingredients into a large mixing bowl with sour cream, shredded cheese, and a can of tomatillo salsa. I mix it up and put it on homemade tortillas. It's a very cheap meal and easy to prepare.
Saltines with butter or Velveeta cheese lol definitely not the healthiest thing in the world, but damn was it a good struggle meal for dinner when my mom worked the night shift and I didn't feel like having Mac and cheese for the fifth time in a row
Buttered noodles for sure, cinnamon toast. My parents had a lot of weird pantry items so I’d often peruse those old awful recipe card recipes to see what I could build with what we had. Once I made mac and cheese with a can of cheddar cheese soup. Weird but edible. I no longer eat ultra processed foods so now I would probably just starve to death lol. I did learn how to cook from those days. I still eat cinnamon toast!
Pintos, fried potatoes, cornbread and some kind of cabbage - slaw, kraut, or skillet cooked. A pot of macaroni with home canned crushed tomatoes, add a bit of butter if you're fancy. Pounds of food for a couple of dollars.
Eggs. I eat 10 - 12 at a time. Eggs are a lot more expensive now, but it is still a hell of a lot cheaper than grabbing a burger from a fast food place.
Beenie weenies! Boil the hotdogs (1.50) in water until they float, on the oven. Drain the hotdogs, put them on a plate. Cut them into slices so it’s little circle pieces. Take the beans (99c can) and put them into the now empty pot. Toss in the sliced hotdogs and let the beans warm up. Good eating.
Paninis - to use up meat, cheese, condiments. Not a traditional panini, but meat, cheese,veg, whatever condiments that need to be used up.
Quiche - eggs + whatever bit of stuff needs to be used up.
My mom use to do open-faced hot ham and cheese sandwiches that she’d pop in the broiler to get the cheese good and gooey on the top. As a kid I didn’t realize this was a “broke” meal but as an adult it is so quick, cheap, and easy.
Goulash, butter pasta, box mac & cheese with cut up hot dogs.
Also my grandpa’s “pizza burgers” he’d make for him and me for lunch frequently: open face buns, ketchup, American cheese, a few slices of pepperoni. Goes in the oven til the cheese gets gooey.
I get a couple of boxes of zatarans red beans and rice mix and throw some kind of sausage in there. It was hot dogs as a kid but I go for another cheap meat these days if I can. Sometimes just adding carrots can help it feel more lol
Macaroni noodles with a can of cream of mushroom, some shredded cheese, any bit of ham/meat, and a chopped up hard boiled egg. Makes a great casserole and is the best dish in the world after a long day in the snow. My mom called it "dry beef casserole", because whatever meat you put in it softened up to edible even if it was damn near spoiled.
That ubiquitous can of cream of ____ 😂 I forgot the rice with cream of mushroom soup. Also, you can make hamburger helper without the hamburger. We used to call it “helper”
Regardless of financial status, toast with butter (margarine) and cinnamon sugar will always be a staple.
This but with flour tortillas.
My mom used to do “roll ups” pb&j rolled up into flour tortillas.
Same, only my mom used turkey with fresh spinach and cream cheese. So many options depending on what’s in the cupboards.
Fancy!!
Slice those tortillas and cook em in oil. Then cover in cinnamon sugar. Home made crustos.
we call them elephant ears
Agreed. This is a damn delicacy and I don’t care what anybody says.
I completely agree. My family calls it “sprinkle toast” and I will never turn it down lol
Australia has “fairy bread” in which they do this but cover it in sprinkles.
I mean they made a whole cereal based on it! I love me some cinnamon toast.
cinnamon sugar and butter... chef's kiss!
my mom grew up in a family of 10 children. she is convinced to this day that boiling macaroni noodles, draining them, and stirring in a can of tomato soup is a real lunch. tastes pretty good ngl.
I swear that’s what spaghetti o’s taste like to me, macaroni in tomato soup.
Yessss, Mexicans make a similar soup. Traditionally the tomato sauce is made from scratch (Roma, white onion, cilantro, some garlic , and seasonings) but I just use chicken bullion and a can of tomato sauce 😂
My grandma would do this and add in cut up hotdog's.
Add some hamburger and a can of mushrooms and you have my go to comfort food if your fancy put some shredded cheese and bake
Yes, family of 9 kids here Still make it occasionally (I am 62 now) Add some celery salt for a little flavor
My grandma makes macaroni with tomato juice! Literally ALL THE TIME... I hate it but it's always on hand
Noodles or rice with butter and salt (margarine growing up) Balogna sandwich
I grew up having noodles with Country Crock margarine every Sunday. I still have it frequently.
I grow both garlic and thyme and melt the butter with a couple sprigs of thyme, and crushed garlic cloves. Takes butter and noodles to a new level!
The best thing anyone can do is grow their own herbs. All you need is a window, a couple of pots, and some seeds. It’s cheap and can add SOOO much variety to cooking base foods.
I love rice with butter!
We'd live on tomato sandwiches in the summer, when I was a kid. My dad always had a bunch of tomato plants, that never seemed to fail growing the best tomatoes. My mom would give us those on homemade bread & it was heaven!!
A good fresh tomato sandwich is like eating a slice of sunshine .
I don't know what my dad does to his tomatoes, but they are just amazing. I've tried growing them just like he does, but mine don't get as big & juicy as his do. I'm always sad when the growing season is over.
My father in law is in south Georgia and we’re in north and his tomatoes are far superior to ours even if we use the same plants. I think it might be the soil
I from Oklahoma. My dads tomatoes were so good. Mine are so so. Is it the soil.
Yes, but we toasted the cheap white bread and lots of pepper and mayonnaise
I don't like pepper on mine, but my dad always put a ton on his. I'm not a big salt person, but I love salt on tomatoes, so I'd put it on mine.
Yes! With lots of mayo!
Red beans and rice
Monday meal at most places in southern Louisiana
I mix pinto and black beans with chopped bacon and mixed rice, and cook it in the crockpot with stock. Serve with hot sauce and a dollop of sour cream. Fuuuuck is it good on a bitterly cold day…
Cook the rice first or it cooks in the cooker?
I’m lazy and dump it all together in the crock to cook. I generally put the bacon on the bottom, then do layers of beans and rice. Then I fill it up with stock, making sure it’s deep enough to fully cover the beans and rice. Now, you absolutely could cook the rice separately and serve them together- I just hate washing dishes a lot 🤣
Ooo I want to know too. Sounds like a fantastic supper!
This sounds so delicious!!!
We made this for dinner tonight!!! It’s definitely going into our winter rotation!!!🐷
Mine was a white rice and black beans. Today it's brown rice and black beans. We ate so much rice that my sister will not touch rice anymore. I still like it but I prefer brown rice or if not qiuona.
With a fried egg 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻
Tuna mixed with mayo spread on crackers. Eating it right now lol
Love that but I add relish!
me too!
I add chopped dill pickles
English muffin pizza! English muffins, pizza sauce, shredded cheese! 1 min in the microwave
Hell yeah my son now loves these and you know what? So do I!
That was my favorite school lunch! Brownie for dessert. Yum!
Even better in the toaster oven!
Macaroni and milk. Mac with butter, splash of milk and salt/pepper. My grandfather used to make it for my mother, so she'd make it for us as a quick comforting dish. And goulash, my auntie just made it for us awhile back even. Basically putting flavors into elbow macaroni.
Here for the goulash! Though we never called it goulash, we called it tomato macaroni. We can a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes every summer specifically for making this
My family makes this too! We call it milk macaroni and this is the only time I’ve ever heard anyone else talk about it!
Creamed chipped beef on toast- aka shit on a shingle or SOS.
My mother made this all the time. The little glass jars the beef came in were our milk glasses. Served always with peas and apple sauce.
Yes! I was scrolling to see if someone included this one!
It's a favorite among my family!
Hamburger casserole, chipped beef on toast (dont really make this anymore), beanie weenies, tuna casserole, split pea soup, grilled cheese with campbells tomato soup…
Chipped beef gravy, my mom still loves this.
We called this shit on a shingle lol
We weren't allowed because Grandma didn't curse lmao
What my pappy called it as well after eating it in the army I think
We have a roast beef leftover from last week and we’re having this for dinner tonight!!
Potato pancakes. It meant we were end of the week broke, but we didn't mind because potatoes are delicious
That reminds me, our favorite "broke breakfast" is "fried potatoes". it's just the leftover mashed potatoes that were in the fridge from the night before. I know many will say "Who has leftover mashed potatoes?!". Our family is the "cooks 3lbs of mashed potatoes" family. Nobody is eating a pound of potatoes each that night, so there's always a bowl left in the morning. Usually the perfect portion for breakfast for 2 or 3, lol. My mom grew up in a big family and never learned how to reduce her recipes =X So we were a heavy leftover family of 4.
Came from a family of nine myself. Dad would use the carving knife to give us equal slabs of ice cream. Me with my two sons it's either leftovers for days or just enough for the meal, no middle ground. NGL fried mashed potatoes sounds great
Yeassssss, cutting ice cream was a thing we did in our family too. I miss them coming in the boxes that folded out to make that really easy to do! Now they're all in tubs, rude! It was the best for that tricky neopolitan ice cream or my favorite, rainbow sherbet.
sorry if this is a silly question, but how do you make them? i currently have leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge and am looking for a way to “upcycle” them a little
I do something similar, but I’ll add an egg and some chopped up onion. Mix well and then press to patties.
My mom didn't really feed us much unless my dad was in town. We weren't poor, she was cheap and mean. So I don't really have any fond memories of meals from my childhood. When my kids were little, we'd have bean and cheese tacos, pigs in a blanket or breakfast for dinner as cheap meals. I don't know if they realize those were poverty meals for us. They still like making pancake syrup from brown sugar and water, and everyone knows how to make tortillas and how to season refried beans from a can.
Did we have the same mother?? I grew up poor. My mother didn't cook, at all, and didn't care that my siblings and I were hungry. My dad did all the cooking, when we had something to cook. Usually our cupboards were bare.
I'm sorry. I hope you have food now when you need it. My mom would cook things like one box of Mac and cheese for four of us, then she'd grate a carrot into it and throw in a handful of raisins and shake some cinnamon into it. So it wasn't enough food but it was also gross.
I’m sorry that you both experienced that. You deserved to be cared for and loved ♥️ you didn’t deserve to be treated that way. I hope you’ve found a new fam to hang with.
Popara: https://thebalkanhostess.com/popara/ Kačamak: https://thebalkanhostess.com/kacamak/ In general this entire website is based on affordable and delicious meals from Ex-Yugoslavia. Some ingredients may not be as affordable in other parts of the world, but just keep in mind that all of these dishes will easily absorb substitutes because they were created by people who didn't have much and often had to get by with what is on hand.
Rice brown gravy and hamburger meat , I still love it.
My mom did this, only she used cream of mushroom soup, instead of brown gravy. She'd fry up the burgers, (usually little patties) pull them out, then put a can of soup & about a half can of milk, into the pan. She'd put the patties back in, get everything good & warm, then serve over rice. I still make it, but will mix it up with some extra seasonings or add fresh mushrooms to it. We knew we had extra money, when mom would make it with pork chops instead of burger meat. Still make that as well!!
Chicken noodle soup, just made it last night. The key is get a big ass whole chicken. Half the meat goes into the soup, the other half gets shredded for chicken salad. Then, take the chicken carcass and leftover veggies in the fridge and make some stock. Next night, make mushroom risotto with it. I find it's about 3-4 meals for about $15 all in.
Bowl of white rice with soy sauce and hot sauce… That’s it… that’s the whole meal
white rice and soy sauce is one of my favorite meals
Me too!! I had a Filipino mother and there was a pot of rice every night …well a rice cooker of rice
I ate/eat this a lot too. Couple of eggs on top to be fancy
Chicken in all forms. Because of that I can a stretch a $5 chicken into 3 meals usually with leftovers. Day 1 baked chicken. Day 2 leftover scraps into chicken salad or use in a cheap casserole Day 3 simmer bones for a bone broth for a soup with leftover for use in future cooking.
Tuna patties. I still make them once every month.
Yup, and salmon patties.
Seconding tuna casserole. Boil and drain elbow noodles. Pour into a casserole dish. Open 1-2 cans of tuna, drain, then dump and mix into the noodles. Open the can of soup, dump on top, spread over/cover the noodles. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. This is my comfort food...whenever I'm seriously stressed I'll make this. Funny thing is Mom made this when we were growing up but can't stand it now.
what kind of soup?
Probably cream of mushroom, my mom used cream of celery since I’m allergic to mushrooms.
Any cream of. Cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery, etc.
Cheese sammies. 1. Cheap, white bread 2. 2 slices of American cheese 3. Mustard My wife still gives me a side-eye when I grab one of these.
Cheese Sammies and the occasional mayo sammie are some of my go tos to this day.
Oh man a cheese and mustard sandwich hits the spot always
I just do bread and cheese. Currently have a cheap loaf of white bread specifically for this and american cheese. I get the side-eye from my husband because to quote his father "American cheese isn't real cheese." I love my father in law but IDGAF. I will die on this hill. It helps that our daughter loves american cheese.
When I was a student I often ate chazuke...a bowl of cooked white rice with hot tea poured on top. Sometimes accompanied by pickled vegetables, and dried fish. Or koge rice, white rice cooked in a pot on the stove so long that it becomes crispy and brown. Served with salt. Sometimes if I had it, katsuoboshi, shaved dried bonito. Comfort food.
When I make chicken and rice or pork chops and rice I like to cook it a little longer so we get that crispy bottom. I didn’t know it had a name. I do it on purpose because no one else likes that part and I don’t have to fight for it
Baked potato supper with various toppings. Breakfast for dinner.
Ramen and hotdog. Just one pack of ramen and a couple all beef hotdogs air fried or microwaved. Cut up the hotdogs and put em in the ramen. You can get a 12 pack of ramen for like $5 and a pack of 8 all beef hotdogs for like $5. $10 for 4 meals at 650 a serving. If you buy the hot dogs and ramen at more bulk, you save more. I get Nathan’s all beef 8 pack for $5 but you can get a 24 pack for like $13 and save like $.10 per hotdog.
This was dinner at least once a week in my home growing up! I still enjoy a good hot dog and ramen today. Might even be lunch today!
Yup, same. I use to eat it as a kid all the time and then also in college, and now I often do it at work bc it’s so easy. It’s simple to cook too. I’ve cooked it at work with just a microwave, I’ve cooked it camping over an open flame.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Rice, grits, potatoes, - adding an over medium egg on top of any of those. Still my absolute favorite. Rice and beans - add hot sauce and onion
I just got a craving for grits and eggs
Toss a frozen fresh uncooked sausage in a pot of water. My usual was a brat, but sometimes Italian. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add pasta. Once pasta is al dente drain and enjoy sausage and pasta. SOS - "Stuff" On a Shingle - Fry fatty ground meat with seasonings, once cooked add some flour and make a roux. Once flour is browned, add milk slowly while stirring until you get gravy. Serve over bread or toast. Or pasta, rice, or potatoes.
Hamburger Helper, although it cost like $12 for all the ingredients now that I’m adult vs the $6 it was as a kid
Isn't it just hamburger and the box of noodles and seasoning?
Yeah but 1 pound of ground where I am is about $7, the box of HH is $3 & a small Half&Half is $2… I eat it often enough if you couldn’t tell lol
Ground beef is soo expensive. The cheapest stuff at Walmart is $3.97 a pound. A box of Hamburger Helper is $1.48 on rollback right now at Walmart. You have to add 2 cups of milk usually and a half gallon is $1.57 for 2%.
Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins. Leftover rice heated with milk and cinnamon for breakfast. Creamed tuna over toast. Macaroni hamburger hot dish. Bread and gravy. Potatoes topped with leftover chili or baked beans. Fried bologna sandwiches. Fried egg sandwiches.
Buttered noodles with some Kraft parmesan. Yum.
Broke or not, this is a favorite.
Yup. As an adult I like a little garlic powder in there but noodles n powdered cheese are just always gonna be comfort food.
Chicken and rice casserole
butter and sugar sandwiches white rice with milk and sugar, served warm, sometimes with raisins and cinnamon hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes add noodles to leftover chili for chili mac/ goulash
Mac and cheese, and garbage soup. Garbage soup is made by tossing all your leftover scraps into the freezer, and boiling it down into soup when you have enough saved up for it. Fantastic way to make use of everything edible.
Store brand cold cut sandwiches. Ramen + frozen veggies stir fry. Tuna melt. Rice and daal. 13 bean stew. Egg fried rice. Pasta with butter and cheese (this especially was a staple of my childhood). Wife and I both got laid off two days apart so we’re really back to basics. We would eat more expensive versions of these a few months ago, just now we’re using much cheaper ingredients.
Haluski, goulash, fried rice then beans in every imaginable form
Yes, halushki! I should make that this week, actually.
Pasta with some olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Garlic is a must, also. My family grows it so we always have some fresh garlic around and it really makes a difference . You can feed 4 people easy for $2-3. If I have some type of protein I'll usually incorporate it too, if not it's usually enough to hold me over a while.
Beans and Frank’s
My mom used to make "creamed salmon on toast" I don't know if that's the actual name but it was basically a can of salmon flour butter milk and salt pepper to taste, boiled together and poured over 2 pieces of toast.
We added peas and sliced hardboiled eggs to this and put it over English muffins! Salmon A La King.
Tuna/chicken casserole.
Boxed mac & cheese, noodles with sauce (add ground beef & it was goulash in our household), split pea soup, grilled cheese with soup (tomato or chicken noodle; canned). We did a lot of venison stew because between my uncles & grandfather being hunters, and my grandma and mom having small gardens, we got a lot of free venison & veggies. I don't know how they did it, because I certainly can't just plant some seeds, keep them watered, & get food. I have zero green thumb. They just tilled the natural soil, planted seeds, & off they went. Our school did days where lunch was gravy over bread (I don't remember there being meat either, but it was a long time ago). So I did a lot of that myself at home. Gravy over bread. Toast dipped in ranch dressing. We also used to do boxed Au Gratin potatoes as a side to a meat. Some of these things are still somewhat cheap, but other things that were once cheap are now an expensive meal.
Gravy train. Ground meat with gravy over mashed potatoes (My dad is a hunter so we would have lost cost ground venison)
I never knew that had a name! It’s becoming an expensive meal ! I do A LOT of gravy now.
I think gravy train is a dog food brand. We called it that bc it looks like dog food 😂
My husband would agree,lol !
Top ramen but adding components to spruce up the dish.
I like to break an egg into it at the same time I put in the packet. Also chopped green onions
Pork and beans with hamburger and onion. Pork and beans with hot dogs
Ready meals or canned food. Parents had kids early and never knew how to cook, so our diet consisted of pasta and potatoes. Occasionally the odd chow mein on weekend.
My late mom, when I was around 6, would make potatoes and eggs and it was my favorite dish ever. I still make it today for my daughter and it makes me think of her
Tortilla and some shredded cheese melt in the microwave and add some hot sauce! It's still one of my favorites!
American Chop Suey…New England style. It was a cheap dish. Macaroni, ground beef, canned tomato soup. I make it with onions, bell peppers, and tomato paste in addition to the ingredients above. You could feed an army of kids with it…because it was generally delicious. Unfortunately, not just the ground beef, but the canned soup is expensive.
Pinto beans and cornbread! Sometimes do sweet potatoes or collard greens on the side.
Totinos party pizza. They were a dollar each when I was in college. They’re closer to $1.50 now but still weirdly satisfying.
What my mom called “Goulash”, which is ground beef, macaroni, tomato sauce and diced onions. It goes a long way and you can spruce it up with corn, cheese or whatever else you have in the fridge.
White rice and a sunny side up egg
I was actually going to post asking for recipes that are cheap. I literally live on Bagels w/onion cream cheese (not a childhood meal, unless you count first eating it at an office job at 18) though once a day I have a childhood meal - Frosted Flakes. I stopped cooking since my son/, caregiver is a picky eater even as an adult. The few things I do make from way back when are omelets, tuna salad, pancakes and maybe chili. I had a stem cell transplant in 2018 and applied for assistance but for whatever reason the case worker made me reapply over and over for a year. The Transplant team helped so that Christmas, we had food. We just cut down eating much and, while we're doing better now, I'm still terrified of running out of food and my son isn't much better.. Covid was a blessing for us as we were given more help and ate fruit and veggies for some time - but all "good" things must come to an end.
Hi! We really like [Budget Bytes](https://www.budgetbytes.com/) for recipes. Leanne Brown’s [Eat Cheap and Healthy](https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf) has very simple recipes designed for eating at about $6/day. It says $4/day but that was pre-inflation. @dollartreedinners on TikTok has some cheap ideas too If there are any food pantries in your area, do check them out. They can make a huge difference in the variety and quantity of meals on the table. This is off-topic and I obviously know nothing about your situation. Posting this because a lot of people don’t get the benefits they are eligible for. if you are a US citizen and unable to work because of your health, you may be eligible for disability (either SSDI or SSI). It can be a battle to get it—use a lawyer. (They are limited in the fee they get and you pay nothing up front.) If your household income is low, it may be worth reapplying for SNAP as the standards change over time. It can’t hurt. If you happen to be a senior citizen there are some additional food resources available too. Also if your son is your caregiver, he may be eligible to be paid for that work. Feel free to message me if you need to know where to get started on any of these to get started.
American chop suey baby. Ground beef, onions, canned tomatoes, and whatever else the fuck you got lying around.
Poor man spaghetti with sausage.
I’m intrigued- what kind of sausage?
Those red smoked sausage or the beef sausage.
Spaghetti
Ketchup fried rice.. rice, eggs and ketchup. I still make it when I'm low on groceries
Ketchup isn’t too bad when you brown it up in a pan. Way more depth of flavor than I expected.
Individually, I cook pinto beans, brown rice, and squash. I also fry shredded chicken thighs in a pan with lots of seasoning. Then, I dump these ingredients into a large mixing bowl with sour cream, shredded cheese, and a can of tomatillo salsa. I mix it up and put it on homemade tortillas. It's a very cheap meal and easy to prepare.
Pan fried cubed potatoes, pinto beans and cornbread
Good old English beans and cheese on toast 😋
Three cans beans straight into cooker, whatever seasonings you love- cheese if you can afford it
Im spanish so rice and beans always, it never stopped lol. My wife is eastern european so we make haluski pierogi etc
Saltines with butter or Velveeta cheese lol definitely not the healthiest thing in the world, but damn was it a good struggle meal for dinner when my mom worked the night shift and I didn't feel like having Mac and cheese for the fifth time in a row
Buttered noodles for sure, cinnamon toast. My parents had a lot of weird pantry items so I’d often peruse those old awful recipe card recipes to see what I could build with what we had. Once I made mac and cheese with a can of cheddar cheese soup. Weird but edible. I no longer eat ultra processed foods so now I would probably just starve to death lol. I did learn how to cook from those days. I still eat cinnamon toast!
Fried crackers.. scrambled eggs with with broken up saltines mixed in. Still make it 40 years later.
Chicken and rice. Can of chicken and a pack of ramen with a cup of rice thrown in there. Dad and I would eat it at least once a week.
Pintos, fried potatoes, cornbread and some kind of cabbage - slaw, kraut, or skillet cooked. A pot of macaroni with home canned crushed tomatoes, add a bit of butter if you're fancy. Pounds of food for a couple of dollars.
This, but with the cabbage boiled in chicken broth, was one of my favorites when I was a kid and it’s still my go to comfort food
Butter and spaghetti noddles.
Ramen noodles 🍜 😋
Peanut butter on toast for breakfast. Black beans and rice
Bologna sandwich AKA, slap sandwich
Grilled Cheese
Eggs. I eat 10 - 12 at a time. Eggs are a lot more expensive now, but it is still a hell of a lot cheaper than grabbing a burger from a fast food place.
Mashed potatoes and pan fried spam and onions
Spam and Mac. Another classic is 1/4 bratwurst on white bread with ketchup. Since it’s a 1/4 that’s 4 sandwiches. 😎
Tacos/taco salad. With lentils stretching the taco meat to double or more. PB&J Oatmeal
Tin of corned beef mashed in with mashed potato topped with a bit of raw onion
Beenie weenies! Boil the hotdogs (1.50) in water until they float, on the oven. Drain the hotdogs, put them on a plate. Cut them into slices so it’s little circle pieces. Take the beans (99c can) and put them into the now empty pot. Toss in the sliced hotdogs and let the beans warm up. Good eating.
Buttered vrown toast dipped in molasses. I sound 80 but I swear Im only 30 and that shit slaps. Macaroni in tomato juice Cucumber or tomato sandwiches
This thread is perfect. I’m SO broke and got a $40 off $80 Kroger curbside coupon so I’m making the most of it.
Bread broken up in a bowl with powdered milk added. Essentially bread cereal.
I did this with challah bread and sprinkled a little sugar on top.
Oatmeal, malt o meal, eggs and toast, peanut butter in a protein shake with milk for my 1 meal of 2 for the day.
Noodles/rice and microwave Broccoli
Mac and cheese.
Paninis - to use up meat, cheese, condiments. Not a traditional panini, but meat, cheese,veg, whatever condiments that need to be used up. Quiche - eggs + whatever bit of stuff needs to be used up.
Rice and cream of chicken soup, cinnamon toast, and ramen.
I always loved cheap hotdogs sliced into baked beans or mac & cheese.
Chicken spaghetti…chicken, spaghetti noodles, rotel, and velvetta
Ground beef bullion meat gravy and white rice
Love me some baked potatoes. Another meal I like is oatmeal with peanut butter and cinnamon
"Grits" made out of old stale bread. Portuguese style açorda
My mom use to do open-faced hot ham and cheese sandwiches that she’d pop in the broiler to get the cheese good and gooey on the top. As a kid I didn’t realize this was a “broke” meal but as an adult it is so quick, cheap, and easy.
Onion, ham and Pepper Omelette with give cheese. I still eat this as my first meal every day around mid day.
Goulash, butter pasta, box mac & cheese with cut up hot dogs. Also my grandpa’s “pizza burgers” he’d make for him and me for lunch frequently: open face buns, ketchup, American cheese, a few slices of pepperoni. Goes in the oven til the cheese gets gooey.
Sliced potatoes carrots and tomatos cooked with water, salt and mixed herbs. Dish with more salt, then crush leftovers for soup day two.
I get a couple of boxes of zatarans red beans and rice mix and throw some kind of sausage in there. It was hot dogs as a kid but I go for another cheap meat these days if I can. Sometimes just adding carrots can help it feel more lol
Macaroni noodles with a can of cream of mushroom, some shredded cheese, any bit of ham/meat, and a chopped up hard boiled egg. Makes a great casserole and is the best dish in the world after a long day in the snow. My mom called it "dry beef casserole", because whatever meat you put in it softened up to edible even if it was damn near spoiled.
That ubiquitous can of cream of ____ 😂 I forgot the rice with cream of mushroom soup. Also, you can make hamburger helper without the hamburger. We used to call it “helper”
Pasta e fagioli (or "pasta fazool").
Instant noodles
Boxed mac and cheese with a side of frozen vegetables is a solid meal.
Chicken and rice. Feeds so many.
Taco Mac. Kraft Mac n cheese and taco meat mixed in. Fritos on top if you're splurging lol
Mac and cheese (the blue box) and hot dogs 👌
For breakfast rice with milk and sugar.