• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Brownie Bites Blog
  • Home
  • Food
    • Recipes ->
      • Low Carb and Keto
      • Bars & Barks
      • Beverages
      • Cakes & Pies
      • Candy
      • Cookies & Cupcakes
      • Copycat & Pop Culture
      • Dog Treats
      • Entrees
      • Ice Cream & Frozen
      • Muffins & Breads
      • Starters & Sides
    • Restaurant Tours
    • Party Ideas
    • Tips and Tricks
  • Travel
    • View All
    • California
    • Camping & RV Life
    • Disney ->
      • Bahama Cruise
      • Disney World
      • East Caribbean Cruise
      • West Caribbean Cruise
    • Hawaii
    • Hiking
    • Hotel Tours
    • Japan
    • Seaside Florida
    • Smoky Mountains
    • Washington DC
  • Reviews & Unboxings
    • View All
    • Candy & Sweets
    • Nut Butters
    • Nutrition Bars
    • Snacks
    • Specialty Food
    • Subscription Boxes
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Reviews
  • About Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Food » Entrees » 7 Cheap Recipes Straight From The Great Depression

    7 Cheap Recipes Straight From The Great Depression

    Posted: 10/08/2019 | Last updated: 03/08/2021 by Erin 6 Comments
    Post may contain affiliate links via Amazon Associates or other programs. (Disclosure)

    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    It's the 8th day of #blogtober!  I will be putting up new content every day this month as well as hosting a giveaway at the beginning of each week!  Have you seen this week's giveaway?  Click here to get the details and enter to win an LED lighted maple leaf garland for your home!

    Never miss a new post here on Brownie Bites!

     

    During the late 1920's and early 1930's when funds were tight and food was expensive, families had to get a little creative and a lot more frugal when it came to making meals to feed their families.  Many of those recipes have continued to be passed down to current generations, and here's a list of the few of the more prolific meals that were made during that time.  Have you tried any of these?

    1. Poor Man's Meal

     

    Image and recipe link from The Baltimore Snacker

    Hey, if we had fallen on hard times, I'd feel totally fine feeding this simple dish to my family.  Onions and potatoes get cooked together and mixed with chopped up hot dogs.  Nothin' wrong with that.  You've got the fat from the cooking oil, the protein in the hot dogs, and the carbs in the potatoes - the gang's all here.

    2. Creamed Chipped Beef

    Image and recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

    Though my parents are too young to have lived during the Depression, my mom used to make this all the time when I was a kid.  And I hated it.  As an adult I can see the appeal and I'd like to give it another goal, but there was just something about the texture and the combo of the gravy and the dried beef that just didn't sit well with the kid version of myself.

    3. Depression Bread

    Image and recipe from Crazy Simple kitchen

    Did you know you can make a loaf of bread using as little as 3 simple ingredients?  I can imagine Depression-era families would spend lots of time in the kitchen preparing many loaves of this basic staple to last the week.

    4. Chocolate Depression Cake

    Image and recipe by The Kitchen Magpie

    Also known as Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake, this recipe is still popular today because of its sheer simplicity.  The lack of eggs, milk, and butter is what makes this cake so unique, as such items were in short supply during the Depression.  Some recipes call for lemon juice instead of vanilla extract, if it wasn't available.

    5. Ham Hocks and Beans

    Image and recipe by My Turn For Us

    I totally still make this recipe (though I use salt pork) on the regular, and it's amazing.  I just made it this past weekend with a big ole cast iron skillet of cornbread, in fact!  It's easy, inexpensive, and I can see why it was a popular dinner choice when funds were tight.

    6. Leftover Potato Pancakes

    Image and recipe from Taste of Home

    Potatoes are cheap and easy to store, so it's no surprise they showed up on menu home meal plans during the Depression.  This recipe jazzes them up a little bit.

    7.  Mulligan Stew

    Image and recipe by 12 Tomatoes

    This is the classic whatever-is-in-the-fridge-and-pantry stew.  While 12 Tomatoes has refined it to an actual recipe you can follow, the stew whipped up during The Depression contained literally whatever was available - vegetables, any kind of meat, onions or other spices, etc.

    If you liked this, don't forget to pin this post or share with your friends, please and thank you!!

    Cheap and easy recipes from The Great Depression that are still just as tasty today!

    Related posts:

    1. 15 Recipes to Kick Up Your Summer Burger Game
    2. 10 Killer Pumpkin Recipes That Are NOT Desserts!
    3. 15 Simple Delicious Recipes Using Pasta, Rice, or Beans
    4. Copycat Girl Scout Cookie Recipes
    « Taste Test! Leading Brand Cheez-It Vs. Knock-Offs
    Spooky Halloween Vampire Bark »

    About Erin

    Erin is a mom of two human babies and two fur-covered babies. She loves comfy clothes, eats too much peanut butter, and watches excessive amounts of Netflix. Make her day and toss her a like on Facebook or follow her on Instagram. Post may contain affiliate links including those via the Amazon Associates program

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Esilot

      March 15, 2022 at 10:25 pm

      My family loves fried hot dogs, potatoes, and onions. I use bacon grease instead of vegetable oil. We call it redneck hash.

      Reply
      • Erin

        March 19, 2022 at 10:07 pm

        Sounds delish!

        Reply
    2. Leslie

      January 24, 2022 at 10:19 pm

      I grew up with every one of these meals and more. I never realized until I was an adult that they were very frugal meals and depression meals. I love potato soup and SOS and still make many of these. Soup is a great frugal meal in it's many forms.

      Reply
    3. Kim

      March 22, 2020 at 11:39 pm

      I love cheap and easy meals they now a days it's worth it.

      Reply
      • Erin

        March 23, 2020 at 7:30 am

        I know! When I created this post, I had no idea it'd actually serve a real purpose due to current events. Sheesh! Hope you and yours are doing well in these weird times!

        Reply

    Say Something About This Post: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar


    Hi, I'm Erin! I love food and I bet you do, too! I cook for my family and share the recipes that we love. We also like to camp, so there will be a fair bit about that around here, too.

    Let's Be Friends

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

    Recent Recipes

    Disney Trip Reports

    More Disney Posts

    Footer

    ? back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure & Terms
    • Sweepstakes Terms

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up to be notified of new posts

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme