20 Hardship Meals Families Relied On During The 1960s
Stretching groceries in the 1960s took creativity, grit, and a dash of kitchen magic. Families turned humble staples into dinners that filled plates and bellies without draining the budget.
These meals might seem simple, but they are packed with stories, flavor, and the kind of comfort you crave on tough days. Ready to revisit the thrift and wisdom that kept dinner on the table when times were tight?
1. Beans and Cornbread
When pennies mattered, beans and cornbread brought dependable comfort. You soaked dry beans overnight, simmered them slowly with onion, a bay leaf, and maybe a ham bone if you had one.
Cornmeal, a splash of milk or water, and a bit of fat made a skillet of crumbly bread.
The plate felt hearty without costing much, and leftovers stretched into the next day. You could mash beans on toast or thin them into soup.
The simple flavors welcomed hot sauce, chopped scallions, or a spoon of pickle relish for brightness.
2. Chipped Beef on Toast
Also called SOS in military kitchens, this dish made a packet of dried beef feed everyone. You whisked a simple roux with flour and fat, added milk, and folded in the salty beef strips.
Ladled over toast, it felt rich enough to pass for a treat.
Saltines stood in for bread when loaves ran low. Pepper and a pinch of paprika made the gravy sing.
You ate it fast before the toast got soggy, grateful that a small handful of meat could stretch across a whole family.
3. Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tuna noodle casserole felt like a proper dinner even when the can was the only seafood in sight. You mixed egg noodles with canned tuna, a can of cream soup, and some peas for color.
Crushed crackers or cornflakes on top turned crispy in the oven.
It reheated well and tasted even better the next day. If milk ran short, water and a pat of margarine did the job.
The casserole stretched two cans to feed many, and kids barely noticed the tuna under that golden crust and creamy sauce.
4. Fried Potato Cakes
Leftover mashed potatoes never went to waste when you turned them into cakes. A quick mix with flour, onion, and an egg held everything together.
You patted them flat, fried them in hot fat, and watched the edges crisp beautifully.
They worked at breakfast with eggs or at dinner beside greens. Cheap, filling, and friendly to whatever was in the pantry, these cakes soaked up gravy or applesauce with equal charm.
When oil was scarce, a thin layer in a heavy pan still delivered that satisfying crust.
5. Cabbage and Potatoes
A head of cabbage and a sack of potatoes could carry a week. You chopped the cabbage into wedges, added potatoes, onion, and a knob of fat or bacon ends if available.
Simmered until tender, the broth tasted sweet and savory.
Hot vinegar or mustard perked up each bowl. Sometimes carrots or a smoked sausage link joined the pot for flavor.
Even without meat, this humble boil satisfied, especially with black pepper and a slice of bread to mop the juices that collected at the bottom.
6. Cornmeal Mush with Syrup
Cornmeal mush did double duty as breakfast and supper. You whisked cornmeal into salted water, cooked it slow until thick, then poured into a loaf pan to set.
Sliced and pan fried, it turned crisp outside and creamy within.
Drizzled with syrup or topped with stewed tomatoes, it answered both sweet and savory moods. It cost little and filled plates generously.
You could stretch a bag of cornmeal through hard weeks, and the leftovers never complained, always ready for another quick fry and a warm pat of butter.
7. Hot Dogs and Baked Beans
Hot dogs stretched far when sliced into a skillet of baked beans. The sweetness of the beans met the smoky salt of the franks, making a dish that felt fun even when money was tight.
A squiggle of mustard and a slice of bread finished the plate.
Sometimes you tossed in onion or a splash of ketchup to round the flavor. It cooked fast, fed many, and needed only one pan.
On busy school nights, this was dinner, and nobody complained when seconds came easy from the pot.
8. Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Tomato soup from a can and a grilled cheese made storms feel cozy. You thinned the soup with milk when available, water when not, and seasoned with pepper and a little sugar.
Bread, margarine, and a slice of cheese met in a hot pan.
The result tasted richer than the parts. Served with pickles, it felt like a diner meal at home.
On lean nights, you cut sandwiches into triangles to make the plate look fuller, and the soup helped warm you right through your fingers.
9. Egg Drop Soup
Eggs were precious, but one or two could transform broth into a meal. You brought stock to a simmer and whisked in beaten eggs slowly to form delicate ribbons.
A pinch of salt, pepper, and maybe soy sauce made it bright.
Noodles or rice stretched it further when bellies were many. Green onion tops, if you had them, added freshness.
This soup came together in minutes, rescued tired nights, and soothed sniffles. It proved you could coax comfort from nearly nothing with a steady hand and a spoon.
10. Slumgullion
Slumgullion was a catch all dish that welcomed whatever needed using. You browned a little ground meat, added onions, tomatoes, and macaroni, then let it all burble together.
Seasonings depended on the cupboard, but garlic salt and pepper did plenty.
It felt like chili met pasta, generous and forgiving. Leftovers reheated beautifully for lunch pails.
When meat ran short, you doubled the noodles and nobody minded. With cheese sprinkled on top, it became Saturday night special, proof that thrift and heart can share the same skillet.
11. Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
Peanut butter kept hunger at bay when meat was scarce. Sliced bananas brought sweetness and heft, turning two pieces of bread into a filling meal.
You wrapped the sandwiches in wax paper and stacked them for lunch or a quick dinner.
A drizzle of honey felt fancy on weekends. Toasting the bread made the peanut butter melt just right.
This sandwich traveled well, cost little, and kept energy steady. It was the quiet hero of many afternoons when there was more month than money.
12. Chicken Backs and Rice
Butcher scraps like chicken backs made fine stock for rice. You simmered them with onion and celery tops to pull every bit of flavor.
Strained broth cooked rice that tasted richer than the ingredients suggested.
Shreds of meat were picked and stirred back in, small but satisfying. A pinch of paprika or parsley brightened the bowl.
Nothing went to waste, and a single package fed the whole table. It taught patience and thrift, spoon by spoon, as steam fogged the windows on cold nights.
13. Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Flour, fat, and milk made biscuits rise even when budgets sank. A small portion of sausage, crumbled and browned, seasoned a whole pan of gravy.
You split biscuits open and ladled the peppery cream until plates felt heavy.
When meat was scarce, extra pepper and a dab of bacon grease carried flavor. Leftover biscuits turned into next morning toast.
This breakfast for dinner never failed to comfort, reminding you that warmth can come from the oven and from the people gathered around it.
14. Spam and Cabbage Skillet
Spam stretched salt and savor through a whole head of cabbage. You browned the cubes until the edges crisped, then let onions and cabbage soften in the rendered fat.
A splash of vinegar or soy sauce cut the richness.
Served over rice or with bread, it was filling and fast. Leftovers tucked nicely into next day lunches.
Even those skeptical at first usually came around by the second bite, impressed by how far one can could travel across a family table.
15. Red Beans and Rice
Mondays meant beans in many homes, a rhythm shaped by laundry day. You soaked red beans, simmered them slow with onion, celery, and bay leaf, adding sausage if the budget allowed.
Served over rice, the pot fed many and froze well.
Seasoned with hot sauce and a little garlic, it tasted like comfort and patience. Even a ham hock bone transformed the broth.
This meal taught the gentle art of low heat and long time, making simple ingredients feel generous and deeply satisfying.
16. Creamed Chipped Ham Sandwiches
Deli ends and chopped ham bits became creamy filling for soft buns. You stirred a quick white sauce, folded in the ham, and kept it just thick enough to spoon.
It tasted like a diner favorite without the check.
Pickles and potato chips stretched it into a full plate. When ham was scarce, bologna stood in.
The mixture stayed warm in a low oven, ready whenever someone drifted through hungry, which was often in a busy household.
17. Mulligan Stew
Mulligan stew welcomed contributions from whoever could spare a carrot or potato. You simmered everything together, trusting time to pull flavors into harmony.
Small meat pieces or bones lent body, but vegetables carried the day.
Served with bread, it tasted like generosity and thrift. The stew could feed a crowd with little more than a handshake and a pot.
Each bowl told a story, and you never knew exactly what would be in the next spoonful, only that it would be warm.
18. Rice Pudding Supper
Sometimes dessert became dinner, and nobody minded. Rice pudding used leftover rice, milk, eggs, sugar, and a handful of raisins.
Baked until custardy with cinnamon on top, it filled the house with a sweet, comforting smell.
A bowl warmed cold hands and quieted grumbles. When milk was scarce, you thinned with water and a knob of butter.
It was proof that a little sweetness could stretch spirits and stomachs alike on lean nights.
19. Macaroni with Tomato and Onion
A can of stewed tomatoes and an onion turned plain macaroni into dinner. You sautéed the onion in a little fat, tipped in tomatoes, and simmered while the pasta boiled.
Tossed together, it tasted bright and homey with plenty of black pepper.
Sometimes a pinch of sugar rounded the acidity. Bread crumbs toasted in butter made a crunchy topping when there was time.
Cheap, fast, and friendly to a second helping, this bowl showed how pantry odds and ends could sing.
20. Potato and Egg Hash
Potatoes, onions, and eggs came together as a skillet hash that fed everyone. You crisped the potatoes first, added onions until sweet, then folded in beaten eggs.
Salt, pepper, and maybe paprika did the rest.
Leftover bits of ham or peppers joined when available. Served straight from the pan, it was hot, hearty, and merciful to tight budgets.
A bottle of hot sauce made each plate your own, and the crusty potato edges were always first to disappear.
