Growing up, home-cooked meals were few and far between in my household. Not because my parents were incapable of cooking , but simply because the value of a meal made from scratch was completely lost on my brothers and I. Why spend hours chopping fresh veggies and baking extravagant casseroles if we were perfectly content eating frozen peas, boxed mashed potatoes and rolls that came from a can?
Redditors have recently been discussing the foods that they ate growing up but rarely or never have today, so we’ve gathered some of their “ nostalgia meals " down below. From foods that only a kid’s palate would enjoy to things people ate solely because their parents made them, enjoy scrolling through these delicacies that might transport you back to childhood. And keep reading to find conversations with the person who started this thread and Madison of Inherited Recipes !
Sliced tomato sandwich. We ate them on white butter crust bread. Mayo, salt and pepper.
andmen2015 , atodaso/(not the actual photo) Report
Grilled cheese sandwiches, cut diagonally.
MinkSableSeven , Ben Welsh/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Fish sticks used to be a lot more common. Think it was an easy no stress way to get me to eat dinner.
emmyfro , Karl Baron/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Meatloaf. My mom was an awful cook, and meatloaf is generally awful, but for some reason my mom’s meatloaf was amazing. I can make every other dish she actually made well (there weren’t many lol), but I have no idea how she made the amazing meatloaf. I should actually have another go at recreating it, I miss my mom and her meatloaf.
Missscarlettheharlot , jeffreyw/ Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Baked beans with cut up hot dogs. I always looked forward to this meal as a kid, but my mom recently admitted that she only made it when she barely had any money.
strawbrimlk , Kiwanna’s Kitchen (not the actual photo) Report
Stuffed cabbage rolls; every Eastern European country has a version of this dish.
kilroyscarnival , Amy Ross/Flickr (Not the actual photo) Report
Sloppy joes.
large_crimson_canine , Cayobo/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Coke float. Can of Coke in a glass, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Northernfrog , lady__jane (not the actual photo) Report
Frozen TV Dinners in foil: Hungry Man, Banquet etc. For those of you born after maybe 1980, this was before microwaves. A foil tray, usually with three compartments: like Salisbury steak for the main dish, something like corn and carrots in the side, and a brownie for desert. They took like half an hour to reheat. There was a fried chicken dinner that had an apple cobbler. I can still smell it. No microwave Hungry Man dinner can match it. They went spectacularly well on TV trays: folding trays you could set in front of you so you could eat while watching TV from a sofa or recliner. Before the VCR, you either watched Candid Camera when it aired at 9pm, or you missed it.
todlee , wendalltwolf (not the actual photo) Report
Chef Boyardee. I purchased some of the ravioli in a can recently. I tried it and was really surprised at how disgusting it was. I remember it fondly from childhood.
xenpiffle , Mike Mozart/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Shepherd’s Pie. Always my favourite thing my mum made but I’ve never bothered to make it.
WordsUnthought , Xiaoyin (Yin) Li (not the actual photo) Report
Cereal. Breakfast almost every day was cereal. Now I can’t stand the stuff. Also drinking milk with everything.
anglerfishtacos , Tom Ray/Flickr (Not the actual photo) Report
Fried bologna. My dad made a mean fried bologna sandwich with a slice of American cheese on wonder bread with mayo. On special occasions we also got our sandwiches with a fried egg or Lays potato chips added between the layers of bologna.
CottonHeadedElf , Edsel Little/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Jell-O with canned fruit cocktail inside to make it “healthier”.
UpNorth_123 , Willis Lam (not the actual photo) Report
Poached eggs in buttered toast. It’s been 20 years or so.
uplifting_southerner , Kai Hendry/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Spaghetti and country crock. God bless my single dad, but I’ve got tomato sauce money now.
Straight_Positive423 , Turtleramem (not the actual photo) Report
Taco night with all the white people fixins. Crunchy shells, ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, diced tomato, and miiiiiiiiiild salsa.
itsf*ckingpizzatime , Karl-Martin Skontorp/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Hamburger Helper and other box meals. I bought a box of the cheeseburger one for nostalgia’s sake years ago and it tasted like bland chemicals.
Ms_Emilys_Picture , Paul-Belgium (not the actual photo) Report
Lots of casseroles made with canned “cream of” soups. I can’t do casseroles these days. As a kid, chicken and rice casserole was the best! But now, it just doesn’t hit.
Runzas_In_Wonderland , kindlythankful (not the actual photo) Report
Kraft Dinner (What we call the blue box mac n cheese in Canada) Used to love it as a kid, now I cant stand it and just make my own mac from scratch.
Reddit4Quarantine , Papasmurf43469 (not the actual photo) Report
Anything grilled. Hot dogs, hamburgers, hobo baskets (chicken, rice, bell peppers, onion). My dad loved grilling and was very proud of the food he would make. Especially his hamburgers ❤️🩹 I miss him so much. I can’t wait to buy a grill one day.
Hello891011 , Gabriel Saldana/ Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Ha, gluten. Coeliac disease sucks.
Snowf1ake222 , M Dreibelbi/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Homemade fried chicken. It was our Sunday dinner every week without fail. I make it like 1-2 times a year at most. I don’t want the grease in my kitchen.
DaisyDuckens , Harry Dona/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Jello pudding pops.
nom_of_your_business , Chris Larkee/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Rice a Roni. Haven’t had it in at least 15 years.
redrosebeetle , david__jones/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
My age can probably be determined accurately by: * Individually wrapped Kraft cheese slices * Cottage cheese * Campbell’s cream of X soup * Swanson’s TV dinners * Pepperidge farm turnovers.
dirthawker0 , Mike Mozart/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
My parents are Peranakan and Teochew Chinese but immigrated to the US when I was young. I grew up eating a lot of Singaporean home cooking. Pork and peanut soup, nonya chicken curry, steamed sea bass, fishball soup, tau yu bak, achar, yong tau foo. I didn’t realize how much time some of these things take to make until I moved out. My mom did her best to pass down heritage recipes to me. I miss them a lot and have been trying to cook more Singaporean for my family.
Toastwich , pelican/ Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
A dish my mom called oven stew. Basically it’s ground beef, veggies and potatoes layered and baked in a casserole dish. Sort of a lazy, Americanized shepherd’s pie. It’s not too difficult to make, but when I make it, it doesn’t seem to come out right, so I’ve given it up. Every once in a while I’ll have my mom make it for a birthday dinner.
snakeravencat , qhqy (not the actual photo) Report
Ocean fish. My dad fished for the family and we ate fish 3 times a week. Now I don’t trust the majority of supermarket fish and can’t afford the specialty seafood stores near me. I am glad I spend summers in Maine near enough to get fresh.
Shilo788 , Stem/ Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
A can of Campbell’s soup was ‘pasta sauce’ growing up.
ch0w0 , Mike Mozart/ Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
I have distinct memories of chopped up hot dogs and easy mac. Getting to be the one who got to scrape the spoon was a huge deal back then. Aside from that, I think we had an actual stouffers truck occasionally come by and drop of frozen lasagna? I always hated it, but I could be misremembering that one.
Kyser_ Report
Chipped beef on toast, fried bologna sandwiches and spam in any form. Ate so much of these growing up I can’t even consider it.
IcedHemp77 , Serene Vannoy/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Cow tongue. My parents made the most delicious tomato based stew with cubes of tender and meat. Cow tongues used to be super cheap when I was a kid. I haven’t seen cow tongues for sale since I starting buying meat.
Bunnyeatsdesign , Rossingol (not the actual photo) Report
Grew up lower-middle class with parents who weren’t great cooks (at the time), so hot dogs and Kraft dinner were the staples. Also, soft boiled eggs placed in little holders with the tops broken off. Paired with toast cut into skinny strips to dip into the yolks. Not sure if there is a real name for this, but we called them Dippin’ Eggs.
Alleggsander , stu_spivack/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
McDonald’s. It was a victory as a kid, but a defeat as an adult. Bologna sandwiches. Keep that c**p away from me! Plain grilled cheese sandwiches. Just don’t think about having them now, always adding things to make them melts.
Lord_Shockwave007 Report
Egg rolls … but not the kind you would find in a restaurant. Hers were filled with shredded cabbage, ground beef, and cheese. They were good as hell and HUGE.
DanManKs Report
Canned corned beef hash and Dinty Moore Beef Stew. Yuck.
CarinSharin Report
Beef, especially ground beef. Ground beef was cheap growing up. It was the hurried homemakers answer to everything. Now it’s something that I consider a treat. Same as lamb, high quality pork, nice offal or game/waterfowl. Steaks are a rarity.
Ok_Watercress_7801 , osseous/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
##Entenmann’s Boston cream pie I swear it was one of my favorites. Haven’t seen that anywhere in decades. They also have a good devil’s food cake. And the pound cakes used to be heavy. Now they’re damn near tiny squares.
MinkSableSeven Report
Toaster strudel, Lean Cusine Peanut butter & marshmallow fluff sandwiches.
vanastalem Report
Liverwurst. Ate it on rolls all the time with my German oma, haven’t had it in years.
garden__gate , stu_spivack/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Lots and lots of fried fish. Their hobby was going camping/fishing in the summer. We filled freezers with fillets. We took the chest freezer camping with us! You’d have thought we were subsistence fishermen fishing for our dinner. Get up at 5am, go out in the boat til noon. Come back in, clean the morning’s catch. Go back out. Stay on the water til dark. Come in and clean the evening catch. Day in, day out, every day of every “vacation” I was ever dragged on with them.
RLS30076 , Yuya Tamai/ Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Salmon patties. My uncle was the cook in the house, and he and I were the only ones out of all of us that enjoyed salmon. So, when no one else was hungry he would make us a couple. They were so delicious but I haven’t had them since I moved out at 18. May have to ask him to make it again soon, for old times sake.
NightSkyButterfly Report
My mom was a fantastic cook. Really involved recipes, holidays, breads from scratch whenever she could etc. Her best dishes were Swedish meatballs, arroz con pollo, Cuban black beans that would make an abuelita cry, pastisio, and a surprisingly amazing cracked wheat bread. But she had 2 kids, worked full-time, and became a widowed single parent at one point and time was a crunch. So sometimes she would buy this frozen turkey block. It was white meat and dark meat sort of “pressed together” into a rounded mound and frozen with turkey gravy in a black tray, you could microwave or bake. G-d was it delicious. I haven’t had it in DECADES, I don’t even know what it was called. Add a box of Pasta-Roni and steam some frozen vegetables in the microwave with a dash of Cavenders Greek seasoning and I’m 14 years old again. I loved having a sliced with both the white and dark parts of the processed “block”.
huevosputo Report
My mom made these things called “porcupine meatballs”. It was her quick-fix dinner. They were regular beef meatballs but they were made with soy sauce and white rice rolled in. I never learned the recipe and I miss them so much.
Takarma4 Report
Really good cheese and crackers. That was our family Sunday lunch growing up, a bunch of different really nice cheeses and some crackers to spread them on. Now that I live alone and do my own shopping I know that good cheese is really f*****g expensive.
backlikeclap Report
Two things: 1) Spinach omelets. My dad used to make with frozen spinach in a box . That was his entire scope of cooking for a kid. I did get iron and protein, though. 2) Crockpot beef stew. My mom used to set this up in the morning (she got up at about 5) and serve dinner when we were back home. I have a crockpot now, but I can’t make a meal the way mom did.
rubiscoisrad Report
Velveeta grilled cheese sandwiches.
Specialist_Cover_496 Report
Oh man, My mom would heat up a family sized pack of those cheap, frozen Salisbury steaks with gravy and serve them with instant mashed potatoes. I’d always make a messy sandwich from it all, and be super stoked when she said that’s what was cooking. Simpler times.
dhippi Report
Grits and cream of wheat. I haven’t made them in years but they were a common staple when I was growing up.
TheLadyEve Report
Kielbasa. My parents cooked it a lot for us growing up but I rarely have it now. The only thing that comes close are these tillamook zero sugar meat sticks I bought that taste exactly like it, lol.
carissadraws , ThreeIfByBike/ Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Chef Boyardee pizza! Still would love that!
andreasmom , FewHaveTried (not he actual photo) Report
Crab and lobster. It’s a bit cheaper when you can go pluck it out of the ocean for the cost of a tank of air. The stuff, today, that’s sold… seems low-flavor and stupid expensive.
Cranky_hacker Report
We ate skirt steak a lot as a kid because it used to be super cheap.
ScottTowel Report
Kielbasa and sauerkraut. My mom would take a bag of sauerkraut and empty it into a 9x13 pan. Then she would cut up kielbasa and quarter potatoes, cover it with foil, and bake in the oven. I’m a pescatarian now. My husband doesn’t eat cabbage but I’ve found ways to remake some of the food I used to eat like shepherd’s pie, gyros, Chickenless pot pie, tator tot casserole, etc. I’m trying corned beef tomorrow.
kristenlicious Report
Pinto beans and cornbread for dinner. Bologna sandwich for lunch. ALL. THE. TIME!
cap_time_wear_it Report
Kidz Cuisine frozen dinners.
theWildBore Report
Mom used to make lasagna from scratch. She didn’t make the noodles, but she’d make the sauce and meat from scratch. It was always so damned good. Then she discovered Stouffer’s lasagna, and we never had it again. Stouffer’s is fine, but I want the stuff made with love. Dad’s signature dish was Cream Chipped Beef, or as Granny lovingly called it, Shit On A Shingle. Toast, white gravy, roast beef. It was something. Not a common dinner anymore… I guess Banquet Table buffet when my folks were feeling lazy
tacobelmont Report
She’d make bisquick pancakes and scrambled eggs, breakfast for dinner, but it never made sense to me that pancakes should be sweet (with syrup), so just for me she would microwave up a little bit of spaghettios to go on them. I’m 40ish now, and a professional cook, but still kind of crave this. I might make some this week
bigredplastictuba Report
My mom’s leftovers meal mixed with hamburger which she called “goulash.” It is not goulash. I have made goulash 2x. That wasn’t it.
why_kitten_why Report
Creamed new potatoes with peas.
theguzzilama Report
Jenni-O Turkey loaf was like a weekly thing at home when i was young…and Hamburger Helper a couple times a week too.
BloodPharts88 Report
Stuffed Artichokes. My mom would make them for us for lunch sometimes. I don’t know how she made them and she passed recently.
OverMlMs Report
Chili rice. Just like it sounds, make some rice, heat up a can of chili, and then mix together and enjoy. I would usually eat it with some sliced white bread or saltine crackers.
randoman00_00 Report
My mom used to make enchiladas that called for a can of cream of celery soup. I loved them. They are the blandest, whitest enchiladas, but they taste like childhood. They also contained an entire container of sour cream and a pound of cheddar cheese. I’m not sure I could stomach them now.
televisuicide , Alan Levine (not the actual photo) Report
When I was a kid, I ate Cream of Wheat for breakfast nearly every day. I’d add a little butter and brown sugar, and sometimes, I’d add cornflakes on top for a little crunch
Ok_Acadia7274 Report
Beef liver. My grandma knew how to make it very well, and my mom does as well. If you don’t do it right it tastes like dirt. I’ve made a chicken liver pate that was very delicious, but also a lot of work.
MrsChiliad , Teresa Trimm/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report
Both parents worked full time and didn’t know how to cook but to their credit we always had a meal on the table. Haven’t had any of these in years but staples included: -Rice a roni with ground beef -Hamburger helper -Oncor veal parmesean patties with egg noodles on the side -shake and bake pork chops -some sort of canned Veggie (these should be illegal) -canned biscuits -impossible cheeseburger pie -sloppy Joe’s and frozen onion rings or tater tots -stereotypical white people tacos -meatloaf and boxed mashed potatoes I thought I didn’t like vegetables because all I ever had growing up was canned or, if it was fresh like a rare zucchini, nuked in the microwave or boiled until it was literally mush. Once I found out veggies can be crisp and seasoned, turns out I love them.
broken0lightbulb Report
American “goulash” which is just like… spaghetti but with elbow pasta. My parents made it constantly because we were poor lol. That and spam with potatoes.
cobalt-confetti Report
Shells and white cheddar pasta from a box. Used to be one of my favorites as a kid. Now I’m not even brave enough to try to sample it again, I’ll just enjoy the memory.
Feats-of-Derring_Do Report
My mom’s Swiss steak. She kept all of her recipes in her head and only wrote a few down for me when I got married right before she died. Wish I had her recipe!
strawcat Report
What was that salad with crunchy chow-mein noodles and canned mandarin oranges? I’m guessing that recipe dates back to the 50’s/60’s/70’s, but I remember people still making it a lot for picnics and potlucks in the 90’s. Personally I haven’t seen it since then, though.
Mila1023 Report
Canned chicken chow mien Chinese food that came with a can of crispy fried noodles. I think the brand was Chung King or something like that. This served with rice and tea was exotic
ogbubbleberry Report
Tuna Noodle Casserole - an abomination I’m thrilled to never have plonked down in front of me again. Miss you, mom, you terrible and beloved cook.
NotAlwaysRight543 Report
Eggo waffles with melted sharp cheddar cheese. It was such a regular breakfast in my family that I didn’t realize it wasn’t a common meal until I moved into my first apartment. I told my roommate she was welcome to the Eggos and cheese, and she was confused.
thesphinxistheriddle , almamahlerdoll (not the actual photo) Report
Chicken breasts baked in Italian dressing with Pasta Roni. Mom’s go-to.
_shanoodle Report
Pork chops. I know how to cook them correctly now, I just…don’t.
Cymas Report
Fried okra and fresh strawberries. Store bought strawberries are not the same as off the vine.
VelcroSea Report
Rabbit everything burgers to hotdish. Rabbit was in almost all of my meals growing up..
Mrpikster00 Report
Leftover cold roast meat (pork, chicken and beef) and raw fried potatoes (thin sliced spuds cooked in cast iron until crispy on the bottom).
youngboomergal Report
My mother was a terrible cook and we were also poor, so at least 1 night a week, we had “Chicken a la King.” It was canned chicken, cream of mushroom soup and a jar of pimentos. Heat that up and serve it over toasted white bread. I don’t think I’ve had it in 25 years and I’m ok never having it again.
Anarchysparky12 Report
A full and different dinner every night consisting of an entree, two sides, and a side salad. Honestly, I don’t know how my mom did it. I’m a quick frozen meal kinda gal now and if I cook a full meal once a month I’m exhausted by the effort.
Mausbarchen Report
Margarine & Miracle Whip.
Permtacular Report
Fried breadcrumbs with noodles and ketchup. Used to love this! Oh, and bread with margarine and a little sugar sprinkled on top. Nowadays I eat a bit healthier. 😅.
Proof-Coffee-3273 Report
My dad always used to make macaroni with canned tomatoes with some salt and pepper. Cheap, filling, and too no time to prepare. Probably not the most healthy thing, but we didn’t really have a ton of money
w1n5t0nM1k3y Report
My mom made a semi-homemade Hamburger Helper when I was growing up using ground beef, green peppers, onions, and Manwich sauce. She’d make a pot of that with macaroni and we’d eat it topped with cheddar cheese. With a side salad. Always a side salad.
mdm224 Report
Cube steak. I like to refer to it as “meat gum” (it was just so CHEWY). Canned spinach. My mom would season it with white vinegar, and the stems (“strings”) would get caught in my throat. You couldn’t pay me enough to eat either one today.
mangatoo1020 Report
Biscuits and molasses. Idk if it was a Maine thing but for many meals we would have biscuits as a side dish. We ate them buttered with a smear of molasses. It been at least 30 years since I’ve had it.
rebeccavt Report
Creamed Corn. Ham loaf. Sphagettio’s (w/ scrambled eggs). I have a really long list. And the list of things I eat now that never even entered our kitchen as a youth is even longer. Travel really expands your taste horizons. Age reduces my ability to eat thing that are sweetened. And Ham loaf is just gross.
DaHick Report
Kidney beans. My mother loved them. At some point I said I have eaten my last voluntary kidney bean. If some chili has them in there I won’t be that fanatical about it, but enough is enough. Weirdly, I like other types of beans. But those big mushy things are done for me.
SallysRocks Report
Hamburger gravy was white gravy. My mom called it a milk gravy. Back then hamburger was the poor person’s meat.
Prior_Benefit8453 Report
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