This is a list of recipes that were prepared by home cooks during the Great Depression. Some recipes from this list include chocolate gravy and Hoover stew.

1. 15 Recipes from the Great Depression
Posted on November 30, 2020 byenglishthea71@gmail.com

3. Let’s take a trip through the Great Depression with these old-school recipes
My great-grandmother GrammyFieldsgrew up duringthe Great Depression, and she was an amazing
cook. She was from a rural town in Mississippi, and she made most of her mealsfrom scratch with
simple ingredients.I still remember how GrammyFieldsused to bake her yellow cake with chocolate
buttercream frosting, and everyone loved her coconut cake duringthe holidays. I also enjoyed her
homemade lemonade, vegetable soup, and just about everythingelse she cooked. She inspired my
mom’s cooking and it shows in how she preparesher meals. These memoriesare the inspiration behind
thislisticle. I’m going to list 30 recipes that people made duringthe Great Depression.
1. Shoo-Fly Pie

4. The origins of shoofly pie go back to the 18th centurywith the Pennsylvania Dutch, and this recipe is
made with molasses, brown sugar, and flour. The name shoofly pie probablyoriginated from the fact
that because this pie was reallysweet and sticky, it was likely to attract manyflies. And when flies tryto
invade someone’s food, he might say “Shoo, fly.” Here is a simple shoofly pie recipe.
2. Rice Pudding

5. This is another Depression-era recipe mygreat-grandmother used tomake. It is made with rice and
other simple ingredientssuch as vanilla, sugar, and milk. Here is a rice pudding recipe that will take you
back to a different era.
3. Potato Soup

6. During the Great Depression, potatoes were plentiful when meat wasn’t in high abundance. The good
thingabout potatoes is that you can prepare manydelicious mealswith them, and potato soup is one of
them. Here is an old-school potato soup recipe for you to try.

7. 4. Cabbage and Noodles
There are variations of this Depression-era recipe, but generallyyou would cook it with cabbage, egg
noodles, and some type of meat. This is a meal that you can make a large batch of, and it can last at least
a week or two. Here is a simple cabbage and noodle recipe.
5. Chipped Beef
To make creamed chipped beef, melt three teaspoons of butter and then add four teaspoons of flour. Add
one and a halfcups of milk to the butter and flour mixture and let it cook until it thickens. Finally, stir in
a can of Hormel driefbeef and serve over toast.
6. Buttermilk Pie
This is a simple pie made with buttermilk, sugar, and eggs. Here is a recipe for it here.
7. Poorman’s Meal
This recipe has potatoes, onions, and hot dogs as the main ingredients. The meal is also quite filling and
can last a few days if you make a lot of it. Here is a video from Clara, a home cook in her 90swho lived
through the Great Depression. She shows you how to make Poorman’s Meal

8. 8. Ham Hocks and Beans
I live in New Orleans, and I grew up on red beansand rice with ham hocks. It’s an affordable and tasty
meal and you can batch cook it since beansfreeze well. You can also add green onions, chopped garlic,
celery, and your favorite spices. Here is a neat recipe for ham hocks with pinto beans.
9. Hot Water Cornbread

9. Hot water cornbread is a great accessory to beansand ham hocks. Check out the recipe here.
10. Hoover Stew
This is another simple yet filling and delicious recipe from the Depression era. To make this recipe, you
need elbow macaroni, canned tomatoes,hot dog slices, and corn. After you cook the macaroni, add in the
hot dog slices, corn, tomatoes, a cup of chopped onions, and your favorite spices. You’ll have dinner on
the table in a matter of minutes.
11. Porcupine Meatballs

10. Porcupine meatballsare prepared with rice, ground beef, chopped veggies, and spices. During the Great
Depression, it wasn’t easy to get meat all of the time so manyhome cooks stretched their meat dishesby
addingstarchesto them. You can serve them in tomato sauce, cheese sauce, or even brown gravy. Some
good side dishes for Porcupine meatballsinclude green beans, creamed corn, a tomatosalad, or mashed
potatoes. Here is the recipe here.
12. Chocolate Gravy

11. This simple sauce was also popular duringthe Depression era. You can pour it over biscuits, chocolate
cake, or even your pancakes! Check out thisamazing chocolate gravy recipe.
13. Oatmeal Cakes

13. If you have plentyof oatmeal in your pantry, oatmeal cakes are an affordable substitute for pancake mix
and packaged waffles when money is tight. In a bowl, combine three cups of oatmeal, a cup of milk, a few
teaspoons of salt, a third cup of sugar, a teaspoon of melted butter, and one egg. Drop spoonfuls of the
batter in a nonstick skillet and cook for five minuteson both sides. Serve with honey.
14. Tomato Soup Cake
Here is a neat way to use up your extra cans of tomato soup that you bought on sale. According to
Campbell’s,the recipe first appeared in the 1940saround World War II. Here is the recipe from
Campbell’s website.
15. Corned Beef Fritters
Corned beefwas a popular and available staple duringthe Great Depression, so it isn’t surprisingthat
corned beef fritterswere consumed bymany familiesat the time. Here is a recipe from the website The
1940sExperiment.
In conclusion, these Depression-era recipescan help you stretch your budget while fillingyour tummies
at the same time.