People Are Sharing Their Go-To "Struggle Meals," And My Bank Account Is Thanking Them
We all know that the price of groceries these days makes it harder than ever to cook on a budget.
Well, Reddit user u/theofficialgoddesss recently asked, "What’s your go-to struggle meal?" And there were so many delicious responses that I'll absolutely be trying myself! Here are some top-voted answers:
We also included responses from here and here.
1."Bag of coleslaw sautéed with soy sauce."
"I do something a little different with coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage. Sauté with soy sauce and a little vegetable oil (or sesame oil if you have it). Cook a package of ramen noodles, drain, and add to cabbage with about half the ramen seasoning packet. Add sriracha or red pepper flakes if you want it spicy. It makes multiple meals, heats up nicely if you're taking it for lunch, and is more filling than just the cabbage alone would be."
2."Tuna and noodles. Cheap, yet it has a high density of protein to maintain my body since I workout."
"I call this Tuna Mac. It is mac 'n' cheese, tuna, and peas. Everyone (who didn't grow up with me) thinks it is a culinary abomination. They're probably right."
"Velveeta shells, tuna, can of peas, and bread crumb topping in a 9x13 baked in the oven."
3."Throw some chicken thighs in a slow cooker and shred it. I prefer thighs because they're tastier to reheat. You can add shredded chicken to almost anything. Eggs, rice, pasta, ramen, sandwiches, casserole, soup, or salad."
"I do it with a jar of salsa to make taco filling. Can add beans, onion, peppers, corn, etc. if you want a more filling 'burrito bowl' meal."
"Chicken thighs and potatoes. Roast them in the oven. Delicious. It's like $1 per meal, but I double it up and make extras. In the morning, slice the potato up and cook in a frying pan, then add a couple of scrambled eggs. I use chicken meat in a sandwich the next day."
4."Paneer curry. If you make the base veggie gravy beforehand, it is a super speedy dish and keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days easy. I would just cook a lot of rice with it, make pilau out of it if you want, or just stick to plain. It is so beautifully flavorful and hearty that you won't mind eating it for a few days in a row."
5."A roast (beef or pork) with onions, potatoes, and carrots. Make gravy with the drippings."
"Meal 1: roast, veggies, and gravy.
Meal 2: slice meat for cold sandwiches (easier to slice meat thin when it's cold).
Meal 3: cut up some meat into one-inch pieces and mix with some gravy and some chopped-up onion. Warm up and mash some potatoes. Layer toast, potatoes, meat, and gravy.
Meal 4: cut up some roast and make a quick chili with canned tomatoes, a can of green chilis, chili powder, cumin, diced-up cooked onion, and minced jalapenos. You can warm up carrots, mash them, and add to chili (the sweet can help cut down the heat if you add too many peppers). Add canned beans and top with shredded cheese, sour cream, or guacamole. Eat with Fritos or tortilla chips.
Meal 5: Cut up meat and make a breakfast skillet. I like broccoli or asparagus, green beans, bell pepper, small red potatoes quartered, and onion cooked in a frying pan with some butter, covered on low until tender. Add in the meat and cook until the meat is reheated. Crack some eggs and can either scramble in or just leave on top, cover, and cook a few minutes until the eggs are done. Top with shredded cheese.
Meal 6: You can do an Asian veggie stir fry and add the meat, onion, and carrots. Put over rice or Chinese noodles."
6."Aglio e olio. Noodles, olive oil, chili flakes, salt, minced garlic, parmesan cheese. Lasts me five days to a week, and it costs less than $20. Once you have all the seasoning and oils stocked up, it becomes a $10 meal to buy more noodles, garlic, and cheese."
7."Chili is great and filling. Really, anything with beans or lentils. Vegetarian meals are generally cheaper since meat can be expensive."
"Beans and lentils are so versatile, too! Soups, curries, beans and rice, dips, bases for salads, toppings for salads, snacking, burrito fillings, and different types of sandwich patties."
"We make chili a lot. Leftovers on baked potatoes or chili dogs if we’re having a fun dinner."
"Also good on toasted bread heels — end pieces don’t get all soggy like the middle. And over brown rice or in a tortilla. Or tortilla chips for nachos. Dipping corn chips is fun."
8."Tabbouleh. It's eaten without heat and can be complete if you put enough veggies in, and some cheese or any protein on the side. It's also as easy as ramen noodles."
9."Rice and soy sauce."
"THIS!! This was our struggle meal as kids in the 90s. Sometimes, you’d add cut-up hot dogs."
"Top that with a fried egg and some sesame oil. So good."
10."A grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup."
"If I'm feeling fancy, I mix spices (usually always garlicky) into the butter. Garlic bread grilled cheese, anyone?"
"Grilled cheese sandwich with some onion or tomato slices inside, delicious."
11."I make a soup with celery, onion, carrots, potatoes, asparagus, beans, and tomatoes. Use some chicken bouillon and sautéed onion bouillon. If you want to go vegetarian, you can scratch the chicken, but you can get a whole rotisserie chicken from Walmart for like $4."
12."OMG, a baked russet potato with just a little milk, salt, and pepper!"
"An air-fried sweet potato is sinfully delicious, even more so with butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, and some cinnamon 🤤."
"Baked potato with broccoli and cheese."
13."Tomato and mayo sandwich!"
"Mayo, cucumber, lettuce, and cheese sandwich. Perfect for a hot day."
14."Rice and beans."
"Add some pico, pickled onions, queso, and guac 🤤."
"Did this while I was unemployed. I will say though, you can add plenty of things to it to make it better. Even just hot sauce. The bougie version I make now is rice, beans, and chicken. Cook them all in bulk, dice the chicken, and put them all in the same pot. It should last four days. Most recently, I added some diced habaneros and onions to the mix. After that, scoop the mix into a bowl and add shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Microwave it, mix it, microwave it again, and now you've got Chipotle at home."
15."Sauté brussel sprouts (ideally with onion and garlic). Then scramble two eggs into them and serve."
16."It used to be eggs and toast. Now, it’s a PB&J."
"I'm a peanut butter and honey kind of guy. Very satisfying, and if you have the honey exposed to the air for a bit, it has a nice, subtle crunch."
17."Spinach and chickpea Indian curry with rice. It’s delicious, easy, and cheap!"
18."Fried rice. You can use everything you have left in the fridge."
"I personally call it comfort rice. I toss in whatever ground meat I've got, chop up whatever veggies are in the fridge, and spice it up. Really good as leftovers as well. Started as a hangover food that quickly became a staple."
"I also make rice cakes a lot. Mix an egg with some old rice, add some veggies or tuna or really whatever you want. Make quenelles and shallow fry them or deep fry. A salad on the side, and you're good to go."
19."Toast with cinnamon."
"My 5-year-old calls it candy bread, and it's a delicacy around here."
20.And finally, "Cottage pie! Sauté ground beef, add in veggies (carrots, onion, peas, corn, green beans, celery, whatever). Season and place in a baking dish. Make gravy (optional but nice) and pour over. Make mashed potatoes (can get fancy with homemade or use the box. Also, I've done all kinds of substitutions: sweet potato, cauliflower, butternut squash, etc.) Put mashed potatoes on top of the beef/veggies. Bake at 400 until bubbly. Makes wonderful leftovers, stretches the beef, and uses up veggies."
What's your go-to inexpensive meal? Share your faves in the comments below or in this anonymous Google form.
Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
