I keep seeing old-fashioned pantry dinners popping up again, and I understand why. Some are described as costing pennies per serving even today, like this sausages and potato stew.
Two that catch my eye are Hoover stew and poor man's meal. But there's a catch: Hoover stew's history isn't as clear-cut as social media makes it sound, and under $2 a serving needs real grocery prices, not a guess.
Hoover Stew: The Macaroni Dinner That Stretches Everything
If you've got macaroni, hot dogs, and canned tomatoes, you've got the backbone of Hoover stew. Some versions add canned beans or corn. I love this as it is a cupboard-clearing dinner I appreciate when shopping day is still two days away.
For an Instant Pot version, I'd keep those ingredients front and center. The starting point would be macaroni, tomatoes, and enough liquid for the pasta, with sliced hot dogs and optional beans or corn.
But the liquid amount, pressure time, release method, and servings still need testing. Nobody wants crunchy macaroni or a pot that will take weeks of scrubbing to remove burnt offerings!
Poor Man's Meal: Potatoes, Onions, and Hot Dogs
This takes me back to dinners where a few potatoes somehow fed everybody. Poorman's Meal combines potatoes, onions, tomato sauce, water, and sliced hot dogs. Traditionally, the potatoes are fried before adding the hot dogs.
I prefer starting an Instant Pot version on sauté to brown the potatoes and onions, then adding tomato sauce and water. The hot dogs would go in afterward.
Pressure cooking won't give potatoes those lovely crispy edges, though, and the cooking time still needs testing.
Keep the potatoes and hot dogs recognizable. That's the whole point!
Were These Really Depression-Era Recipes?
Here's where I get a little skeptical of those tidy internet stories.
Hoover stew is often linked to President Herbert Hoover, whose administration faced criticism over inadequate Depression relief. Yet one detailed investigation argues that much of its popular origin story was embellished online.
Interestingly, it also includes a family recollection of someone cooking Hoover stew during the Depression and World War II.
Poor man's meal has a similarly complicated history. Taste of Home connects its name to Depression-era hardship, while Parade traces the term to the late 1800s, with stronger associations during the 1930s.
I don't need a perfectly documented history to enjoy potatoes and onions for dinner! But it's worth knowing what's fact and what's family folklore.
Clara Made These Meals Feel Personal Again
“The Depression was not fun.” That's how Clara Cannucciari put it, and I think that says plenty.
Born in Illinois on August 18, 1915, Clara lived through the Depression and later shared meals from those years on Great Depression Cooking with Clara.
Her grandson Christopher filmed the YouTube series between 2007 and 2011. Her Poorman's Meal video helped introduce the dish to modern cooks.
Clara died on November 29, 2013, aged 98. She also wrote Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression.
It's easy to see why budget-conscious cooks are revisiting these meals. They're filling, adaptable, and made from ordinary ingredients.
What Does Each Serving Cost Today?
I checked Walmart's grocery prices, and both dinners came in under $2 per serving. Not bad when you're trying to make the grocery budget stretch!
Hoover stew costs approximately $1.36 per serving, using 8 ounces of macaroni (0.68), eight hot dogs (2.84), and two cans of diced tomatoes ($1.92). That's $5.44 for four estimated servings.
Poor man's meal costs approximately $1.14 per serving, using two pounds of potatoes (1.39), one onion (0.71), half a package of hot dogs (1.42), tomato sauce (0.96), and two tablespoons of oil ($0.08). That's $4.56 for four estimated servings.
These are my ingredient-cost calculations using listed Walmart prices, not tested recipe yields. Prices vary by store, and both dishes still need kitchen testing to confirm the portions.
Still, it's encouraging to see how far a few basic ingredients can go!
Which One Would I Make Tonight?
If there's macaroni and canned tomatoes in the cupboard, I'd choose Hoover stew. If I've got potatoes and onions that need using, poor man's meal wins.
Once the Instant Pot methods and prices are tested, both can become handy additions to the weekly dinner rotation.
And really, isn't that what our grandparents understood so well? Use what you've got, make it stretch, and don't waste good food!
Leave a Reply