5 Struggle Meals You'll Actually Keep Making
5 Struggle Meals You'll Actually Keep Making!
Anyone else flabbergasted at the grocery store? I am! I look at some of the prices and utter HOLY CRAP! out loud! Right there in the grocery aisle! With grocery prices expected to rise another 2.8% overall by to end 2026 we are all shopping and cooking a little differently. Enter The Struggle Meal!
According to Google "struggle meal" searches hit an all-time record high in late 2025 and is still going strong! Let's start with What is a struggle meal? BTW most of us have very fond memories of struggle meals at various times in our lives with many of them becoming our comfort food meals. Don't let the term discourage you!
A struggle meal is what you make when:
Your budget fought a battle and lost
You're cooking with what's already in your pantry (not what you wish was in your pantry)
The goal is "feed everyone without crying over receipts"
Extra credit goes to meals that taste like comfort but cost less than a movie ticket per serving
When you get creative with inexpensive items to create a fab meal
Plain and simple? It's is that cheapy cheapy, let's make it stretch or let's just get fed meal
Struggle meals aren't new, people have always looked for ways to stretch food and stretch their dollars. Some more lean times in history have created amazing foods, like Ritz Cracker "apple" pie and Wacky Cake! and things like chipped beef on toast and potato soup.
Creativity sometimes needs a little push. As they say, "Neccesity is the mother of invention".
I've been seeing Tik Tok's and Reels of people asking "What's your fav struggle meal" and I'm here for it!!
Top Tik Tik and Reel Struggle meals
Ramen! The ultimate cheap food
Rice with Eggs
Rice and Beans. This was the one we had when I was growing up and still one of my favorites
Spaghetti or buttered noodles
The ever loved Grilled Cheese
Hotdogs and macaroni and cheese
PBJ
English Muffin Pizzas
Here are my top 5 Struggle Meals! Also known as yummy meals that don't break the bank! Or Meals you'll actually want to keep making!
Haluski: Haluski is a simple cabbage recipe that can be made with or without Kielbasa or bacon. We have this every so often, especially when cabbage is in season so that we can eat locally and in season foods. It's surprisingly good for as simple as it is.
Beans and Rice: Beans and Rice is a staple dish in the South. One of the nice things about this dish is the flexability. It can be as simple as lightly seasoned beans to fancy beans with sausages, vegetables and more. I've linked this to Emeril's Red Beans and Rice recipe, but you can make it as simple as you'd like. When I was growing up it was very simply seasoned and plain white rice with it that we often ate it on the side with a little butter and sugar.
Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps: This is an easy and inexpensive dish that you can also be creative with. If you don't like Buffalo sauce try it with BBQ sauce instead. You can also serve it over rice instead of on leaves of lettuce. Ground chicken can be a great cost savings.
Scrambled Hamburger: This dish has been made by 4 generations in my family! My grandmother started it. She lived through the depression and was the OG of making meals stretch! I ask that you give it a chance! It sounds like it won't be anything special, but I can tell you that everyone I've made it for loves it! My granddaughter is now the next one to eat Scrambled Hamburger after I won over my Son-in-Law!
Tomato Soup: Of course you may feel free to make grilled cheese sandwiches too! I'll admit I have never liked tomato soup except to dip my sandwich in. This means I only wanted something like 1/4 cup of soup! But then I discovered this recipe from Chungah Rhee and her blog Damn Delicious! I love this soup! It's easy and inexpensive and comforting! What more could you want. Well, grilled cheese too right?!
I hope you enjoy these recipes and I'd love to hear what your fav struggle meals are! Share in the comments.
Enjoy!
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