10 Fascinating Depression-Era Dishes Worth Exploring

Historians suggest that contemporary society has much to learn from the creative methods people used to secure meals during the Great Depression. While some relied on farming and gardening, others meticulously budgeted to maximize their food supply during economic hardships. Below are 10 unusual recipes that were commonplace during the Depression Era. For additional culinary insights from that period, check out A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression.

1. Budget-Friendly Hot Dog and Potato Dish

Potatoes and hot dogs were staples during the Great Depression due to their affordability. In the video above, Clara—a Depression-era survivor who passed away in 2013—demonstrates how to prepare this economical meal: Dice and peel potatoes, then sauté them with onions in oil until tender and golden. Add sliced hot dogs, cook briefly, and serve.

2. Creamed Chipped Beef

This economical dish, made from dried and salted beef, has its roots in Eastern Pennsylvania Dutch Country, New Jersey, and the Mid-Atlantic. To prepare it, melt two tablespoons of butter in a pot over medium heat, then stir in two tablespoons of flour to create a roux. Gradually whisk in 1.5 cups of milk until the mixture thickens and reaches a boil. Add 8 ounces of dried beef (such as Hormel) and serve over toasted bread.

Often humorously referred to as S.O.S. (“sh*t on a shingle” or “save our stomachs”), this dish was a common meal in the U.S. military during World War I and became even more popular during World War II.

3. Hoover Stew

Hoovervilles—makeshift communities that emerged during the Depression—weren’t the only things named after the 31st president, whose term began just before the economic collapse. Hoover stew referred to the simple soups served in soup kitchens or similar thin broths. One version involves boiling a 16-ounce box of pasta, such as macaroni or spaghetti. While the pasta cooks, slice hot dogs into rounds. Drain the pasta when nearly done, return it to the pot, and add the hot dog slices. Stir in two cans of stewed tomatoes and one can of corn or peas (including the liquid). Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer until the pasta is fully cooked. Feel free to swap the corn or peas for any other affordable canned vegetables.

4. Egg Drop Soup

Clara’s recipe for egg drop soup begins with peeling and dicing a potato and an onion. Sauté them in oil until soft and golden, then season with bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Add half a pot of water to create a broth and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Adjust the seasoning to taste. While the soup boils, crack two eggs into the pot and stir to scramble them. Add two more eggs to allow the yolks to firm up, then finish with a sprinkle of cheese. Serve the soup over toasted bread.

5. Corned Beef Luncheon Salad

During the 1930s, gelatin was seen as a futuristic and innovative ingredient. Recipes like corned beef luncheon salad—featuring canned corned beef, plain gelatin, canned peas, vinegar, lemon juice, and sometimes cabbage—were both affordable and widely enjoyed. Andy Coe, co-author of A Square Meal, noted that this dish clashes with contemporary tastes, calling it “wrong in every possible way.”

6. Frozen Fruit Salad

A holiday favorite, frozen fruit salad was crafted using canned fruit cocktail (or any preferred canned fruit), egg yolks, honey, and whipped cream.

7. Spaghetti with Boiled Carrots and White Sauce

Eleanor Roosevelt championed this dish as part of her efforts to advance home economics education during the Great Depression. Spaghetti with boiled carrots and white sauce involves cooking spaghetti until very soft (around 25 minutes) and combining it with boiled carrots. The white sauce, made from milk, flour, salt, butter or margarine, and a pinch of pepper, is mixed in before baking the dish into a casserole.

8. Prune Pudding

Despite his preference for lavish meals, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was served a modest seven-and-a-half-cent lunch, featuring deviled eggs in tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, coffee, and, for dessert, prune pudding. According to Jane Ziegelman, co-author of A Square Meal, this was an effort to show “culinary solidarity with the people who were suffering,” as reported by The New York Times.

9. Buttermilk Soup

The Most For Your Money Cookbook, released in 1938, includes two variations of buttermilk soup. The first recipe combines raisins, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and lemon peel with a quart of buttermilk, bringing the mixture to a boil before adding rice. Simmer until the rice softens. The authors highlight that buttermilk, often priced at less than half the cost of fresh milk, makes this soup both economical and highly nutritious, offering a unique twist on traditional soups.

10. Dandelion Salad

Cooking guides like the 1937 Americas Cookbook suggested incorporating dandelion greens into various dishes, including salads. In the video above, Clara demonstrates how to prepare a dandelion salad, emphasizing that it’s both “free and good for you”—dandelions are packed with nutrients, making them a superfood. She harvested dandelions from her backyard, removed the flowers (though edible) and dead leaves, and thoroughly washed them to eliminate dirt. The salad was then dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.