How 'Poor Man's Meal' Got Its Unexceptional Name

If you had a grandparent who lived through the Great Depression, chances are good you saw behaviors influenced by that time of skrimping and scraping along, and they likely exhibited them in the kitchen. Whether it's making a simple buttermilk pie or frying up a simple breakfast that would be considered trendy today, we can wax nostalgic about these types of recipes, but they were born out of real hardship. Just so, the descriptively but unexceptionally named "poor man's meal" is a Depression-era dish that features simple ingredients any "poor man," living through economic hardship, could afford.

As you can see in the video above, a basic poor man's meal could consist of potatoes, hot dogs, and onion. Not the most inspiring recipe, but all of these ingredients were relatively cheap during the 1930s — and two of them might cost nothing but the patience to grow in your own backyard garden (and if stored properly, potatoes and onions will keep for months). Further, it was a hearty dish, thanks to the starchy potatoes, not to mention a delicious one — it's a universal experience that when someone says, "What's cooking? It smells so good," it's typically just onions frying up on the stove, after all. Add to that the satisfying crisp of potatoes also skillet-fried, plus the meaty savoriness of the hot dogs, and Depression-era families must have felt, for one night at least, they were eating like kings.

Naturally, as with most recipes, people would put their own spin on the poor man's meal. One popular variation was to add canned baked beans. These would add a delicious sweetness to the dish, a thoroughly tasty counterpoint to all the savory flavors going on. Further, the beans added to how filling the meal was, and like the potatoes and onions, cans of beans kept for a good long while.

Another spin on this classic dish is to swap out the hot dogs for ground beef. Adding potatoes and onions would be an excellent way to stretch a pound of ground beef, after all. Depression-era Americans also added canned cream of mushroom soup to it, a new invention in the early 1930s by infamous soup maker Campbell's (an invention which would find its way into numerous casseroles both then and now). The soup acts as a sort of gravy, adding richness to the poor man's meal, as well as a creamy texture.

Today, it's easy to make the poor man's meal your own. You can swap out fresh potatoes for frozen and add enhancements like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, or smoked paprika. You might also add more vegetables to bulk up the dish, like corn or chopped peppers. And nothing is stopping you from topping it with cheese, ketchup, or even hot sauce.