Tell me your favourite “struggle meal”

[Catsandcannedbeans]

I will define “struggle meal” as something that is either very cheap, or very easy to throw together. Struggle snacks also welcome. I am looking for some to add to my rotation, anything I can batch cook gets a gold star. Anything that incorporates cheap cuts of meat gets two gold stars.

Mine are:
Fairy Bread, Bananas and custard (from a tin), when I was at university I used to make “fajitas” with chickpeas and beans instead of meat. I would make a huge batch and eat it for the whole week. I would normally eat this in the weeks leading up to my next payment as I had spent all my money on… textbooks. I still make it sometimes, but DP and kids don’t like it so I don’t make it often. Obviously the classic beans on toast. I always make a huge batch of jacket potatoes, sometimes I cut them into wedges and reheat them in the air fryer and put cheese and gravy on them (or curry if I have leftovers).

I'd eat the whole block in one go otherwise I would hahaha

Pasta, garlic, chillies olive oil, rocket.

Nowt wrong with a jacket potato and tuna for ease and comfort.

Marmite pasta with peas has become one of mine. Also cooked fusilli with cooked chopped onions, bacon, peas and dark soy sauce.

When our local Sainsburys still did packs of smoked salmon trimmings another favourite was pasta with a sauce made from garlic, cream cheese, smoked salmon bits and black pepper.

My dad's favourite is very simple but has to be done in layers. You start with a couple of slides of toast and put sliced tomatoes and black pepper on top with a little mayo, then put them under the grill til they're bubbling. Lay some bacon on top and put it back under the grill til that's crispy, then top the whole thing with cheese and grill it again til that's melted and bubbling.

At university my go to struggle meal when I was extra broke was a jacket potato, topped with chicken super noodles (cooked thick not watery!) and if I had any - grated cheese on top.

carbs on carbs, and would explain why I put on so much weight at uni….

Fritatta with bacon mushrooms and sweetcorn.
Chicken liver ragu with rice or pasta (chicken livers are often in the yellow sticker section)
Big batch of bolognese with lots of grated carrots and celery and broccoli stalks made with half meat half lentils and flavoured with Marmite to make it meatier. I freeze loads so I have a quick cottage pie another night when I add peas to the sauce and top with mash.
Sardine fish cakes (use the ones in tomato sauce)

Some of these struggle meals are a bit fancy are they not

“Cheats Carbonara”- aka pasta, when cooked add in a pot of creme fraichè, shed loads of grated cheese, garlic and chorizo if I’m feeling fancy.

Jacket potatoes with cheese beans and chicken nuggets.

Fishfinger sandwich
Pukka pie and microwave mash

Carbonara - spaghetti, bacon, egg and cheese. Lots of black pepper.

Nigella's marmite pasta

Dahl with rice

Anything omelette

Eggchipsandbeans

And, when life just gets too much, egg in a cup

I couldn't manage without eggs.

I bloody love mumsnet. Some of the 'struggle meals' on here are so posh its hilarious.

On days when I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other - instant noodles, frozen mixed veg, and some grated cheese on top. DD remembers it fondly as a treat 😂

Pasta and pesto
Pasta and cheese spread and black pepper

oooooh chips and egg really luxe

Which ones, out of interest?

I am from a working class background and can see little evidence of poshness.

Struggling to find something pleasant to eat in cupboards/freezer at my folks' place - they were no cooks.

Came up with pasta with boil in the bag fish fillets in parsley sauce, pimped up a bit with dried herbs and garlic powder, and frozen peas.

Instant noodles. Served in a soup with a boiled egg and whatever stray veggies are about.

French toast. Sweet with jam and fruit. Or savory with baked beans

Crepes

Oh I used to love a bit of corned beef and rice when my children were little (corned beef or bully beef as we called it, not so cheap now ) or frankfurters , sweet corn and rice, fridge gravel stir fry with noodles always went down well , all the odds and ends in the fridge with noodles.

Baked macaroni cheese for me! Macaroni, cheese, couple of eggs and a bit of milk.

@Anrom19 fridge gravel, I love it! Never heard that one before.

Probably scrambled eggs or koka noodles in my house.

Boiled Egg & Soldiers
Beans on Toast
Scrambled Egg on Toast
Jacket with Beans & Cheese
Cheese & Ham Omelette
Instant Noodles of any kind e.g. Koka Noodles, Super Noodles, etc.

There’s a few “struggle meals” in my repertoire haha! They’re great when you’re being lazy, too!

Oh, and I almost forgot, those Hot Dogs out the jar, on hot dog rolls 😋

This one is a bit weird, but Corned Beef (out the tin), Cheddar Cheese, and Buttered Cream Crackers 😋

It HAS to be tinned Corned Beef.

Beans on toast, eggs on toast, cheese on toast.
Lentil soup.
Fish finger sarnies.
Cherry tomatoes/garlic/chilli/parmesan spaghetti.

That sounds gorgeous!

scrambled eggs
lentil soup - various but always with lentils and vegetables
Chilli egg/rice pancake cripsy things - take about 3 minutes to make
cheese, onion & mustard toasted sandwich

I also have an uncanny ability to be able to scramble around in anyones cupboard/fridge (when they say "I've got no food") and pull together a good meal.