10 Meals You Probably Grew Up Eating If You Have Boomer Parents

I have a lot of fond memories of my childhood dinner table. It was the same place I did my homework, had tough conversations with my parents, and enjoyed many birthday cakes and special occasions with the people I love. I take comfort in knowing that many of the same memories I had as a kid were the ones that my parents also had at their own childhood dinner tables — and frankly, many of the dishes they ate at their own childhood tables looked a lot like the meals I shared with them when I was growing up.

My parents were typical Boomers, born in 1952 and 1959, respectively. They lived with an emphasis on frugality and a strong connection to family, and centered their lives around their only daughter (yours truly). Many of the dishes that they prepared at their dinner table reflected these values. It's likely that some of the meals they prepared as parents were in an attempt to emulate the same comfort and feeling of nostalgia that they got from eating them themselves. In some ways, I was unique; while my friends lived off of hot fries, dino nuggets, and other Gen X foods, my comparatively older parents put a stronger emphasis on home cooking, timeless recipes, and eating meals together around the dinner table. I believe that this kickstarted my interest in home cooking, but grew my appreciation for thrifty Boomer dishes as a whole. If you too lived with Boomer parents, you'll likely recognize some of these classic dishes.

Meatloaf became a symbol of Depression-era resourcefulness, and it was a recipe that stuck around in the hearts (and stomachs) of many Boomers into the postwar era. It was initially created as a way to stretch ground meat by combining it with tasty ingredients like ketchup, breadcrumbs or soaked bread, and veggies, but it eventually became a mainstay in home kitchens. While meatloaf was never a weeknight recipe in my home growing up, it did make an appearance on weekend menus for one reason: The leftovers are pretty darn tasty. My family could whip up a massive meatloaf log on the weekends, then parcel it out throughout the week or repurpose it for sandwiches. It was perhaps the best example of a cook once, eat twice meal that one can think of.

Meatloaf was never without two things: a sweet ketchup topping and a side of mashed potatoes. The savoriness of the meat was an excellent foil for the buttery spuds, and when the two were combined, they made for a very filling meal. Typically, my family served it with canned corn or, to my disgust, canned green beans. These canned items not only paired well with the hearty protein and starchy side, but they were an affordable way to get extra nutrients in. After all, thriftiness was a trait of dishes from the Boomer era, so it makes sense that my parents would have wanted to prioritize that when preparing dinner plates even into the '00s.

My experience with T.V. dinners may have been different from other people, since I had one stay-at-home parent who cooked regularly. But on days where schedules were tight and a meal had to land on the table at some point, my parents flocked to the freezer to pull out a frozen T.V. dinner. These meals have an interesting origin that, like many of the other meals on this list, came to fruition during the postwar era. Flash-freezing technology had developed to the point where foods like peas, corn, and carrots could be frozen without altering their texture and nutrition content, and meals were developed to feed soldiers abroad. Coupled by food companies' desire to make an easy-to-prepare meal that people could eat in front of the newest consumer craze at the time — the television — and women entering the workforce, it seemed like the rise of the T.V. dinner was imminent.

T.V. dinners vary and include other Boomer classics like Salisbury steak, turkey dinners, and pot pie, though my eyes were on the kid-approved version of these meals: Kid Cuisine. While my parents were more interested in the Hungry Man meals of the world, I was more interested in the skateboarding penguin on the box and the idea of eating chocolate pudding before the main course. While T.V. dinners have arguably lost traction among many eaters, there are still some popular frozen meals that are worth trying.

Boomer foods were all about getting the most bang for your buck, which is why dishes that gave a slightly gourmet touch to pantry staples were all the rage. Take, for example, chicken pot pie. This dish combines a relatively inexpensive protein, chicken, with canned soup and (usually canned) veggies and a pie crust (which can be store-bought) to create a satisfying, homey meal in no time at all. My parents remarked that they grew up eating chicken pot pie when they were younger, so it was only fitting that it appeared on the dinner menu at the Klimek family homestead long into the '00s.

My mom was a master baker, so she always made her own pie crust. Pot pie was a great way to use up leftover pie dough scraps, as you only really need to use the pie dough to cover the top of the filling as it bakes. The buttery crust added a gourmet touch to a humble meal, and though I admittedly picked out the peas and carrots from the pot pie in true kid fashion, it was one of the most enjoyable meals I remember eating growing up.

My family had a special relationship with spaghetti and meatballs. It was my dad's favorite food, and he remarked (almost every time that it was on the menu) that he could have eaten a whole pound of pasta when he was in college. Though if my memory serves me right, he came pretty darn close to eating a pound of pasta even into his 50s and 60s. Though I, a busy adult, am a fan of using frozen meatballs, my mom would always make the meatballs and the sauce from scratch. She took the sauce particularly seriously, suggesting that I would be ousted from the family if I ever decided to use jarred sauce over the homemade stuff. On the weekends, she would whip out the largest stock pot she could find and simmer canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices for hours before freezing the leftovers. I have fond memories of her meatballs, too, which were made with ricotta to keep them extra moist and juicy.

Though spaghetti and meatballs became a wholly Americanized food long before the Boomers, it was likely popular during that era due to its affordability. You could stretch a couple of pounds of ground meat by serving it with carby pasta and sauce, making it an excellent choice for families on a budget. While its affordability probably made it a staple, it was helpful that it was kid-friendly and well-liked by my parents.

Pot roast and I never got along. Both of my parents insisted that it was the tastiest food in the world, though I vehemently despised it — a sentiment that exists to this day. I would throw a tantrum every time my parents mentioned even the possibility of making a pot roast for dinner.

For the uninitiated, pot roast is made by cooking a particularly tough cut of beef (like chuck) with potatoes and carrots in its own juices until it's tender. The potatoes were always too overcooked for my liking, and I always preferred raw carrots over cooked ones (it's a texture thing — one that I still haven't grown out of). But the worst part about this dish, at least in my family, is that my parents would blend up the pot roast using a countertop blender until it was like a savory, thick, meaty smoothie. I don't know if the latter detail is something that other kids experienced growing up (and if so, maybe we can form a support group), but I think my dislike of pot roast stems from this unconventional way of eating it. And when I refused to eat the pot roast normally, my parents made me try the blended version — effectively scarring me for life.

Familial trauma aside, pot roast does have its place in the Boomer culinary lexicon. The dish utilized a cheap cut of meat paired with equally affordable root vegetables, while its flavor triggered feelings of home and comfort — for everyone besides me, it appears.

Sloppy joes were a cafeteria classic growing up, and they were also a quick weeknight staple in my childhood home. The recipe is simple: ground meat, canned sauce, and hamburger buns. Though you can certainly make your own sloppy joe sauce, the easiest route is to do as my dad did: buy a can of Manwich, slather the meat with it, and call it a day. This affordable sandwich is super filling became popular in the 1940s and 1950s and gained popularity once brands started releasing their own canned version of the sauce.

No one really knows why sloppy joes have fallen out of fashion in recent years and have disappeared from household dinner menus. Maybe it's the newfound focus on plant-based foods (though I can attest that lentil and texture vegetable protein sloppy joes are pretty good) or an emphasis on more modern foods, but I'm hoping that the sloppy joe makes a resurgence and sticks around for good.

You can credit the post-war economic boom for tuna casserole becoming a household staple. The ingredient list was simple, it utilized newfangled (at the time) kitchen appliances, and it was relatively affordable to prepare — meaning it had all the makings of a classic Boomer dish. The recipe itself was easy to follow as well; cook the egg noodles, stir them up with the canned or frozen veggies and tuna, and add chips to the top before baking. The flavors were homey and approachable, making it a great choice for Boomer parents to prepare.

Tuna casserole was not a staple in my house because my mom detested canned tuna — though it was a favorite food of both mine and my dad. Instead, our house was littered with other, non-tuna casseroles instead. One casserole-adjacent meal that my parents made pretty often was Helper, formerly Hamburger Helper. All busy parents needed to do was combine the noodles and seasoning in the box with ground meat and liquid. It turned into a casserole-like dinner (sans baking) in no time at all. While I can't remember the noodles and cheese tasting very good, I can appreciate the idea behind this product and how beneficial it would have been to Boomer parents, especially in between school sports and extracurriculars.

I almost liken beef stroganoff to the meaty version of tuna casserole. This meaty and creamy dish is made with egg noodles, mushrooms, steak, and a savory, sour cream-based sauce. It has characteristics of being both upscale and unfussy, making it a great option for serving on the weekends. Like pot roast, beef stroganoff is often made with relatively cheap cuts of meat that needed to be cooked for a long time before being served. The rest of the components, on the other hand, are simple and easy to prepare. It was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, likely because of its ease of preparation and affordability.

Beef stroganoff was an occasional dish my Boomer parents made, as pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs were just quicker to prepare. But when the dinner table warranted a special occasion, beef stroganoff made its presence known. I'll admit that I haven't thought much about this vintage dish after moving out of my parents' house, nor have I ever tried to make it myself.

What's with Boomers' appreciation for pudding? Whenever my parents and I would go out to a diner, they always insisted on ordering chocolate pudding and/or Jell-O for dessert. In short, we can link the introduction of instant boxed puddings to the market during the Boomer era to this adoration. During the 1950s, all families had to do was combine these boxed culinary inventions with ingredients like hot water or milk, and dessert could be on the table in no time flat. As such, the rise of Jell-O and other puddings also led to the rise of Jell-O molds — and an excuse for people to encase everything and the kitchen sink in sweetened, flavored gelatin.

Not only did my mom make instant Jell-O and chocolate pudding for dessert, but she also made what I consider to be the best type of pudding: tapioca. This throwback dessert isn't everyone's favorite — likely because of the weird texture of the tapioca pearls, but I personally love it. I remember watching intently as my mom would cook the custard on the stove before mixing it with the boxed tapioca mix. The result was a delectably sweet and milky dessert that I downright craved as a kid.

There is something magical about a root beer float. This dessert was popular up until the 1960s and was spurred by the establishment of soda fountains in the late 19th century. Floats reached their heyday in the 1920s and '30s as Prohibition sent people looking for fizzy substitutes for beer. Drugstore soda fountains became less and less common as the years went on and soda brands released canned versions of the drinks to customers, but the appeal of the root beer float never quite ceased. There's just something about the way that the ice cream mixes together with the soda that tastes like nostalgic, childhood bliss with every sip. It's comforting to think that my parents reaped the same sugary delight out of this drink growing up as I did nearly 30 years later.

Root beer floats were an easy dessert for my Boomer parents to construct, as they only required two ingredients: soda and ice cream. I grew up in far from a soda-drinking household, so these confections were reserved for special occasions, including for enjoying at my local Friendly's franchise (if you grew up in New England, you know exactly what I'm talking about).