How To Make The Hoover Stew Of The Great Depression

Feeding a family in tough times can be a difficult task. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, people had to get creative to put food on the table. One of my favorite dishes from the Great Depression era is Hoover stew.

Back then, people devised clever ways to make a meal out of limited resources.

Today, inflation is driving food prices up, making it even more challenging to make ends meet. Fortunately, there are still techniques that our ancestors used to live cheaply and successfully.

There are many Great Depression era recipes but this article will talk about one dish called Hoover stew. It can be made with a few ingredients. It still provides a nutritious and tasty meal.

Origins

Hoover Stew, named after President Herbert Hoover, originated during the Great Depression to provide affordable meals.

This simple, budget-friendly one-pot dish is quick, delicious, and adaptable to your taste. It’s a hearty meal the whole family will enjoy, and you can tweak the recipe to add variety while stretching your food budget.

Highly Nutritious

Hoover Stew is a nutritious, filling one-pot meal. With pasta for carbs, beans for fiber, and pork sausage for protein, it’s packed with essential nutrients.

Corn and tomatoes add minerals and vitamin C. Each serving contains 250-300 calories and 18-20 grams of protein, making it a budget-friendly, satisfying dish.

It’s easy to make and can be tailored to your family’s needs, offering a great balance of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Part of what makes the Hoover Stew quick and easy is that all the ingredients are pre-cooked except the pasta. So you are only cooking pasta, adding pre-cooked ingredients and heating them.

Ingredients

Hoover stew, in its original configuration, consisted of five ingredients:

Canned tomatoes ( 2 x tins, preferably diced tomatoes)
Canned corn (Corn in brine)
Macaroni pasta ( 2 cups worth, and almost any pasta will also do)
Canned beans (Any beans, preferably in brine)
Hot dogs (1 bag of pre-cooked pork sausages)

How To Make The Hoover Stew

The original version also used only one pot to make it all in but you can also use a large pot if you want. So the sequence would be thus:

Cook two cups of Macaroni Pasta in five cups of salted water. The water must boil, and the pasta must be cooked for around 7 minutes.

Drain the water, add the canned goods to the pasta and bring to a low simmer.
Cut the pork sausages into medallions and add to the simmering mix.
Simmer until heated through, and serve.

So that’s the easy and original version. I still find that this is the easiest way, mainly if you are the move.

Hoover Stew For A Gourmet Experience

For the Hoover Stew, I used raw pork sausages since hot dogs were out of stock. Grilling the sausages adds color and flavor.

I oven-grilled the sausages until browned and crispy, then sliced half into coins for the stew. I served each bowl with a whole sausage on the side.

When camping, flame grill or pan-fry the sausages before adding them to the stew for better flavor. Let the pasta and sausages cook in the sauce for 5 minutes, then simmer on low to avoid burning and boost the taste.

Going Full Gourmet

Add some rosemary from your garden during the simmer. The flavors of rosemary pick up well with the tomatoes and pork.
Add finely chopped parsley as a garnish to enhance the color of the stew.
Add 2 cups of bone broth and thicken with one tablespoon.
Once dished up for serving, grate some parmesan and black pepper into the bowls.
Add a few hot sauce drops or finely chopped chillies during preparation.

Hoover Stew is an economical and nutritious dish that can easily feed a family of six for less than $20. It’s a great and tasty recipe if you want to save money and be well-fed.

You can easily customize it. Get creative by adding your favorite vegetables or picking a different type of sausage. Smoked cheese grillers would make an exciting addition to the stew!

Ultimately, the key is to experiment and have fun with the recipe. So, get cooking and Bon Appetit!

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One-Week Meal Plan From The Great Depression