25 Forgotten One-Skillet Suppers Great Depression Widows Made When They Lived Alone

When you were cooking for one during the Great Depression, there wasn’t much reason to dirty three pots and half the kitchen. Today I’m sharing 25 forgotten one-skillet suppers that women living alone could make from inexpensive staples, leftovers, and whatever was already in the pantry. Think fried potatoes with onions, beans warmed in drippings, cabbage and scraps of meat, cornbread crumbled into a skillet, eggs stretched with leftovers, simple hash, fried rice, gravy over bread, and little suppers made from yesterday’s dinner. These meals were: • Cheap • Filling • Easy to clean up • Made from ingredients that lasted • Perfect for using small portions and leftovers • Flexible enough to change depending on what was available There was no need for a complicated recipe. A hot skillet, a spoonful of fat, and a few odds and ends could become supper. Some of these dishes are nearly forgotten now, but they’re exactly the kind of cooking that still makes sense when you want something warm, simple, and inexpensive. Which one-skillet meal do you remember from your family?