If you grew up in the '90s as I did, you know it was a very specific era for food. Looking back, it's hard not to feel nostalgic about some of the childhood staples that defined these years. So Redditor u/kammikazzie asked, "90's kids — what did your mom make for dinner growing up that you haven't had in ages? What isn't a common dinner any more?"
1. "Shake and bake pork chops. It was a staple in our dinner rotation."
2. "Cream of mushroom soup on spaghetti. I didn’t realize until well into my 20s that this was a meal my mother fed us to make us full for three bucks."
3. "Pot roast made with chuck roast covered in a packet of onion soup mix. Of course, it was always accompanied by cut carrots, halved potatoes, and mushrooms on the side."
4. "Taco night with all the fixin's, featuring crunchy shells, ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, diced tomato, and jarred salsa."
5. "A bowl of baked beans with sliced hot dogs. I always looked forward to this meal as a kid, but my mom recently admitted that she only made it when she barely had any money for dinner."
6. "Pizza bagels, or really any kind of pizza-on-toast if we're being honest."
7. "Grilled cheese and canned tomato soup. It's the best combo ever. This would instantly revive me after riding my bike home from school in the cold weather."
8. "We had these egg rolls, but not the kind you would find in a Chinese restaurant. My mom's were filled with shredded cabbage, ground beef, and cheese. They were good as hell and huge."
9. "Chicken breasts baked in Italian dressing with Pasta Roni. Mom's go-to."
10. "Tuna noodle casserole. It was a total abomination that I'm thrilled to never again have plonked down in front of me. Miss you, mom, you terrible yet beloved cook."
11. "My mom used to cook lasagna with an amazing made-from-scratch meat sauce. But then she discovered Stouffer's frozen lasagna, and we never had the homemade version again."
12. "My mom made a semi-homemade Hamburger Helper when I was growing up using ground beef, green peppers, onions, and Manwich sauce. She’d make a pot of that with macaroni and we’d eat it topped with cheddar cheese. With a side salad. Always a side salad."
13. "We used to do a lot of DIY pizza nights, but each pizza began with a pre-made Boboli pizza crust. The toppings usually consisted of pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and sliced black olives. I really wonder how that Boboli crust stacks up these days..."
14. "We always had this one salad with crunchy, uncooked ramen noodles and canned mandarin oranges. I remember people making it a lot for picnics and potlucks in the '90s."
15. "Chili rice. It's made just the way it sounds: Prepare some rice, heat up a can of chili, and then mix together and enjoy. I usually ate it with some sliced white bread or Saltine crackers."
16. "Hamburger Helper. It was so quick and easy, and I loved it as a kid. That plus Shake and Bake Pork Chops and Stove Top stuffing. Ahh, the staples of the '90s..."
17. Dinosaur-shaped frozen chicken nuggets with a side of mac 'n' cheese. If we got really lucky, we'd get the noodles shaped like SpongeBob SquarePants. Those were the days."
18. "We used to have chicken breaded in crushed up Ritz crackers. I actually made it a few months ago, and I still absolutely love it."
19. "Fried bologna. My dad made a mean fried bologna sandwich with a slice of American cheese on wonder bread with mayo. On special occasions we also got our sandwiches with a fried egg or Lays potato chips added between the layers of bologna."
20. "Fish sticks with ketchup, obviously. Plus a side of heated, limp, canned string beans. And a piece of toasted Wonder-bread, dry."
21. "My mom would hollow out a whole French loaf and fill it with a mixture of ground beef and cream of mushroom soup, top it with cheese, and bake it until it was golden brown, bubbly, and crispy. She called it a Paul Bunyan Sandwich."
22. "Pizza Hut buffet. Mostly we could only afford Pizza Hut when I read enough books to get my free personal pizza."
23. "Kid Cuisine frozen dinners. Mmm, that blazing hot brownie that I burned my mouth on every single time...."
24. "My mom would heat up a family sized pack of those cheap, frozen Salisbury steaks with gravy and serve them with instant mashed potatoes. I'd always make a messy sandwich out of everything. I remember being so stoked when she said that's what was cooking for dinner."
25. "Breakfast for dinner. I loved this so much. It was a treat and my siblings and I got it once or twice a month, but it usually consisted of scrambled eggs and defrosted Eggo waffles or French toast sicks with Aunt Jemima syrup."
