www.womansworld.com/posts/1950s-recipes-168131
10 Popular Dishes From the 1950s That Should Still Be Served Up Today
Jess Catcher
When we think about how people ate back in the 1950s, most of us conjure up images of diners and soda shops that served up traditional burgers and fries. As fun as it is to visit replicas of those classic restaurants today, most families of the era enjoyed their meals around the dinner table more often than eating out. One huge inspiration for whipping up their own hearty recipes was Betty Crocker’s original cookbook being published right at the start of the decade.
Unfortunately, a lot of the popular meals families sat down to eat back then are looked upon with skeptical eyes today. Sure, some of the vintage recipes for “salads” that involved gelatin aren't too appetizing, but that doesn’t mean staples like the ones shown below should be overlooked. They might need a little refresh for current dinner tables (like switching out heavier ingredients for lighter ones), but they’ll still leave your loved ones satisfied. For an extra dash of nostalgia, watch a few episodes of Leave it to Beaver or Happy Days while you eat! Take a look to see all the dishes from the 1950s that we think deserve to be on our dinner menus today.
1. Beef Stroganoff
If you grew up in the 1950s, you likely remember chowing down on this dish with your family on a regular basis. The beefy recipe hasn't been quite as popular recently, but it can definitely keep your family's bellies full with a variety of ways to whip it up.
Most of us are used to seeing Betty Crocker's classic method using thick egg noodles, but you can just as easily serve up the creamy mushroom sauce and sirloin steak strips over a bed of brown rice.
2. Chicken à la King
The regal name for this recipe makes it sound like a classy dish you'd only find in fine dining restaurants, but it's actually more similar to a homebaked pot pie — just with rice or pasta taking the place of pie crust!
Depending on your family's tastebuds, you can also fill this comfort food classic with plenty of nutrient-rich veggies, like peas and carrots. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (now known as MetLife) included a spicy kick of pimento peppers in the recipe published in their cook book from 1958.
3. Duck à l'Orange
Before Julia Child shared her culinary skills as the host of The French Chef in the early 1960s, this duck dish with a distinct citrus sauce popped up in homes and restaurants throughout the '50s. It was an especially popular holiday recipe, but can still be made today any time of the year.
Some recipes from back in the day called for adding orange jelly or marmalade, but that's what led to the over-sweetened dish going out of favor. Traditional methods rely on fresh oranges and orange liqueur for a perfectly zesty sauce.
4. Welsh Rarebit
This super-simple dish is essentially an open-faced grilled cheese, or a fondue you simply pour over toast rather than dipping the bread. It's also known as "Welsh rabbit," but that understandably leads to some confusion about the ingredients. In the '50s, popular methods involved adding dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce to milk and sharp cheddar to create the gooey topping.
Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman, even called the dish a "a perfectly vintage throwback to Sunday dinners and cocktail parties in the 1950’s" in a blog entry on her website. She also provided an updated version of the recipe which includes a splash of beer.
5. Succotash
When most of us hear this word, we think of the classic Looney Tunes character Sylvester the Cat and his "sufferin' succotash" catchphrase. The actual dish, however, is a delightful blend of corn and lima beans.
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's cookbook from 1958 kept things simple by combining a single can of each ingredient with butter or milk, but you can add other fresh veggies you might have available. Southern families were especially fond of this recipe as a side dish at dinner with onions and bacon added in for extra flavor.
6. Salisbury Steak
Our collective interest in this savory ground beef recipe took an unfortunate hit when the rise of ready-made TV dinners reduced it to a much sadder state. Chances are, you remember sticking your fork in one of the limp frozen meals if you grew up in the '50s.
That said, you can breathe new life into the dish by whipping up your own fresh version of the meaty meal with a sauce of onions and mushrooms. The delicious result will make you forget all about the ones you ate as a child.
7. Cheese Soufflé
Again, the popularity of soufflés leading up to Julia Child's debut on The Fresh Chef is yet another indicator that folks were hungry for more European fare when it came to home-cooking.
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's cookbook from 1958 lists a recipe that includes four tablespoons of granulated tapioca to keep the dish light and fluffy, though updated versions use a pinch of cream of tartar for the same effect. You can also add in veggies like asparagus to get even more flavor from this dish!
8. Meat Loaf
It wouldn't be a list of popular food from the 1950s without this traditional recipe, now would it? The dish got a bad reputation when moms were less than skilled at making sure the dense, meaty recipe wouldn't get dried out in the oven. That, or they decided to experiment with some truly baffling choices to fill the inside of the loaf and spring them on you at the dinner table.
All of that said, rest assured that you can cook up your own ground-beef goodness today without stepping into that same territory.
9. Tuna Casserole
Yet another classic recipe from the decade that we just couldn't go without including. The issue with this fishy dish started when homes and school cafeterias decided to start calling it "tuna surprise" with a typically unsurprisingly bland flavor.
However, we think it's time families revitalized this dish with some yummy fresh veggies, or even serving the tuna over brown rice or quinoa instead of the traditional pasta.
10. Chiffon Cake
Everyone was busting out their Bundt pans in the 1950s for these light cakes that offered a less-dry alternative to the classic angel food option. Now there are hundreds of ways to make this sweet treat, but they all rely on the traditional circular-shaped pan lined with fun shapes and patterns to really pull them off.
Plus, you don't have to bother with whipping up any frosting to go on top of these — a dusting of powdered sugar can easily do the trick.
10 Popular Dishes From the 1950s That Should Still Be Served Up Today
Jess Catcher
When we think about how people ate back in the 1950s, most of us conjure up images of diners and soda shops that served up traditional burgers and fries. As fun as it is to visit replicas of those classic restaurants today, most families of the era enjoyed their meals around the dinner table more often than eating out. One huge inspiration for whipping up their own hearty recipes was Betty Crocker’s original cookbook being published right at the start of the decade.
Unfortunately, a lot of the popular meals families sat down to eat back then are looked upon with skeptical eyes today. Sure, some of the vintage recipes for “salads” that involved gelatin aren't too appetizing, but that doesn’t mean staples like the ones shown below should be overlooked. They might need a little refresh for current dinner tables (like switching out heavier ingredients for lighter ones), but they’ll still leave your loved ones satisfied. For an extra dash of nostalgia, watch a few episodes of Leave it to Beaver or Happy Days while you eat! Take a look to see all the dishes from the 1950s that we think deserve to be on our dinner menus today.
1. Beef Stroganoff
If you grew up in the 1950s, you likely remember chowing down on this dish with your family on a regular basis. The beefy recipe hasn't been quite as popular recently, but it can definitely keep your family's bellies full with a variety of ways to whip it up.
Most of us are used to seeing Betty Crocker's classic method using thick egg noodles, but you can just as easily serve up the creamy mushroom sauce and sirloin steak strips over a bed of brown rice.
2. Chicken à la King
The regal name for this recipe makes it sound like a classy dish you'd only find in fine dining restaurants, but it's actually more similar to a homebaked pot pie — just with rice or pasta taking the place of pie crust!
Depending on your family's tastebuds, you can also fill this comfort food classic with plenty of nutrient-rich veggies, like peas and carrots. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (now known as MetLife) included a spicy kick of pimento peppers in the recipe published in their cook book from 1958.
3. Duck à l'Orange
Before Julia Child shared her culinary skills as the host of The French Chef in the early 1960s, this duck dish with a distinct citrus sauce popped up in homes and restaurants throughout the '50s. It was an especially popular holiday recipe, but can still be made today any time of the year.
Some recipes from back in the day called for adding orange jelly or marmalade, but that's what led to the over-sweetened dish going out of favor. Traditional methods rely on fresh oranges and orange liqueur for a perfectly zesty sauce.
4. Welsh Rarebit
This super-simple dish is essentially an open-faced grilled cheese, or a fondue you simply pour over toast rather than dipping the bread. It's also known as "Welsh rabbit," but that understandably leads to some confusion about the ingredients. In the '50s, popular methods involved adding dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce to milk and sharp cheddar to create the gooey topping.
Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman, even called the dish a "a perfectly vintage throwback to Sunday dinners and cocktail parties in the 1950’s" in a blog entry on her website. She also provided an updated version of the recipe which includes a splash of beer.
5. Succotash
When most of us hear this word, we think of the classic Looney Tunes character Sylvester the Cat and his "sufferin' succotash" catchphrase. The actual dish, however, is a delightful blend of corn and lima beans.
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's cookbook from 1958 kept things simple by combining a single can of each ingredient with butter or milk, but you can add other fresh veggies you might have available. Southern families were especially fond of this recipe as a side dish at dinner with onions and bacon added in for extra flavor.
6. Salisbury Steak
Our collective interest in this savory ground beef recipe took an unfortunate hit when the rise of ready-made TV dinners reduced it to a much sadder state. Chances are, you remember sticking your fork in one of the limp frozen meals if you grew up in the '50s.
That said, you can breathe new life into the dish by whipping up your own fresh version of the meaty meal with a sauce of onions and mushrooms. The delicious result will make you forget all about the ones you ate as a child.
7. Cheese Soufflé
Again, the popularity of soufflés leading up to Julia Child's debut on The Fresh Chef is yet another indicator that folks were hungry for more European fare when it came to home-cooking.
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's cookbook from 1958 lists a recipe that includes four tablespoons of granulated tapioca to keep the dish light and fluffy, though updated versions use a pinch of cream of tartar for the same effect. You can also add in veggies like asparagus to get even more flavor from this dish!
8. Meat Loaf
It wouldn't be a list of popular food from the 1950s without this traditional recipe, now would it? The dish got a bad reputation when moms were less than skilled at making sure the dense, meaty recipe wouldn't get dried out in the oven. That, or they decided to experiment with some truly baffling choices to fill the inside of the loaf and spring them on you at the dinner table.
All of that said, rest assured that you can cook up your own ground-beef goodness today without stepping into that same territory.
9. Tuna Casserole
Yet another classic recipe from the decade that we just couldn't go without including. The issue with this fishy dish started when homes and school cafeterias decided to start calling it "tuna surprise" with a typically unsurprisingly bland flavor.
However, we think it's time families revitalized this dish with some yummy fresh veggies, or even serving the tuna over brown rice or quinoa instead of the traditional pasta.
10. Chiffon Cake
Everyone was busting out their Bundt pans in the 1950s for these light cakes that offered a less-dry alternative to the classic angel food option. Now there are hundreds of ways to make this sweet treat, but they all rely on the traditional circular-shaped pan lined with fun shapes and patterns to really pull them off.
Plus, you don't have to bother with whipping up any frosting to go on top of these — a dusting of powdered sugar can easily do the trick.
