When I was growing up, some of my favorite things that my grandma would whip up in the kitchen were the things she remembered from her childhood — the era of World War II. Because of rations imposed during the war, those who remained on the home front were encouraged to cut back on certain things. Then-President, Theodore Roosevelt, established the U.S. Food Administration to help make food and resources last until the end of the war.
The recipes that came from this era were usually very simple and straightforward. It was during this time that “Meatless Mondays” and “Wheatless Wednesdays” were created, and people were forced to rethink the way they ate for the greater good. Rations on sugar, wheat, and meat were the strictest. There were also rations on coffee, which sounds like my worst nightmare.
Money was tight, so recipes became budget-friendly and often had very few ingredients. Their ingenuity paid off, and they created some genuinely amazing recipes in the process. My personal favorite is a recipe for brown bread, made with molasses instead of granulated sugar, that has remained in my family for generations.
Recipes for Meatless Monday
Meatless Mondays were one of the biggest ways that people helped save food for the war effort. My family still does meatless Mondays every now and then.
Wartime Macaroni and Cheese Copycat
Quick Mushrooms in Sour Cream Sauce
BONUS: 4-Ingredient No-Chicken Bouillon
Old-Fashioned Soups, Stews, and Sides
Soups and stews were another way that some people cut back. They were easy to make, often required only a few ingredients, and they could feed a whole family.
Copycat Cracker Barrel Beef Stew
Vintage Frank and Bean Casserole
Copycat Pioneer Woman’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Budget Friendly Foods
For women whose husbands were away in the war, budgeting became a harsh reality of everyday life. These recipes were the ones they used to make every dollar count.
Old-Fashioned Friendship Bread Recipe
Copycat Stouffer’s Chicken and Rice Bake
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries Copycat
Ruby Tuesday’s White Cheddar Smashed Potatoes
Sweet Treats Without the Sugar
Some of the strictest wartime rations were on sugar, which meant that people had to cut back on sweet treats. But if you had an insatiable sweet tooth like I do, there were ways around it. Honey and molasses were often used in place of sugar to sweeten desserts.
Perfect Homemade Graham Crackers
What wartime recipes has your family kept?
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I am not having any luck printing out your recipes. I am especially interested in a red velvet cheesecake recipe I saw recently.
There is a major typo in your introduction. Woodrow Wilson was NOT president during the second World War, which was 1939-1945. He was the president from 1913-1921, covered the period of the first World War. He passed away in February of 1924.
Our mistake, Kevin! Thanks for pointing out that error. We’ve fixed the post to right that wrong.
I saw that. Neither was it THEODORE Roosevelt. It was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was always referred to by his initials: FDR just like later in the 60s Jack Kennedy was called JFK,
This is such a clever way to try new recipes and save some money! As a college student, I could definitely use some of the budget-friendly recipes in my daily life. The White Cheddar Smashed Potatoes sound especially delicious; those are going on my grocery list.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president during WWII, Theodore Roosevelt was president 1901-09 and died in 1919.
I’m a little disappointed, you mentioned your family’s recipe for Brown Bread from the period but didn’t include in amongst the recipes that I can see. You had had my mouth watering because I haven’t had it since I joined the army back in the 80s. Maybe it’s a regional thing or something. I LOVE brown bread!!! Any chance it could either be added or you could email me the recipe??