15 Meals You Probably Ate In The '80s If You Were Middle Class

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The 1980s marked a fascinating turning point for food history in America. Many folks still ate most of their meals at home, yet manufacturing processes evolved leaps and bounds, causing a variety of interesting pre-made dishes and snacks to hit grocery shelves. The prior generation was accustomed to whipping up homemade chocolate chip cookies or cake if they wanted a treat, but '80s kids had ready-made choices galore in their pantries. Some of the most popular foods '80s kids still remember included Jell-O Pudding Pops, Pac-Man cereal, Oreo Big Stuf, and Funny Feet ice cream.

Aside from the two back-to-back recessions that brought down families in the first couple of years of the decade, the economy quickly recovered. At the time, this period was the longest peacetime economic expansion on record. Nowadays, people still look back fondly, as reaching middle-class status wasn't as challenging as it might be today. Despite salaries being larger, buying power in the modern era doesn't get you as much as it once did.

With money going further in the '80s, households could get creative with their meals by blending high-quality meats, new frozen foods, and convenient canned goods. Read on to learn about several meals you probably ate in the '80s if you were middle class.

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The untold truth of chop suey runs deeper than you might imagine. The original dish was introduced to America when an influx of Chinese immigrants helped to shape the country's melting pot culture. From lawsuits to the Chinese Exclusion Act and celebrity endorsements, chop suey has had a wild ride in American history. By the time the 1980s rolled around, American chop suey was served as a comfortable weekly staple in many households.

Why was it so beloved? It was a pretty effortless dish that busy parents could make ahead of time. All they had to do was boil macaroni, brown a package of ground beef, and mix in tomato sauce, chopped bell peppers, and shredded cheese in a casserole dish. They could prepare it in the morning while the kids got ready for school, keep it in the fridge, then pop it in the oven shortly before dinnertime. Young kids could easily reheat leftovers in the microwave without their parents' help.

The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity. No matter how picky kids are, many are happy with ground beef, macaroni, and cheesy sauce. As it also wasn't as messy as slurping spaghetti with meatballs, both parents and kids alike could rest assured when it was American chop suey night.

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It's safe to say that casseroles still had the '80s in a vice grip despite an explosion of variety at the supermarket. King Ranch chicken casserole was another common dish that you could find on many dinner tables in middle-class America. This casserole had a little extra glimmer as well, as it capitalized on Americans' growing appreciation for Tex-Mex.

Instead of the usual rice or pasta in most American casserole recipes, this dish uses tortillas as the carb — with alternate layers consisting of a chicken mixture and shredded cheese. The chicken mixture consisted of shredded chicken, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups, and diced tomatoes.

The hardest part of this recipe was cooking and shredding the chicken. Otherwise, folks could rely on processed foods like tortillas, cheese, canned diced tomatoes, as well as canned soup. It had all of the cozy elements of a homemade dish, yet preparing it was a cinch. A big slice was enough to be the entire meal, but many families served King Ranch chicken casserole with a refreshing side salad.

If you grew up in the '80s, then there was a good chance you were a latchkey kid. It was a time when it was more likely that you could come and go as you pleased, and you might have even had the confidence that you'd be able to figure out any problems that came your way. Mom needed a well-earned rest day and sent you out to play? You'd quickly throw something together and drink from the backyard hose. If you were feeling adventurous, you could see if your friends were available by safely riding your bike all the way to their houses.

A quintessential meal for latchkey kids in the '80s was Kraft Mac & Cheese. The directions were easy enough to follow — yet using a pot, strainer, milk, and butter made you feel like a Michelin chef, compared to when you just heated something in the microwave. Washing dishes was never the fun part, though, so you got creative by eating the delicious, gooey noodles straight from the pot.

Parents also loved keeping several boxes on hand to satisfy picky eaters or keep dinner simple. Sometimes it was just a side dish, and other times chopped hot dogs were added to make it a more substantial entrée. The next time you're feeling nostalgic, try these hacks for making boxed macaroni and cheese better.

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Pizza is the ultimate unifying dish across all generations in America. Sure, we all like to debate about toppings, crust size, and pizza thickness, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a crowd of folks who hate the dish as a whole. Americans love pizza enough to pizza-fy all kinds of carbs. French fries, tortillas, and bagels are just a few things we like to load with tomato sauce and mozzarella. One of the biggest pizza trends in the '80s was French bread pizza.

It was a breeze to prepare a 15-minute French bread pizza using a store-bought loaf. However, Stouffer's also sold a frozen version of this beloved dish that you could pop right into the oven. When a poster brought up French Bread pizza in a Gen X Facebook group, passionate discussion was sparked. One commenter shared the heartbreak they experienced when their mom stopped buying the Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas because the kids gobbled them up too fast. On the same post, Michael Duncan shared a dreamy deal their local Safeway grocery store offered. "They made French Bread pizzas in the bakery that we'd often get for lunch," he commented. "It came in two sizes — essentially a quarter of a French bread loaf ('large') was 99 cents, and an eighth ('small') was 59 cents. That, a soda, and a bag of chips and we had lunch for $2."

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Being middle class in the '80s probably meant that you went to public school. No matter how stellar the lessons were, though, lunchtime choices could sometimes be, well ... wacky. It was during this period that the U.S. government tried to convince everyone that ketchup was a vegetable. The government also slashed $1 billion from the school lunch program, so cafeterias had to be resourceful. This is when a major shift from fresh to frozen foods occurred. 

Nonetheless, kids were over-the-moon to eat cafeteria classics like rectangle pizza and chicken nuggets. Another iconic dish during this time was sloppy joes. What's not to love? It's like a hamburger, just sloppier.

Sloppy joes have fallen out of favor in the modern day because many people associate them with the funky stuff out of the can. Yet old-fashioned sloppy joes were prepared fresh with ground beef, spices, sauces, ketchup, and mustard. There's something so satisfying about getting a big scoop of the beef and plopping it on a bun.

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If you've never heard of Chicken Divan casserole, maybe your family called it "chicken, broccoli, and rice." This decadent dish has been around since the 1930s or '40s, and became a go-to meal for parents who wanted to feed big families or have leftovers. It also helped kids learn to love broccoli, as most would probably agree that the vegetable is much more enticing when covered in cream and cheese. The chicken breasts provided a powerful protein punch, and the scoop of rice rounded out the meal.

Since this dish has been tweaked and passed down through countless family cookbooks, you'll find endless variations. Some people cooked the casserole with whole chicken breasts for an elegant look, while others sliced or finely diced the chicken for convenience. Another variation is using roux versus cream of chicken soup. No matter how you get there, the goal is to create a gorgeous, luscious sauce that keeps the chicken and broccoli moist. Of course, you have to top it with lots of shredded cheddar cheese. Chicken Divan is a perfect encapsulation of the '80s because parents could either go the homemade route, or take shortcuts with canned and frozen goods.

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Tuna casserole tends to be one of those meals that might sound yucky in theory, but can actually be quite nice once you take that first bite. Some folks who lived through the '80s could have tuna casserole burnout simply because their families made it too often. The appeal is hard to deny, though, because it's filling, bursting with protein from tuna and peas, and comforting with all of the melty mozzarella.

Tuna casserole fell out of fashion by the end of the '80s, arguably due to mass protests over the sustainability of fishing for tuna. Since then, more regulations have been passed to help protect dolphins and other marine life. Yet, it seems chicken has become Americans' go-to lean protein of choice. Regardless, tuna is still an affordable protein source, so, tuna casserole — with its inexpensive ingredients and comfort food appeal — could make a widespread comeback.

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Every standout product needs a catchy name, and Shake 'n Bake definitely captured American hearts and stomachs. Even today, there are plenty of folks who fondly remember Shake 'n Bake commercials that aired during the '70s and '80s. The most iconic catchphrase that the brand used in commercials over the years came from a little girl with a thick Southern accent who proudly said, "It's Shake 'n Bake, and I helped!"

Fried chicken is a crowd-pleasing dish, but it can be quite indulgent to make. Shake 'n Bake took off as a brand because it helped busy families enjoy flavorful chicken that crisped in the oven. All consumers had to do was dump the chicken into the bag with the coating, shake it, and bake it. Shake 'n Bake wasn't limited to the '80s — or to chicken — but it had a lot more airtime on television during those years. You can still find Shake 'n Bake at the grocery store, but one notable difference is that since 2022, Shake 'n Bake has removed its iconic plastic bag.

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Hamburger Helper became an instant supermarket darling when it first hit the shelves in the early '70s. In 1977, the brand introduced a strange but cute mascot named the Helping Hand – a three-fingered, white-gloved hand with a thumb and a red nose. The hand, whose name was changed to Lefty, disappeared for a few years, but has since reemerged, along with the boxed meal's rebranding as Helper.

Hamburger Helper hit the spot by spicing up ground beef and pairing it with macaroni. Sure, it'd be easy to recreate this basic dish, but busy middle-class families appreciated the convenience of the boxed version. It was a foolproof way to turn a package of beef into a large meal that family members of all ages enjoyed. And now, despite being over 50 years old and having an old-fashioned reputation, Helper sales are skyrocketing.  Gen X folks are happy to buy this box of nostalgia, and it's an inexpensive meal when purse strings are tight as well. It's not the same middle-class symbol it once was in the '80s, but rather, people from all financial backgrounds are able to appreciate noodles and ground beef.

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It can be devastating when you realize a chain restaurant you loved going to when you were younger has closed for good. For many who lived through the '80s, Chi-Chi's will forever hold a special place in their hearts, helping to introduce countless Americans to the glory of Tex-Mex. Giant margaritas, endless chips and salsa, and tortillas stuffed to the brim with flavorful meat, cheese, and veggies delighted all ages. Of course, we can't forget the sizzling beef and chicken fajitas, which made everyone in the restaurant turn their heads and gape as waiters walked by. Folks loved the food so much that they learned how to recreate it at home.

One wonderful fact about fajitas is that home cooks could use any kind of protein in it, or just stick to veggies for a lighter meal. This flexibility worked beautifully for middle-class parents who tried to use up everything in their fridges before their next weekly grocery store haul.

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Setting a big pan of lasagna down on the table is a sight to behold. That first cut tells you everything you need to know about the incoming feast. Is there a mozzarella cheese pull? Does the interior look nice and juicy? Lasagna has always been and always will be an enduring dish because Americans loved it in the '80s as much as we do now. For many middle-class families, it was a special Sunday dinner served with garlic bread and salad. If you were lucky, there'd be some leftover squares left to heat during the week.

Lasagna is another meal that's shaped by time, skill, and convenience. The quickest option is to buy it frozen at the store and pop it into the oven. The middle road is to use a jar of tomato sauce and boxed noodles. Italian-American families who had time and passion would often make their own pasta dough and stew tomato sauce all day. Anyone who knew a family that made their lasagna from scratch was always hoping for a dinner invitation for that wholesome favorite bursting with flavor.

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Eating pork chops with applesauce has a rich history, with the earliest mention of this pairing in print coming from England in 1760. It made its way to America around 100 years later, when a recipe was published in Good Housekeeping magazine in 1893. By the mid-19th century, the dish had deep roots in Appalachia and other rural areas where folks relied on livestock and seasonal produce. Fall was the ideal time to harvest apples and slaughter pigs, so serving applesauce with pork made sense.

The dish really picked up steam across the country when a silly bit about it aired on "The Brady Bunch" in 1971. After the episode, it seemed everyone wanted to try it. This momentum kept the pairing afloat well into the '80s, with plenty of middle-class families adding it to their weekly meal rotation. It may be considered too old-fashioned by some nowadays, but plenty of folks still enjoy this humble yet satisfying meal.

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Chicken cordon bleu was the epitome of fanciness during the '80s, and honestly, it's still an impressive dish. First you pound chicken breasts until they're thin, stuff them with high-quality ham and cheese, roll them, bread them, and then either pan-fry or bake them. If you really wanted to blow your family and friends away, you'd also make a gravy to pour on top. The surprise was when you cut into a breast and saw delicious cheese ooze out, and the ham also provided lots of savoriness. It was popular in middle-class families because the ingredients were reasonably priced, yet this meal still felt like a real treat.

An interesting '80s trend was cooking chicken cordon bleu in the microwave. One recipe that was printed in a 1985 column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution instructed home cooks to place their breaded chicken breasts in an 8x8 microwave-safe glass dish and to microwave the chicken on high for seven minutes per pound, or until no longer pink. While this might seem like a lot of guesswork, using the microwave to cook an entire dinner was an exciting concept back then.

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Who says that eating on a budget means suffering through bland, basic meals? Middle class adults in the '80s knew that they could serve magic in a bowl by letting a pot of beef stew simmer all day. The trick was buying less desirable, tough cuts of beef that cost less, and slowly cooking them to create a silkier texture. Bulking up the stew with hearty potatoes and carrots made the meal stretch even further, while peas brought some fiber and plant-based protein to the table.

Not only was the stew packed with nutrition, but it was also perfect for chillier weather. And, the vegetables soaked up the rich broth — so kids who scrunched their noses at veggies would still gobble beef stew. Plus, dipping a dinner roll or a crusty slice of rustic bread into the stew only sweetened the deal. It was a meal that busy parents could make a big batch of for the purpose of leftovers, or to even freeze for later.

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Chicken Marbella — a that dish skyrocketed to national fame after home cooks learned about it in the 1982 "The Silver Palate Cookbook" — remains as one of the book's most iconic recipes. The cookbook authors who invented the dish, Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso, originally started selling it out of their shop in New York City's Upper West Side, where it instantly became extremely popular. With the printed recipe, middle-class adults around the country who wanted a taste of New York City glamour could easily whip up the duo's well-known dish.

To appreciate this dish, you must be a fan of briny flavors because it packs a powerful punch. The chicken is marinated overnight with jarred olives, capers, vinegar, olive oil, chopped prunes, bay leaves, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Before it is slid into the oven, the breasts are sprinkled with brown sugar and a splash of white wine. The extra sauce left after cooking was great for pouring over rice or mashed potatoes, or for dipping bread.