My grandma's cheap chili recipe hit different after a talk with my neighbor

My neighbor Frank is 82 and he told me last week he still makes chili the way his mom did during the Depression. He said they would stretch a pound of ground beef across 8 servings by adding oats and canned tomatoes. I always thought my grandma's recipe was just about being thrifty, but Frank made me realize it was about survival and creativity. Now I make her chili with oats too and it actually tastes heartier. Anyone else got a Depression-era trick that changed how you cook on a budget?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_dixon1d ago

Stretching beef with oats" is genius, I started doing that with meatloaf and it's way more filling.

sandra1461d agoMost Upvoted

Oats in meatloaf actually changes the texture in a way that helps it hold together better without getting that weird dense brick thing some meatloaves do. My grandmother used to sneak rolled oats into everything because she said it was the poor man's breadcrumb but better for you. The beef flavor stays front and center too, which is what surprised me the most when I first tried it. It's one of those tricks that sounds weird until you actually taste it and realize it just works.