I've recently been fixated on the idea of struggle meals, probably because I've been struggling both financially and mentally. I'll share a couple of mine:
-Egg on hash brown patty: as simple as it sounds, bake a frozen hash brown patty, cook a sunny side up egg and put it on top. I like to season the egg with salt/msg, pepper, and garlic powder, then add a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Bonus points if you have avocado to spread on the hash brown first
-Flaming Hot Cheetos taco: toast a corn tortilla on both sides on a pan, then add sour cream and shredded cheese and flaming hot Cheetos as the "meat", add any other taco toppings you like/have (shredded cabbage/lettuce, hot sauce, etc)
Would love to hear everyone else's struggle meals when you just don't have the means mentally/financially to put much effort into cooking
Fellow bean enjoyer here! It's a hearty meal, especially during winter! And great fiber! Dressing up the beans makes me feel like a gourmand on a struggle day.
If I'm taking my beans "all the way" (lol) here's what I do:
entire can of beans into the pot on low-medium low heat. Bachelor's is my favorite.
you want the sauce to thicken up a bit and get sort of stodgy for good adherence to the toast, but be sure to stir so the bottom doesn't burn!
add something to give an umami boost and deepen the flavor. If I have Marmite I'll do a very thin layer on the toast itself. A glug of Worcestershire or a dollop of tomato paste into the beans is always nice. Ketchup will do here in a pinch, if you don't have those. A savory jam might be nice too, like an onion or fig etc. Get creative!
toast 2 slices of bread, apply optional butter and/or marmite, and place together in a V shape in a bowl
spoon your cooked beans into the center onto the toast pieces, such that half the toast is covered
next, grate Parmesan. I like parmigiano Reggiano, but something else will do if I don't have that