As an Asian I’m telling you lovely lady that your poor man’s beef and broccoli is very authentic to home cooked for me. Props for using a rice cooker. You bring honour to your family 😂 ❤❤❤
Right? We were so broke when I was growing up. But Mom made everything so awesome. We were always happy for Spaghetti night, that lasted 2 days because there was so much food. We didn't realize, until we grew up, those were the nights she had the least amount of money to feed us on.
My mom’s go to cheap meal was pancakes. To this day I cannot eat pancakes without feeling stressed out. I was the oldest of my moms kids and I knew what it meant to have pancakes for dinner. She asked me one time how I could order them from a restaurant but not like them at home…the reason is simple, if we are eating at a restaurant there are no money issues to stress about! My momma was an incredibly hardworking single mom, she provided for her family in amazing ways all by herself, but the pancake nightmare has stayed with me all my life 🤷♀️
Im glad to know it’s not me, but I think this so often on so many videos. Not an insult… im just being honest. I was taught you get every bit out of thst jar or can or cake batter now or anything!
Brooke, no need to boil noodles or pay more for "no boil" noodles....I'm 100% Italian & adapted this when I was a young wife....layer UNCOOKED noodles as usual but use a bit extra sauce bc noodles will absorb sauce when cooking....comes out great & a time saver....but don't tell my grandmother bc I'd be disowned 🤣🤣
I’ve done this for years! I especially always did this with stuffed manicotti, I just found out a lot of people boil the noodles before hand and I was shocked. I just thought of how much more of a pain it would be to fill soft manicotti noodles lol. It always come out delicious and cooked well when I just use it uncooked. I’m Italian too and my Nonna would slap my hands for it. 😂 Saves time and still comes out delicious.
100%agree.. pretty much any pasta dish can be made with uncooked pasta if its going to be baked or made in a crockpot but precooked pasta does cook faster like the cooked and dehydrates noodles in instant macncheese
Brooke,these meals all look delish!! I Always make a no boil lasagna! It comes great!! I Love Beef and Broccoli!! It's Amazing how cheap food is easy,but yet No one knows it's cheap!! Great video!! Love you!!❤😊
I'm glad I found your videos! Not only is my income very low, but I also have a lot of anxiety around cooking, and I never really learned how to do it. You make it look easy and not stressful at all. Whenever I'm in the kitchen, I obsess over measuring everything perfectly, and I get so obsessed over following recipes, but seeing you make delicious-looking meals without fussing over recipes and just improvising with what you have is a breath of fresh air and really inspirational.
I do hope you've learned more about cooking---it's a lot of fun, actually, to mess around in the kitchen and see what you can come up with---because once you learn to be at ease, you can make pretty much anything at all. My Dad taught me to cook when I was 8 years old, and Mom was in the hospital. Mom taught me to bake when I was 9, so I've got more than six decades of cooking and baking experience. The one thing to know about cooking is that it's very flexible and forgiving, and can tolerate changes in recipes very easily. Baking cannot--it pretty much needs to be done as the recipe calls for (I mean pastries, cakes, pies, the more delicate foods). Casseroles, on the other hand, are super easy to learn and baking them isn't the precise science pastries, etc., call for.
Brooke I'm really enjoying your Family, Recipes & you're channel! I have cut my food cost ($700 + monthly) family of 4 adults) in more of half ($200) & now have a decent stock pantry following your suggestions. I have never had a pantry before! My family also tell me (and I agree) my dishes have been more flavorful with less ingredients! For the first time we now have money in our savings! Thank-You For Sharing your Lifestyle & Family!
Dear Brooke. As a professional cook , I've made ricottacheese from excess milk or near expires milk using fresh lemon juice, salt & cheese cloth or ( flour-bag) type kitchen towel.
Love this. Brought back memories. Six kids. When Mama started working nights, it became one's responsibility to make dinner and have a plate covered with foil in a warm oven. And god help you if you did something "wrong." Can you feed six people on a pound of ground round? If you know what you're doing, you can. Great video, now need to catch up!!
Heck yes you can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger meat. I have come to believe that people just eat too much. I was at Safeway the other day and this lady had 3 cart's of food all the way to the brim a lady behind me asked her why she was getting so much food her answer was they have 2 adults and 2 children she said that she spends a thousand dollars every two weeks on food one of her baskets was full of junk food candy, cookies, potato chips ect the only veggies was 6 tomatoes and 3 onions 4 loaf's of bread and the rest was frozen dinner's frozen veggies and frozen pizza it was crazy she had lunch meat cheese and that kind of stuff but if she had just bought the food fresh she would have saved so much money she really needs to watch your channel.
I was taught by my father how to cook when I was eight years old and Mom was in the hospital. Fortunately, they were very easygoing parents and didn't get uptight if I did something wrong (and I did--I was just a little girl!), but gently corrected my mistakes. As I got older, I pretty much took over the kitchen, something that made Mom quite happy as she didn't enjoy cooking.
Hi Brooke I just recently found your channel and I have to say I'm 55 years old and I've never seen anybody come up with as many cool healthy and nutritious dinners like you do thank you for doing this channel ❤ You are giving me so many ideas that I never had before🎉 You are a blessing 💕
I love your channel!! My 13 year old daughter is extremely picky. I made your lasagna and she would NOT stop eating it! She claimed all the leftovers lol Thank you for all of your incredible, affordable meal ideas💕
I always use cottage cheese in my lasagna (so much cheaper than ricotta) - to really make it seem like ricotta I put the cottage cheese into my blender and blend it smooth. I also skip added salt since the cottage cheese is saltier than ricotta. I can't tell the difference other than the $3.50 I save when I make lasagna.
I just discovered you . I’m enjoying your poor man meals you make it look so easy, I’m on a budget I’m a widow 83 yrs old so have to watch my Pennies! I really enjoy you Brooke and your sons what nice kids , keep recipes coming. Thank you!
QUISAGNA.......we didn't have lasagna noodles and they were too expensive, so we made lasagna with cooked bow tie pasta that we had on hand. Liked it so much, we named it 'quisagna' because it was quicker than regular lasagna, and when baked, very tasty!! It isn't layered, just all mixed up and put into a olive-oiled large glass baking pan, top with cheese and bake.
Hey Mama, this is Paula here. This is my first time watching your videos and I must say that I am so so impressed, and you are the most down to earth frugal mama I have ever yet to meet. Scrumptious meals on a tight budget. I live alone here in Connecticut, retired on a fixed income and its very hard on one check per month. I shop at Aldi and Walmart; can't afford to go anywhere else. Keep on cookin' Mama!!
Brooke. I live in the Tri-state area of WV, KY, And OH. I have grown up in Appalachia all my life. I know you are helping so many people. You are such a great momma. What a blessing you are to others. Keep it up.
Brooke, I am also an Italian by birth. We never precooked regular noodles. Don’t waste money on no boil noodles. Just add a little water to your sauce or more sauce. Use regular noodles. The noodles cook while baking and absorb the sauce better. And ricotta wasn’t easy to find when I was a child so mom always used cottage cheese and mushed it up if the curds were too big. I also prepare lasagna in advance and freeze before baking. The regular noodles are good for this. You can also layer frozen spinach in the layers. Just thaw and press out the excess water. I actually prefer meatless lasagna. I’m not a big meat eater. I also get the large bags of shredded mozzarella and keep it in the freezer for this. I pick up ricotta on sale and freeze it. Just thaw and drain the liquid from the top.
When I first tried using uncooked lasagna noodles, the finished lasagna was too dry. The noodles soaked up too much liquid from the sauce. So now I soak the uncooked noodles in hot water for 5-10 minutes before putting all the layers together. Perfect!
"Is it as good as regular beef and broccoli?" Hell no... but I get it. The poor man's lasagna truly opened my eyes though. Not once growing up did I have home cooked lasagna; my mom always made it out to be a brain explodingly complicated procedure. Looks ridiculously easy to make. I really want to try it now.
In all fairness to your Mom, more than likely the jar sauces we use were not available like they are now. I do not recall seeing them in the grocery store at all. The Betty Crocker cookbook has a recipe for lasagna, but it is very involved. This must have been what she meant.
Brooke, I buy beef stew meat or roast when it's on clearance (use or freeze right away!) And cut it in bite sized pieces for beef stirfry or with broccoli. It works fine and so much cheaper than steak.
Hi Brooke, you’re a real inspiration to this 77 yo grandma! I love to cook and love your new perspective on saving money. Thanks and keep up the good work ❤️😋
Brooke.... I was poor for so long that to this day I have never used canned soup to make a casserole. Not to mention any other short cuts. I am not poor now. I was a CPA and an Auditor for the State for nearly 20 years. I became disabled in 2013. However, I could not change. I cook everything from scratch and I love to cook. I love your channel because you are helping so many people. God bless you and your beautiful family!
I watched this video this afternoon,with nothing in mind for dinner. I had ground turkey, broccoli, rice and the rest of ingredients to make beef and Broccoli. I made it as you said with the addition of bamboo shoots,water chestnuts and bean sprouts. GIRL let me tell you,this is going in for dinner rotation. It's just my hubby and I and we both liked it very much!!! Thank you for ALL of your recipes!!
Brooke, I don't boil my lasagna noodles anymore. I just use the cheapest brand and layer as usual, and it works great! I also found that the grated parm helps thicken your lasagna.
Hi Brooke , Dusty and boys I have used used vegetables from my garden like squash and egg plant to sub for meat dishes I have took pintos and rice mixed them together for a meat substitute in dishes when I couldn't afford meat . Thank you Brooke for all your hard work putting these videos together for us it help us grow . I have took bread slices grated up a can of spam and grated up some cheese spread a thin coat of mustard on one slice of bread sprinkled spam shredded on it another piece of bread lightly spread mayonnaise on it sprinkle mozzarella cheese on it put you over on broil put it in the oven watch it when the cheese is melted pull it out put together with the cheese piece of bread on top of spam side put back in the oven still on broil let it toast lightly pull it out flip it with the spam side of the bread let it toast lightly and it's done just bread , a little bit of mozzarella cheese and a can of spam goes a long way you can get 2 meals out of it easily . Just wanted to share a cheap meal we made when I was growing up when my parents be at work and I had to cook supper for us it would feed 5 people two meals or 8 people one meal and they would be some left . Sending lots of love and prayers 🙏❤
Love the beef and broccoli recipe, and it really lends itself to be adapted with what you have. You can stretch it by adding cut onions and maybe some carrots, as well. Definitely trying this one in the next couple of days; if I don't have ground meat, there's shredded chicken from the $5 rotisserie in the freezer!
A hint for the Beef Broccoli if you will. Some stores will sell a "bottom round" either already thin sliced or the meat department will slice it for you. It's kind of a tough cut, but if you marinate it 1/2 hour in your sauce with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda it will be tender. The bottom round will be fairly large so you'd need to budget for it but if you have a freezer it will give you many beefy meals. The baking soda is key to tender meat and works on chicken as well. One way I like to use the bottom round slices is to cut them into 2-3" wide strips. I marinate them in a mix of teriyaki sauce (or soy), baking soda, lots of ginger, olive oil, crushed garlic, and chopped onion or powder. Marinate a few hours or overnight. Then I thread each strip accordian style on a skewer that's been soaked in water. Drop them on a BBQ grill or under your broiler (on a rack over foil) for a few minutes and serve. So many other ways to use those slices it's worth looking for on sale!
You don’t need to pre cook frozen veggies! Chuck them in the pan, the steam of the other food cooking will soften & cook them. It also helps retain more of the nutritional value 😁 Really enjoyed this video, thanks for the ideas 😊
Brooke absolutely ADORE your channel, your enthusiasm, your amazing creativity but most of all, girl, you keep it real! Love, love your channel and your family! ♥ ♥ ♥ God Bless!
My mama taught me this when I was first married! No need to cook your noodles. The sauce will cook 👨🍳 them! Feeding my hubby for over 30 + years! ❤️❤️
I love watching you, i just recently came across the videos. Im certainly not the best cook, but grew up with this type of meals and they were very good. My husband and i were young with children so it came in handy. One of the things i like best in your vedios is you envolve the whole family. I see well rounded polite children. Good job, i rather my children understand vaule and manners then complain about a meal in their stomach. I hope i said that right. It was ment to be a good job showing family values.
Ot always looks so hard to make lasagna when you eat it. You make it look so easy. I'm 71 and I've never eaten so good in my life since I've been researching the poorer versions of the food recipes. I actually like the recipes better than restaurant meals. Thanks!
I finally got my hands on the frozen cheese ravioli at Dollar Tree and I made your lazy lasagna!!! It was absolutely delicious!!!!! I just love that ravioli!! I got my sauce at Dollar tree too. I added some onion, green pepper and mushrooms, cuz I already had all of it. And I added a .25 carton of diced tomatoes with basil and garlic that I got on sale !!!! It was fabulous!!!!!
When you held up the bag of broccoli and said it’s frozen solid and picked up a pan, I thought you were going to tell us that you were going to smash the bag with the pan to break up the broccoli 😂
When I make lasagna, I mix together my sauce, meat, and ricotta or cottage cheese mixture and then spread it over each layer of noodles. It seems easier to spread evenly that way.
I did the same, @sweet...mom, but I had apiece of condone(no sugar added) leftover, so I crumbled up the white part over the final cheese layer. It's in the oven now.
When I was young, my friend’s mother used to make her lasagna with scrambled eggs crumbled in it instead of meat and I thought it was the best thing ever.
PM Lasagna- my mom mixed in an egg or two to the cottage cheese to up the protein. No one could tell. PM Beef Broccoli- to lower the price of beef, she would have the butcher grind up pork roast on sale much cheaper than beef and go Half and Half. Example beef rarely goes below $3.49 in my area. Pork loin is frequently $1.99 and less. So $3.49 (beef)+$1.99(pork)=$5.48 for 2lb of burger or $2.74lb. Many meat loaf recipes mix pork and beef. 52 weeks a year x $0.75=$39 a yr. savings. Every little bit helps and adds up. PS my states doesn’t allow sale of hamburger past expiration dates.
Another definition of a poor man’s meal is what my mama described that back in the 1930s when beef and broccoli wasn’t even invented, poor man’s meals were good nutritious meals using very simple pantry, inexpensive ingredients. I am 76 years old and that’s what my mama said.
Quick tip about the frozen 🥦. If you have a microwave safe piece of Tupperware or glass just pre cook it in the microwave covered with a paper plate or piece of parchment/ wax paper. Add a little bit of water and voila! It's steamable!
From Australia 🇦🇺 This video has some good recipes and I appreciate videos like these from small channels. Keep up your great work and gunna try one of these to help get me through a difficult week coming up 😊
My mother used to brown chop meat and chopped onion, add 3 cans of beef gravy and a pound of cooked wide egg noodles and serve it with peas. We loved it and it was budget. My children and grandchildren all love it and it's cheap since you can use any chopped meat you like.
Thank you for posting your videos will help me make these poor man's meal for the family due to being unemployed at the moment but your videos will definitely help out my family thank you very much love your videos
Brooke I just made the beef and broccoli except I substitute chicken for the beef and I had a little leftover corn that I added with the broccoli and OMGosh it was awesome! Thank you for the easy and budget friendly AND delicious dinner, 2 thumbs way up 👍👍
What a beautiful family you have. That beef and broccoli did look really tasty. I will have to try that one for sure. I love meals like this because, not only are they inexpensive but quick. After a long day at work, I really don't want to be standing over a hot stove half the night LOL. I appreciate you sharing.
You are so lovely and fun. Thank you for your meals! Gosh they are good and saving me. I love how you say "use what ever you have in your kitchen" I have left overs that I didn't know what to do with and I have used them in your meals and they taste good with no waste from me. Thank you so much for sharing. Keep on keeping on ok 🙂
You inspire me to think outside the box to feed my family delicious food on a tight budget. Thank you! You’ve given us some great meal ideas on the cheap. 🎉
I just wanted to say ty for the beef & broccoli recipe. I made it last night & even the kids ate the whole thing... 😂. Ty so much for taking the time to share. I don't know why it took me so long to find your channel. But I'm so glad I did. Please keep sharing all your tips in the kitchen cause this crazy busy Mama needs all the help I can get... Lol. ❤
You inspire my to think outside the box. My dad loves pepper steak and I use burger instead of steak because it is more tender. When I first made it I wasn't sure he would like it because he doesn't like anything out of the ordinary, but he loved it.
Brooke, As another commenter stated, I didn't realize til I ran my own household how frugal my Mother had to be to stretch the food supply. (War years) She spread the thinnest layer ever of peanut butter, jelly, tuna on sandwiches. I didn't usually like other family's thicker layered sandwiches bc hers was all I knew! She had a reputation among friends of being able to slice a tomato so thin you could read thru it! She was a wonderful cook & amazing with a budget! I enjoy your videos & recipes!
Honey, I loved your channel. I am a Brazilian grandmother. I love cooking. Here in Brazil, fresh food is much cheaper than frozen food. Most women learn to cook from their mothers, and men do too. Due to the climate we have vegetables and fruits of various types depending on the season. I loved your children eating your healthy food with pleasure. My way of cooking is similar to yours and I always improvise with what I have. I use a lot of fresh herbs like parsley, chives, basil and rosemary, onion and garlic. It's great. God bless you always. Sorry for my English, I'm still studying. I only speak Portuguese and Spanish.
I always make vaguely Asian stir fries with cheap veggies, ground beef and different concentrations of soy sauce, ginger, hoisin, etc. My kids' favorite is with my homemade orange marmalade to make an orange beef sort of situation
I used to buy & bake expensive lasagna, but realized I could make a big pan & freeze leftovers. Actually saved $$ in the long run. I'd use any red meat I had on hand.
As a bachelor that cooks, I love this Poor Man Meals idea! It's great to have options. One thing I would recommend trying, to squeeze even more flavor out of the broccoli, is to roast it. I like to spray a little Pam, or whatever nonstick oil, on a sheet pan and cook the broccoli in the oven or air fryer. Roast it until you have some browned, or even a little blackened bits on the broccoli. Also works great with Brussels sprouts and asparagus! Yum!
Great meals. I'm trying them both. I was raised on poor man's (leftover) meals. I had alot of ww2 meals from my mom. I loved potatoes & 🌭, pasta with peas or corn, tomatoes with just oil, salt & pepper along with onion sandwiches. Really, just bread and onion. Thanks for the vid.
I got lucky and found a 5lb tub of ricotta cheese at the discount store for 99 cents, so I bought 2 and put them in the freezer. Almost done with the first tub. Never thought of using ground beef for beef and broccoli, I will have to give it a try. We eat a lot of stir fry meals in the summer because they are quick to cook and don’t heat up my kitchen as much.
In the summer I carry my pressure cooker out back. Lol looks odd but works beautifully. I also carry the toaster oven out. Works best if you have a fenced in shady area. When I visited friends in Long Island many of the homes built at the turn of the prey century had kitchens in the basement so ladies could cook where it's cooler. This seems good for summer but can't imagine doing it in winter.
I just started watching you last week. Being a senior I live on a budget. I will be doing a lot of your recipes. Your family is so sweet and polite. Love you. You make me laugh a lot. 😂
If you've got any frozen veggies in your freezer like spinach or pepper/onion mix or even a small can of mushrooms in the pantry, add them to the lasagna. This is good for when you just have a little bit in the bottom of a frozen veggie bag in the freezer that you need to use up. Adds nutrition and makes it more filling. But, the normal, plain version is great as is! Related: Finely chopped, thawed freezer spinach is a cheap, nutrition-rich, green option to add into random recipes. You can even hide a moderate amount in chili!
My hubby does NOT like cottage cheese!!! he will gag just looking at it on my plate. :) But I use cottage cheese in my Lasagna. and He can't get enough of it. He's so funny we love both of your meals today. thanks for sharing
actually, on your lasagna, if you have cream cheese, and parmesan, you can make a 3 cheese lasagna by cubing the cream cheese and adding to the cottage cheese and then putting parmesan over the top of both cheeses--yum! dts/usa
I grew up dirt poor. My cousins and I used to make what we called "Jam Sandwiches" - basically just slather mustard onto two pieces of bread. Take a 3rd piece of bread and put it between the other two. The key here is to pretend that the middle piece of bread is meat or some other delicacy we couldn't afford.
I always add cottage cheese to my lasagne but I mix some italian seasoning or garlic in it before I layer it in. Its a pretty easy way to add more flavor. ( although ive never had a bad lasagne😊)
Don’t know about anyone else but my hours have been cut lucky to get 25 hrs a week so every one of our meals are poor man’s meals, getting real creative ! And tripled the size of my garden! Can’t eat grass!
Hello Danielle. Its Sept, I hope your hours are back to normal. I garden, but also there are 3 food pantrys in my area. My husband is embarrased, but we need to eat. Last week he applied for food stamps. God bless you, the elderly, students and singles and everyone who is trying to get back on their feet. ✝️
As soon as I see you have posted a new video I stop what I’m doing and watch it. Brooke you never disappoint! Love the meals and I love you and your family!❤
I use green lentils in the tomato sauce and it is heavenly, cheap, healthy and filling. I had never thought of using cottage cheese like that and am grateful for the suggestion as I have had to cut down drastically on cheese since my heart attack and this way I can still enjoy the creaminess. Many thanks. Oh, I have also used tortilla wraps instead of lasagne sheets when i have no pasta but an opened packet of wraps. V tasty.
Poor Man Lasgana is funny to me. I grew up in a factory town in NJ where all lasagna was poorman's lasagna. Diverse neighborhood, not much money but big families. Lasagna was never a wealthy meal, it was the cheapest. Mostly made on Saturday's by the Italian families in the neighborhood. Basically, Italian ladies made the lasagna noodles (pantry items cheap) and all of the leftovers from the week were layered cafefully, with gravy (their name for sauce) in between. Basically, you never knew what you were gonna get. A bite of this a bit of that, any/all cheese in the refrigerator. Smelled amazing! Filled stomachs, high comfort meal.
My mom would have added Italian seasoning in the cottage cheese. That's what I grew up eating. When money got better ground beef added to it. I'm 65 now and I love it still.
As an Asian I’m telling you lovely lady that your poor man’s beef and broccoli is very authentic to home cooked for me. Props for using a rice cooker. You bring honour to your family 😂 ❤❤❤
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Good because I am making it tonight and I am so excited to try it
I’m 58. In hindsight, I now realize my mom made a lot of “poor man” meals when we were growing up. At the time, it was just good home cooking.
@@koreyb Sounds good, though! 👍
@@koreybburger gravy is so delicious. Today rice is cheaper than bread so we eat it over rice. It is a nostalgia meal for my 84 year old dad.
Right? We were so broke when I was growing up. But Mom made everything so awesome. We were always happy for Spaghetti night, that lasted 2 days because there was so much food. We didn't realize, until we grew up, those were the nights she had the least amount of money to feed us on.
@@koreyb That's SOS. It is the best. Good enough for the boys in the war...maybe momma toned down the name a bit for you.
My mom’s go to cheap meal was pancakes. To this day I cannot eat pancakes without feeling stressed out. I was the oldest of my moms kids and I knew what it meant to have pancakes for dinner. She asked me one time how I could order them from a restaurant but not like them at home…the reason is simple, if we are eating at a restaurant there are no money issues to stress about! My momma was an incredibly hardworking single mom, she provided for her family in amazing ways all by herself, but the pancake nightmare has stayed with me all my life 🤷♀️
My mom taught me to always add a little water to a jar/can and make sure you used all of the sauce. Still do it today.💚🙏🏻
I was thinking the same thing when watching, water or broth for more added flavor.
Me, too!
Absolutely! I do that too.
Im glad to know it’s not me, but I think this so often on so many videos. Not an insult… im just being honest. I was taught you get every bit out of thst jar or can or cake batter now or anything!
I do that also 😊
Brooke, no need to boil noodles or pay more for "no boil" noodles....I'm 100% Italian & adapted this when I was a young wife....layer UNCOOKED noodles as usual but use a bit extra sauce bc noodles will absorb sauce when cooking....comes out great & a time saver....but don't tell my grandmother bc I'd be disowned 🤣🤣
I’ve done this for years! I especially always did this with stuffed manicotti, I just found out a lot of people boil the noodles before hand and I was shocked. I just thought of how much more of a pain it would be to fill soft manicotti noodles lol. It always come out delicious and cooked well when I just use it uncooked. I’m Italian too and my Nonna would slap my hands for it. 😂 Saves time and still comes out delicious.
I would say if you have any kind of macaroni product, you could parboil it and then layer it
100%agree.. pretty much any pasta dish can be made with uncooked pasta if its going to be baked or made in a crockpot but precooked pasta does cook faster like the cooked and dehydrates noodles in instant macncheese
Brooke,these meals all look delish!! I Always make a no boil lasagna! It comes great!! I Love Beef and Broccoli!! It's Amazing how cheap food is easy,but yet No one knows it's cheap!! Great video!! Love you!!❤😊
I do it too, makes it creamier without boiling and I add mater not more sauce.
I'm glad I found your videos! Not only is my income very low, but I also have a lot of anxiety around cooking, and I never really learned how to do it. You make it look easy and not stressful at all. Whenever I'm in the kitchen, I obsess over measuring everything perfectly, and I get so obsessed over following recipes, but seeing you make delicious-looking meals without fussing over recipes and just improvising with what you have is a breath of fresh air and really inspirational.
I do hope you've learned more about cooking---it's a lot of fun, actually, to mess around in the kitchen and see what you can come up with---because once you learn to be at ease, you can make pretty much anything at all. My Dad taught me to cook when I was 8 years old, and Mom was in the hospital. Mom taught me to bake when I was 9, so I've got more than six decades of cooking and baking experience.
The one thing to know about cooking is that it's very flexible and forgiving, and can tolerate changes in recipes very easily. Baking cannot--it pretty much needs to be done as the recipe calls for (I mean pastries, cakes, pies, the more delicate foods).
Casseroles, on the other hand, are super easy to learn and baking them isn't the precise science pastries, etc., call for.
Brooke I'm really enjoying your Family, Recipes & you're channel! I have cut my food cost ($700 + monthly) family of 4 adults) in more of half ($200) & now have a decent stock pantry following your suggestions. I have never had a pantry before! My family also tell me (and I agree) my dishes have been more flavorful with less ingredients! For the first time we now have money in our savings! Thank-You For Sharing your Lifestyle & Family!
Way to go!!! Brava!! That’s so great!
Great job!!!!🎉
That’s awesome, God bless ❤
Wow!! Awesome!!
@@tenthousanddaysofgratitude Thanks
Tip: add 2 eggs and parmesan cheese to your cottage cheese. Poor mans rocotta.
Or use some butter, flour and milk. Make a béchamel sauce.
That's what I always do. Really adds a lot!🙂
Thanks but do u cook eggs or mix everything raw? Thx u!
Dear Brooke. As a professional cook , I've made ricottacheese from excess milk or near expires milk using fresh lemon juice, salt & cheese cloth or ( flour-bag) type kitchen towel.
Love this. Brought back memories.
Six kids. When Mama started working nights, it became one's responsibility to make dinner and have a plate covered with foil in a warm oven.
And god help you if you did something "wrong."
Can you feed six people on a pound of ground round?
If you know what you're doing, you can.
Great video, now need to catch up!!
The problem today is a lot of people don't know how to cook!! 😢
Heck yes you can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger meat. I have come to believe that people just eat too much. I was at Safeway the other day and this lady had 3 cart's of food all the way to the brim a lady behind me asked her why she was getting so much food her answer was they have 2 adults and 2 children she said that she spends a thousand dollars every two weeks on food one of her baskets was full of junk food candy, cookies, potato chips ect the only veggies was 6 tomatoes and 3 onions 4 loaf's of bread and the rest was frozen dinner's frozen veggies and frozen pizza it was crazy she had lunch meat cheese and that kind of stuff but if she had just bought the food fresh she would have saved so much money she really needs to watch your channel.
@pamelapacific943 And some of us have been cooking for 60+ years and need a new recipe to get the cook to working again. 😅😂😅
I was taught by my father how to cook when I was eight years old and Mom was in the hospital. Fortunately, they were very easygoing parents and didn't get uptight if I did something wrong (and I did--I was just a little girl!), but gently corrected my mistakes.
As I got older, I pretty much took over the kitchen, something that made Mom quite happy as she didn't enjoy cooking.
"poor man meals" are the best! I've been out of prison for 15 years and I still make prison spreads once or twice a month. they're delicious
Hi Brooke I just recently found your channel and I have to say I'm 55 years old and I've never seen anybody come up with as many cool healthy and nutritious dinners like you do thank you for doing this channel ❤
You are giving me so many ideas that I never had before🎉
You are a blessing 💕
I love your channel!! My 13 year old daughter is extremely picky. I made your lasagna and she would NOT stop eating it! She claimed all the leftovers lol Thank you for all of your incredible, affordable meal ideas💕
I always use cottage cheese in my lasagna (so much cheaper than ricotta) - to really make it seem like ricotta I put the cottage cheese into my blender and blend it smooth. I also skip added salt since the cottage cheese is saltier than ricotta. I can't tell the difference other than the $3.50 I save when I make lasagna.
Good idea!
Your children are very nice. It warms the heart to see that! 😊
I just discovered you . I’m enjoying your poor man meals you make it look so easy, I’m on a budget I’m a widow 83 yrs old so have to watch my Pennies! I really enjoy you Brooke and your sons what nice kids , keep recipes coming. Thank you!
QUISAGNA.......we didn't have lasagna noodles and they were too expensive, so we made lasagna with cooked bow tie pasta that
we had on hand. Liked it so much, we named it 'quisagna' because it was quicker than regular lasagna, and when baked, very tasty!!
It isn't layered, just all mixed up and put into a olive-oiled large glass baking pan, top with cheese and bake.
I'm single this is the way I fix it all right in the skillet on top of the stove
You basically made baked ziti but with bowtie pasta instead of ziti pasta.
Good idea. Thank you.
I like the poor man's version of beef and broccoli because the meat stretches further and is in every bite.
And ground beef is such a versatile "cut" of beef, and not something that requires a long cooking process to make it tender.
Hey Mama, this is Paula here. This is my first time watching your videos and I must say that I am so so impressed, and you are the most down to earth frugal mama I have ever yet to meet. Scrumptious meals on a tight budget. I live alone here in Connecticut, retired on a fixed income and its very hard on one check per month. I shop at Aldi and Walmart; can't afford to go anywhere else. Keep on cookin' Mama!!
I love your attitude and your videos if more people were like you it would be a happier place
Brooke. I live in the Tri-state area of WV, KY, And OH. I have grown up in Appalachia all my life. I know you are helping so many people. You are such a great momma. What a blessing you are to others. Keep it up.
Brooke, I am also an Italian by birth. We never precooked regular noodles. Don’t waste money on no boil noodles. Just add a little water to your sauce or more sauce. Use regular noodles. The noodles cook while baking and absorb the sauce better. And ricotta wasn’t easy to find when I was a child so mom always used cottage cheese and mushed it up if the curds were too big. I also prepare lasagna in advance and freeze before baking. The regular noodles are good for this. You can also layer frozen spinach in the layers. Just thaw and press out the excess water. I actually prefer meatless lasagna. I’m not a big meat eater. I also get the large bags of shredded mozzarella and keep it in the freezer for this. I pick up ricotta on sale and freeze it. Just thaw and drain the liquid from the top.
Thank you! Great advice👍👍
When I first tried using uncooked lasagna noodles, the finished lasagna was too dry. The noodles soaked up too much liquid from the sauce. So now I soak the uncooked noodles in hot water for 5-10 minutes before putting all the layers together. Perfect!
"Is it as good as regular beef and broccoli?" Hell no... but I get it. The poor man's lasagna truly opened my eyes though. Not once growing up did I have home cooked lasagna; my mom always made it out to be a brain explodingly complicated procedure. Looks ridiculously easy to make. I really want to try it now.
In all fairness to your Mom, more than likely the jar sauces we use were not available like they are now. I do not recall seeing them in the grocery store at all. The Betty Crocker cookbook has a recipe for lasagna, but it is very involved. This must have been what she meant.
Shhhhhh! My son still thinks it takes all day to make.😅😂
Love your program. Keep up the good shows.❤❤
Thanks so much for these recipes. As we get older and budgets get tighter these come just in time!
Brooke, I buy beef stew meat or roast when it's on clearance (use or freeze right away!) And cut it in bite sized pieces for beef stirfry or with broccoli. It works fine and so much cheaper than steak.
Hi Brooke, you’re a real inspiration to this 77 yo grandma! I love to cook and love your new perspective on saving money. Thanks and keep up the good work ❤️😋
Brooke.... I was poor for so long that to this day I have never used canned soup to make a casserole. Not to mention any other short cuts. I am not poor now. I was a CPA and an Auditor for the State for nearly 20 years. I became disabled in 2013. However, I could not change. I cook everything from scratch and I love to cook. I love your channel because you are helping so many people. God bless you and your beautiful family!
I love your crockery which makes all d food more appetizing. Great ideas tku so much
I watched this video this afternoon,with nothing in mind for dinner. I had ground turkey, broccoli, rice and the rest of ingredients to make beef and Broccoli. I made it as you said with the addition of bamboo shoots,water chestnuts and bean sprouts. GIRL let me tell you,this is going in for dinner rotation. It's just my hubby and I and we both liked it very much!!! Thank you for ALL of your recipes!!
Brooke, I don't boil my lasagna noodles anymore. I just use the cheapest brand and layer as usual, and it works great! I also found that the grated parm helps thicken your lasagna.
Hi Brooke , Dusty and boys
I have used used vegetables from my garden like squash and egg plant to sub for meat dishes I have took pintos and rice mixed them together for a meat substitute in dishes when I couldn't afford meat . Thank you Brooke for all your hard work putting these videos together for us it help us grow . I have took bread slices grated up a can of spam and grated up some cheese spread a thin coat of mustard on one slice of bread sprinkled spam shredded on it another piece of bread lightly spread mayonnaise on it sprinkle mozzarella cheese on it put you over on broil put it in the oven watch it when the cheese is melted pull it out put together with the cheese piece of bread on top of spam side put back in the oven still on broil let it toast lightly pull it out flip it with the spam side of the bread let it toast lightly and it's done just bread , a little bit of mozzarella cheese and a can of spam goes a long way you can get 2 meals out of it easily . Just wanted to share a cheap meal we made when I was growing up when my parents be at work and I had to cook supper for us it would feed 5 people two meals or 8 people one meal and they would be some left . Sending lots of love and prayers 🙏❤
I do the same thing with the water in the jar❤ As mom n Dad always said "waste not want not"❤ Amen!
Me too! Always!
👍
Love the beef and broccoli recipe, and it really lends itself to be adapted with what you have. You can stretch it by adding cut onions and maybe some carrots, as well. Definitely trying this one in the next couple of days; if I don't have ground meat, there's shredded chicken from the $5 rotisserie in the freezer!
A hint for the Beef Broccoli if you will. Some stores will sell a "bottom round" either already thin sliced or the meat department will slice it for you. It's kind of a tough cut, but if you marinate it 1/2 hour in your sauce with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda it will be tender. The bottom round will be fairly large so you'd need to budget for it but if you have a freezer it will give you many beefy meals. The baking soda is key to tender meat and works on chicken as well.
One way I like to use the bottom round slices is to cut them into 2-3" wide strips. I marinate them in a mix of teriyaki sauce (or soy), baking soda, lots of ginger, olive oil, crushed garlic, and chopped onion or powder. Marinate a few hours or overnight. Then I thread each strip accordian style on a skewer that's been soaked in water. Drop them on a BBQ grill or under your broiler (on a rack over foil) for a few minutes and serve. So many other ways to use those slices it's worth looking for on sale!
You don’t need to pre cook frozen veggies! Chuck them in the pan, the steam of the other food cooking will soften & cook them. It also helps retain more of the nutritional value 😁
Really enjoyed this video, thanks for the ideas 😊
Brooke absolutely ADORE your channel, your enthusiasm, your amazing creativity but most of all, girl, you keep it real! Love, love your channel and your family! ♥ ♥ ♥ God Bless!
Thank you!!!❤❤❤
Love when I can find budget meal ideas! Thank you’!
Just a heads up, when I make lasagna, I never boil the noodles even if they aren't the Oven ready... The sauce cooks the noodles
I came here to say the same
This is witchcraft.
My mama taught me this when I was first married! No need to cook your noodles. The sauce will cook 👨🍳 them! Feeding my hubby for over 30 + years! ❤️❤️
I love watching you, i just recently came across the videos. Im certainly not the best cook, but grew up with this type of meals and they were very good. My husband and i were young with children so it came in handy. One of the things i like best in your vedios is you envolve the whole family. I see well rounded polite children. Good job, i rather my children understand vaule and manners then complain about a meal in their stomach. I hope i said that right. It was ment to be a good job showing family values.
Ot always looks so hard to make lasagna when you eat it. You make it look so easy.
I'm 71 and I've never eaten so good in my life since I've been researching the poorer versions of the food recipes. I actually like the recipes better than restaurant meals. Thanks!
Love ur content. The southern charm and super down to earth content is awesome. Keep up the good work.
I finally got my hands on the frozen cheese ravioli at Dollar Tree and I made your lazy lasagna!!! It was absolutely delicious!!!!! I just love that ravioli!! I got my sauce at Dollar tree too. I added some onion, green pepper and mushrooms, cuz I already had all of it. And I added a .25 carton of diced tomatoes with basil and garlic that I got on sale !!!! It was fabulous!!!!!
When you held up the bag of broccoli and said it’s frozen solid and picked up a pan, I thought you were going to tell us that you were going to smash the bag with the pan to break up the broccoli 😂
I thought the same 😂
When I make lasagna, I mix together my sauce, meat, and ricotta or cottage cheese mixture and then spread it over each layer of noodles. It seems easier to spread evenly that way.
I like your idea of mixing the sauce, meat, and ricotta for layering between lasagna. I'll try that the next time I make one.
Great idea @sweet.
I did the same, @sweet...mom, but I had apiece of condone(no sugar added) leftover, so I crumbled up the white part over the final cheese layer. It's in the oven now.
I meant to write corn pone.😮
When I was young, my friend’s mother used to make her lasagna with scrambled eggs crumbled in it instead of meat and I thought it was the best thing ever.
So glad the algorithm got me to your channel! Beautiful momma and family, tasty meals. Much love!
PM Lasagna- my mom mixed in an egg or two to the cottage cheese to up the protein. No one could tell.
PM Beef Broccoli- to lower the price of beef, she would have the butcher grind up pork roast on sale much cheaper than beef and go Half and Half. Example beef rarely goes below $3.49 in my area. Pork loin is frequently $1.99 and less. So $3.49 (beef)+$1.99(pork)=$5.48 for 2lb of burger or $2.74lb. Many meat loaf recipes mix pork and beef. 52 weeks a year x $0.75=$39 a yr. savings. Every little bit helps and adds up. PS my states doesn’t allow sale of hamburger past expiration dates.
Another definition of a poor man’s meal is what my mama described that back in the 1930s when beef and broccoli wasn’t even invented, poor man’s meals were good nutritious meals using very simple pantry, inexpensive ingredients.
I am 76 years old and that’s what my mama said.
Amen. 💗
(But, pretty sure the Chinese have been eating beef & broccoli, since well before the 1930's. 😉)
I just discovered you! We all need poor man meals right now and probably forever! Thank you!!
You do such a great job of making super inexpensive, filling meals. I love that you incorporate whatever kind of veggies when possible.👏🏽❤️
I love how polite your boys are, raised em right mama
Quick tip about the frozen 🥦. If you have a microwave safe piece of Tupperware or glass just pre cook it in the microwave covered with a paper plate or piece of parchment/ wax paper. Add a little bit of water and voila! It's steamable!
From Australia 🇦🇺
This video has some good recipes and I appreciate videos like these from small channels. Keep up your great work and gunna try one of these to help get me through a difficult week coming up 😊
I love this! Thank you so much ❤ May God bless you and your family. If people are rude, ignore them. Your recipes are helping so many families
Absolutely! If people are going to be mean or rude, why are they watching in the first place?? You're great!
My mother used to brown chop meat and chopped onion, add 3 cans of beef gravy and a pound of cooked wide egg noodles and serve it with peas. We loved it and it was budget. My children and grandchildren all love it and it's cheap since you can use any chopped meat you like.
Thank you for posting your videos will help me make these poor man's meal for the family due to being unemployed at the moment but your videos will definitely help out my family thank you very much love your videos
Brooke I just made the beef and broccoli except I substitute chicken for the beef and I had a little leftover corn that I added with the broccoli and OMGosh it was awesome! Thank you for the easy and budget friendly AND delicious dinner, 2 thumbs way up 👍👍
Thanks for sharing your recipes that save you money! You help so many! Thanks again for a wonderful video!
Yum!! I can't wait to try this!! Thank you!! God bless!
What a beautiful family you have.
That beef and broccoli did look really tasty. I will have to try that one for sure.
I love meals like this because, not only are they inexpensive but quick. After a long day at work, I really don't want to be standing over a hot stove half the night LOL. I appreciate you sharing.
You are so lovely and fun. Thank you for your meals! Gosh they are good and saving me. I love how you say "use what ever you have in your kitchen" I have left overs that I didn't know what to do with and I have used them in your meals and they taste good with no waste from me. Thank you so much for sharing. Keep on keeping on ok 🙂
You inspire me to think outside the box to feed my family delicious food on a tight budget. Thank you! You’ve given us some great meal ideas on the cheap. 🎉
I just wanted to say ty for the beef & broccoli recipe. I made it last night & even the kids ate the whole thing... 😂. Ty so much for taking the time to share. I don't know why it took me so long to find your channel. But I'm so glad I did. Please keep sharing all your tips in the kitchen cause this crazy busy Mama needs all the help I can get... Lol. ❤
You inspire my to think outside the box. My dad loves pepper steak and I use burger instead of steak because it is more tender. When I first made it I wasn't sure he would like it because he doesn't like anything out of the ordinary, but he loved it.
Brooke,
As another commenter stated, I didn't realize til I ran my own household how frugal my Mother had to be to stretch the food supply. (War years) She spread the thinnest layer ever of peanut butter, jelly, tuna on sandwiches. I didn't usually like other family's thicker layered sandwiches bc hers was all I knew! She had a reputation among friends of being able to slice a tomato so thin you could read thru it!
She was a wonderful cook & amazing with a budget!
I enjoy your videos & recipes!
Honey, I loved your channel. I am a Brazilian grandmother. I love cooking. Here in Brazil, fresh food is much cheaper than frozen food. Most women learn to cook from their mothers, and men do too. Due to the climate we have vegetables and fruits of various types depending on the season. I loved your children eating your healthy food with pleasure. My way of cooking is similar to yours and I always improvise with what I have. I use a lot of fresh herbs like parsley, chives, basil and rosemary, onion and garlic. It's great. God bless you always. Sorry for my English, I'm still studying. I only speak Portuguese and Spanish.
I just found your channel last night. I just love you, your recipes, and your kiddos!!!❤❤❤
I always make vaguely Asian stir fries with cheap veggies, ground beef and different concentrations of soy sauce, ginger, hoisin, etc. My kids' favorite is with my homemade orange marmalade to make an orange beef sort of situation
That sounds yummy!!
Mix in a packet or two of duck sauce and a half teaspoon of ginger with your marmalade. It is so good!
You could make chicken a la 'orange but I call it orange marmalade chicken.😅
Hey girl. Thank you for sharing this.
This looks absolutely delicious. Thank you for showing me this simple lovely recipe.🥰
Yes, please show more poor man's meals. This was great! Thank you!
Love how your boys enjoy tasting your meals. Great meals. Have a good weekend xx
Really EXCELLENT for a budget. THANKS BROOK.
I am a new subscriber, loving your channel and your authenticity! Great meal ideas :)
Thank you for all you do to help people survive. You are awesome
I used to buy & bake expensive lasagna, but realized I could make a big pan & freeze leftovers. Actually saved $$ in the long run. I'd use any red meat I had on hand.
As a bachelor that cooks, I love this Poor Man Meals idea! It's great to have options. One thing I would recommend trying, to squeeze even more flavor out of the broccoli, is to roast it. I like to spray a little Pam, or whatever nonstick oil, on a sheet pan and cook the broccoli in the oven or air fryer. Roast it until you have some browned, or even a little blackened bits on the broccoli. Also works great with Brussels sprouts and asparagus! Yum!
Great meals. I'm trying them both. I was raised on poor man's (leftover) meals. I had alot of ww2 meals from my mom. I loved potatoes & 🌭, pasta with peas or corn, tomatoes with just oil, salt & pepper along with onion sandwiches. Really, just bread and onion. Thanks for the vid.
I got lucky and found a 5lb tub of ricotta cheese at the discount store for 99 cents, so I bought 2 and put them in the freezer. Almost done with the first tub.
Never thought of using ground beef for beef and broccoli, I will have to give it a try. We eat a lot of stir fry meals in the summer because they are quick to cook and don’t heat up my kitchen as much.
In the summer I carry my pressure cooker out back. Lol looks odd but works beautifully. I also carry the toaster oven out. Works best if you have a fenced in shady area. When I visited friends in Long Island many of the homes built at the turn of the prey century had kitchens in the basement so ladies could cook where it's cooler. This seems good for summer but can't imagine doing it in winter.
I had no idea you could freeze ricotta! I always end up throwing some out. So much of my food goes to waste! I bought a vacuum sealer - great value!
@@rebo2610 vacuum sealer’s are a great way to save food.
@@happycook6737 LOL! I do the same thing! Nobody likes to be in a hot kitchen during summer ...
I haven't precooked my noodles for years, just add extra sauce so it won't be dry. Thank you for your recipes, have a wonderful week.
I just started watching you last week. Being a senior I live on a budget. I will be doing a lot of your recipes. Your family is so sweet and polite. Love you. You make me laugh a lot. 😂
Just found your channel and am enjoying it 🤗. I love watching your son's taste test your food, it's quite enjoyable.☺️
If you've got any frozen veggies in your freezer like spinach or pepper/onion mix or even a small can of mushrooms in the pantry, add them to the lasagna. This is good for when you just have a little bit in the bottom of a frozen veggie bag in the freezer that you need to use up. Adds nutrition and makes it more filling. But, the normal, plain version is great as is!
Related: Finely chopped, thawed freezer spinach is a cheap, nutrition-rich, green option to add into random recipes. You can even hide a moderate amount in chili!
My hubby does NOT like cottage cheese!!! he will gag just looking at it on my plate. :) But I use cottage cheese in my Lasagna. and He can't get enough of it. He's so funny we love both of your meals today. thanks for sharing
I am going to make the beef and broccoli soon. I don't think it was even noticeable that there was no meat in that lasagna. Thanks for sharing!
actually, on your lasagna, if you have cream cheese, and parmesan, you can make a 3 cheese lasagna by cubing the cream cheese and adding to the cottage cheese and then putting parmesan over the top of both cheeses--yum! dts/usa
That broccoli and beef dish looks great. I'm going to make that Sunday for lunch after church. Thank you.
I grew up dirt poor. My cousins and I used to make what we called "Jam Sandwiches" - basically just slather mustard onto two pieces of bread. Take a 3rd piece of bread and put it between the other two. The key here is to pretend that the middle piece of bread is meat or some other delicacy we couldn't afford.
That beef and broccoli looks delicious! I love when I can find ground beef on clearance and either use it or freeze it right away.
I love your channel. Your recipes are delicious. ❤
I always add cottage cheese to my lasagne but I mix some italian seasoning or garlic in it before I layer it in. Its a pretty easy way to add more flavor. ( although ive never had a bad lasagne😊)
..akot of people do not realise they
will need these types of helpful videos in the near future. I appreciate you 🥰
Hello from Maryland,love the recipes you gave us I will try them myself they all look delicious until next time God bless❤👍🏻
You can use Egg Plant in place of the Meat. Slice it Length Wise or Cube it into small chunks. Egg Plant is a Cheap, but Good and Healthy Alternative.
Brooke I used to make this when my husband and I were in our first year of marriage my kids love it I used cottage cheese because it was cheaper
Don’t know about anyone else but my hours have been cut lucky to get 25 hrs a week so every one of our meals are poor man’s meals, getting real creative ! And tripled the size of my garden! Can’t eat grass!
You can eat dandelion and purslane tho! I’m looking at my weeds in a whole new way these days!
You can actually eat a lot things out of most yards.
Hello Danielle. Its Sept, I hope your hours are back to normal. I garden, but also there are 3 food pantrys in my area. My husband is embarrased, but we need to eat. Last week he applied for food stamps.
God bless you, the elderly, students and singles and everyone who is trying to get back on their feet. ✝️
As soon as I see you have posted a new video I stop what I’m doing and watch it. Brooke you never disappoint! Love the meals and I love you and your family!❤
I use green lentils in the tomato sauce and it is heavenly, cheap, healthy and filling. I had never thought of using cottage cheese like that and am grateful for the suggestion as I have had to cut down drastically on cheese since my heart attack and this way I can still enjoy the creaminess. Many thanks. Oh, I have also used tortilla wraps instead of lasagne sheets when i have no pasta but an opened packet of wraps. V tasty.
I just love how you get your family's opinion with your meals. What a lovely family you have. thank you for sharing!
YES YOU ARE A
GODDESS OF THE KITCHEN AND MOMMY AND EVERYTHING ELSE...
Poor Man Lasgana is funny to me. I grew up in a factory town in NJ where all lasagna was poorman's lasagna. Diverse neighborhood, not much money but big families. Lasagna was never a wealthy meal, it was the cheapest. Mostly made on Saturday's by the Italian families in the neighborhood. Basically, Italian ladies made the lasagna noodles (pantry items cheap) and all of the leftovers from the week were layered cafefully, with gravy (their name for sauce) in between. Basically, you never knew what you were gonna get. A bite of this a bit of that, any/all cheese in the refrigerator. Smelled amazing! Filled stomachs, high comfort meal.
My mom would have added Italian seasoning in the cottage cheese. That's what I grew up eating. When money got better ground beef added to it. I'm 65 now and I love it still.