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People Are Sharing Their Favorite "Junky" Comfort Meals, And While Several Look Objectively Unappetizing, I'd Absolutely Devour Others
We all have our go-to comfort foods, and often times they're not the most...aesthetically pleasing. It doesn't mean they're not wildly delicious to us, but it might mean that you wouldn't dare serve it to other people for fear of, well, sheer embarrassment.
Recently, u/BigSquibowski asked redditors to share the "junky" meals that they crave sometimes — even if they wouldn't ever serve them to guests. While some sound downright unappetizing, I must admit that I'm strangely drooling over several of the others. These are some of the best ones.
Alberty Heijn / Via giphy.com
1."Hamburger Helper — specifically the Cheeseburger kind too. This got me through my 20s, and I still crave it every now and then. Don't tell my cardiologist, though."
2."My mom made chicken and dumplings in a very specific way when we went camping... It was just a couple cans of Campbell’s cream of chicken soup and a tube of refrigerator biscuits laid on top of it. I would NEVER serve it to others, but oh boy, I still love me some of my mom’s 'trashy' chicken 'n' dumplings!"
3."Dry ramen — but shake it up with the seasoning packet. It's absolutely delicious, though I won't even let my husband see me eat it!"
4."Growing up, I was left on my own for dinner a lot — youngest child of two working parents and all that. I made LOTS of canned corned beef hash with eggs. I would get the pan hot, open the can, and just scoop it out. Honestly, I'd always save a few scoops to eat cold. After a couple minutes, I'd crack eggs into it and cook while mixing until they were done. I pass corned beef hash in the canned aisle all the time while shopping, and I still think about that meal a lot."
5."My nasty little indulgence is a red hot dog, Hormel chili from the can (no beans!), and some nacho cheese sauce, with some diced onion on top. Takes five minutes to make and just hits the spot for me sometimes."
6."Tater tots. My problem with them as a kid was that they were always lukewarm and squishy when they were served to me, whether that was at school or at home. As with many foods, I didn't really like them growing up. As an adult who can bake them until they're nice and crunchy, I love them! General rule of thumb: If they don't rattle around sounding dry and a little hollow on the baking pan when you shake it, they're not done."
7."Some of my starving 20s comfort foods still hit the spot, even though my husband and kids make fun of me if they catch me eating them. 'Pizza bread' is the best: white bread, spaghetti sauce, American cheese. Pop it into the oven until the cheese is melty and the bottom of the bread is nice and toasty."
8."Chef Boyardee Ravioli. The ingredients are absolute garbage, but they taste sooooo good."
9."Even as an Asian person, I've gotta say: Piping hot rice with TONS of butter and soy sauce always hits home just right."
10."I buy shitty frozen chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs and MICROWAVE them. Then I absolutely douse 'em in ketchup. Leave me alone! They're horrible, and I love 'em."
11."A fried bologna sandwich — but you've gotta go Chicago-style with it. It's just a fried bologna sandwich with alllll the toppings of a Chicago dog: pickle, relish, tomato, mustard, all of it."
12."Mac 'n' cheese is the ultimate, but specifically boxed Kraft mac 'n' cheese with cut-up hot dogs or Spam — and a generous splash of hot sauce."
13."Buttered pasta with Parmesan. There's no better (or easier) comfort food out there."
14."Beans and weenies! Literally just a can of pork and beans in tomato sauce with a couple of hot dogs ripped up in it. It's nostalgic comfort food to the max, but it looks terrible and is too low effort for me to serve to guests (and not feel bad about it)."
15."Mac 'n' cheese, but made in a very specific way... I make it with elbow noodles, chunks of Velveeta cheese, and a can of Campbell's tomato soup. Bake it for 30 minutes at 350ºF, and it's gooey, cheesy, and tangy... It's SO bad and yet SO good!"
16."Brown sugar toast. Cheap white bread, thick layer of butter. Cover it in brown sugar and put it in the oven until the sugar melts — usually like 10 minutes. I'd never feed this to anyone else, but for me it's that perfect combination of comfort food + total sugar bomb, which I love every now and then."
17."A frequent nighttime snack for me is four Triscuit crackers that've been topped with a slice of Kraft American cheese (that's been folded and split into quadrants that fit four crackers perfectly). It's basically just fat, salt, and a few carbs...but it makes me SO happy."
18."Cold corn, but eaten right out of the can with a spoon."
19."My comfort food since I was a child is plain steamed rice topped with canned tuna, plus mayo and sometimes a squeeze of lime juice. Nowadays, I tend to add fun veggie sides to it, and I'll roll bites into seaweed snacks...almost like faux sushi. Honestly, I'm craving it right now."
20."Canned chili! Pour it over rice and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. We had this a lot growing up (very cheap for a family with a ton of kids), and I truly still love it."
21."Fish sticks...dipped in mayo."
22."Salami and olives eaten straight from their respective containers. Just slices of salami and forkfuls of green olives! I feel awful about myself when I eat it, but if I'm feeling sad or if I just want some comfort food, gosh, it's such an enjoyable meal."
23."I lived in upstate New York for a few years, and it was there that I was introduced to the 'garbage plate.' I would never willingly make a garbage plate for somebody, but if it's just for myself...yes, yes I would gladly eat it."
24."Crushed Doritos mixed with shredded lettuce, Catalina dressing, shredded cheese, and taco meat. With some hot sauce, of course."
25."Pizza rolls, but made out of crescent rolls. I mean, it's literally just layering pizza ingredients inside refrigerated crescent roll dough, rolling it up, and baking it."
26."Cold SpaghettiOs — right out of the can."
27."A Wonder Bread tuna sandwich with plain Ruffles chips and a Nutty Buddy. It's nostalgia heaven for me."
28."When I was a kid, my family went on a camping trip. My brother and I were starving, and my dad couldn't find any dry wood to start a fire, so we ate two cans of Chef Boyardee mini ravioli and three little cans of Vienna sausages, 'as-is.' At the time, I didn't think much of it...but even now I still crave those little sausages every now and then."
29."For a quick dessert, I combine a glop of peanut butter, some quick oats, chocolate chips, and a squeeze of honey. Microwave it just long enough for the chocolate chips to melt, and it's heavenly."
30."A can of condensed tomato soup mixed with a can of condensed cheese soup over your choice of pasta noodles. My grandpa called it Army Food, but god, it's so delicious."
31."Those little frozen hash brown patties you get from Trader Joe’s are my guilty pleasure meal. Now that I think about it, I have served them, and they were very well received. Everyone loves fried potatoes, I guess."
32."Butter and pickle sandwich. Wonder Bread, a slab of butter, and lengthwise-sliced dill pickles."
33."A shredded chicken sandwich. I only realized a couple years ago that it's an Ohio thing. It can be a thoughtful dish when you make it in the Crock-Pot with actual ingredients, but my dad and I do it the other way: canned chicken mixed with cream of chicken soup, nuked in the microwave. Serve it on a bun with a slice of American cheese, and you've got a delicious meal."
