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The Melting Pot
Meat-Stretching Meatloaf hero image coming soon
1930-1945 - American home cooks during the Great Depression
A meatloaf recipe designed to extend limited ground meat with fillers like vegetables and grains. Commonly created during the Great Depression to conserve scarce and expensive ingredients while maintaining flavor and nutrition.
Difficulty
Medium
Prep time
20 minutes
Cook time
1 hour
Total time
1 hour 20 minutes
Servings
6 servings
Region
United States
Era introduced
1930-1945
Introduced by
American home cooks during the Great Depression
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During the economic hardships of the 1930s, American families innovated to stretch limited protein supplies by incorporating inexpensive fillers into meatloaf recipes. This approach balanced cost with nourishment, using breadcrumbs, oats, grated vegetables, and sometimes canned goods. The meat-stretching meatloaf enabled households to feed more family members satisfying meals without excess expense or waste. It illustrates the resourcefulness characteristic of Depression-era home cooking and illustrates evolving American culinary pragmatism.
Based on documented Depression-era recipes focused on meat conservation; further original documentation desired.
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