23 Iconic Boomer Dinner Recipes Still Loved Today

Cooking trends vary across generations, highlighting ingredients and methods that are representative of the times. The boomer generation spanned the mid '40s to the mid '60s, covering years of innovation. Following World War II, there was an emphasis on convenience in the kitchen, as more women started to enter the workforce. Canned and boxed goods, processed foods, and simple recipes were the norm, eliminating hours in the kitchen once dedicated to preparing these components from scratch. Ultimately, hearty meals put together with ease and practicality in mind were the foundations of these culinary decades.

Many dinner recipes first popularized by boomers have been savored for decades. Comfort foods that ensure diners are satisfied without too much fuss in the kitchen continue to show up in homes across the country. We put together a list of the most iconic boomer dinner recipes still loved today, courtesy of Tasting Table recipe developers. These familiar favorites deserve an ongoing spot at the table, whether you're seeking a taste of nostalgia or simply want an easy meal that will fill you up.

Casseroles are a boomer favorite, and this sweet potato casserole with bacon is delicious and comforting in every way. Sweet potatoes, cream, and brown sugar come together naturally, and the addition of Gruyère cheese and bacon brings a salty twist to contrast that sweet and rich base. It's a holiday favorite, but there's no reason not to bring out the sweet potato casserole regularly as a cozy accompaniment for a roast.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole with Bacon

Jalapeño poppers are a popular party bite, sure to be gobbled down at record speed. They're also incredibly easy to make, and our recipe requires only three ingredients: jalapeños, cream cheese, and Mexican chorizo. Halved jalapeños are stuffed with the cheesy sausage mixture and baked for an appetizer that's fun and filling. Chorizo adds a spicy kick compared to smoky bacon crumbs, bringing a modern twist to a classic recipe.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Jalapeño Poppers

Meatloaf might not have been your favorite as a kid, but once you start cooking your own meals, it becomes instantly clear why it's such a culinary hit. The combination of ground beef, bread crumbs, and herby seasonings brings plenty of flavor from the get-go, and once you glaze it with ketchup, the sweet and salty contrast is even more delightful. Serve it with mashed potatoes for a plate of nostalgia you can't get enough of.

Recipe: Classic Meat Loaf

There's nothing quite as comforting as a hearty pot pie, loaded with a creamy, satisfying filling encased in a flaky pastry shell. This quick recipe makes it easy to serve a warm pie any night of the week, thanks to ready-made puff pastry, canned soup, and other frozen and refrigerated essentials. The result is loaded with chicken, veggies, and an irresistible cheesy binder. It can easily be a one pot meal, but you can serve it with a tangy side salad to cut through the richness.

Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Although this recipe dates back about a century before the boomer generation, it was originally popular for perhaps many of the same reasons it was later adopted. It was created to promote health and nutrition during the war, and for boomers it continued to be a hearty, comforting meal that was convenient to make. There's no steak to be seen here. Instead, the recipe calls for ground beef to make patties that are fried and served with gravy, and typically some form of potato on the side.

Recipe: Easy Salisbury Steak

Spaghetti and meatballs is an icon in the Italian-American culinary repertoire, pairing juicy meatballs with long strands of pasta coated with sauce. To amp up the flavor, this recipe calls for a trio of meats (pork, veal, and beef), seasoned simply with garlic, parsley, and Parmesan. The tomato sauce is packed with herbs and chili flakes that impart a spicy kick, adding complexity to this comfort food favorite. Make it even more boomer-approved with a side of garlic bread and Caesar salad.

Recipe: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tacos have been popular in the U.S. for several decades, but while you're now more likely to find slow-cooked pork and culinary mashups, for boomers it was all about ground beef in hard taco shells with limited garnishes, a combination initially popularized by Taco Bell. This street taco recipe brings a modern, authentic twist to the boomer favorite, with soft tortillas, chipotle peppers in adobo, and seasoned beef. Mexican cotija cheese and cilantro add a bright garnish that is anything but bland.

Recipe: Easy Ground Beef Street Taco

This satisfying one pot recipe has all the makings of a boomer icon. It's quick and easy to whip up, and you don't really have to serve anything else on the side. Our recipe has a subtle gourmet flair that elevates this dish. By adding cognac or brandy to the creamy mushroom sauce, the flavors become more nuanced and interesting. Paired with seared sirloin steak strips and ladled over egg pasta noodles, the result is a hearty meal that brings satiety and a taste of comfort.

Recipe: Meaty, Creamy, Almost Fancy Beef Stroganoff

Shepherd's pie was a recurring meal for many children of boomers, and there's a reason this dish has continued to be appreciated. For fans of meat and potatoes, it doesn't get much more comforting than this. Our recipe keeps it simple, consisting of sauteed ground beef with carrots, green peas, corn, and seasonings, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. This is a timeless classic that instantly evokes warm, cozy feelings, and it's ready in under an hour.

Recipe: Simple Shepherd's Pie

This Thanksgiving and potluck favorite is such a great option for small and large gatherings because of the minimal effort. Rely on flavor imparted from canned cream of mushroom concentrate to amp up the green beans (using frozen is perfectly suitable here), along with a splash of Worcestershire sauce for a hit of umami. Don't forget to sprinkle crunchy fried onions as a final garnish. These offer saltiness and textural contrast that'll seal the deal.

Recipe: Classic Green Bean Casserole

Pigs in a blanket are a classic party appetizer food that deserves to be showcased on the regular. Obviously, we're not making our own flaky pastry here. Just pick up a roll of croissant dough and a package of cocktail wieners, and you could stop there. That said, with a little extra care — brushing them with an herby garlic butter before baking — they'll be infinitely better than even your fondest memories. Serve them with aioli, ranch, ketchup, or your favorite dipping sauce for a savory finger food that is always a winner.

Recipe: Herby Pigs in a Blanket

Whether a certain night of the week meant Sloppy Joes were on the menu, or they regularly showed up at your school cafeteria, this American classic really grew in popularity at the end of the '60s when a canned version of the sauce became available. You could aim for convenience with a can of meat too, or follow this easy recipe made with ground beef seasoned with ketchup, brown sugar, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, and apple juice for a grown-up rendition. Our recipe calls for brioche buns, cementing its elevated nature.

Recipe: Sloppy Joes

Although the origins of this unctuous soup date back to 18th-century France, it experienced a revival in the U.S. in the '60s. While it might seem like a recipe best left to a bistro meal, it's actually pretty straightforward. The ingredients are minimal, with onions, butter, bread, cheese, wine, and stock as the essentials. Simply saute the onions before cooking them with the wine and stock to absorb flavors. Finally, melt grated cheese over sliced bread and serve it with the soup for an easy take on this iconic dish.

Recipe: Easy French Onion Soup

Contrasting sweet and savory flavors is a reliable way to keep your plate interesting, and likely the basis behind the popular pork and applesauce pairing. Our recipe brings a fun twist by using Indian garam masala spice blend to season the pork chops and opting for apple chutney as a stuffing. The latter takes time to simmer but merely consists of adding ingredients to a saucepan. The result is a new take on a classic match, perfect to serve with steamed white rice.

Recipe: Apple Chutney-Stuffed Pork Chops

Chicken breast is an easy cut to cook, but if you don't try to make it interesting, it can quickly fall into bland and dry territory. A surefire way to avoid that fate is by stuffing it with a savory mixture of spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and cream cheese. Just make a slit on the side and scoop the filling into the pocket, season the surface, then bake the chicken in the oven. There's no mistaking these chicken breasts for anything but a delicious and satisfying meal.

Recipe: Spinach and Tomato-Stuffed Chicken Breast

A pot roast can be both familiar and celebratory, serving as a Sunday dinner or holiday lunch. The slow-simmered dish requires minimal hands-on work once you sear the meat and combine the ingredients. Transfer the pot to the oven and after a few hours, you'll be rewarded with tender meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Our recipe incorporates a dark malty German beer, adding weight to this hearty roast. Loaded with everything you'd want in a meal, this dish stands well alone, unless you want to serve it with crusty bread to mop up all the delicious gravy.

Recipe: German-Style Pot Roast with Beer Gravy

Baked pasta dishes go far beyond lasagna, and this baked ziti recipe is a stellar option for anyone who wants something easy, filling, and suitable for a crowd (or leftovers). It's super versatile too, whether you want to switch up the pasta or the meat sauce. You'll need to boil the pasta and make a simple tomato sauce with crumbled sausage to start, but then it's just a matter of folding together the ingredients along with ricotta and dumping it all in a pan. Sprinkle with cheese then bake until golden; it's easier than lasagna and undeniably satisfying.

Recipe: Classic Baked Ziti

Chicken parmesan is one of those practical dishes that just piles all ingredients to create a hearty meal: crispy breaded chicken breast, melted mozzarella, and a rich tomato sauce to hold it all. The result is a comfort-food classic that blends salty, tangy, sweet tastes with a range of textures. It covers all the flavors people lean into when a craving Italian-American cuisine, and it's pretty straightforward to put together. Go all out and serve it with spaghetti, or keep it a little lighter with a side of vegetables.

Recipe: Crispy and Saucy Chicken Parmesan

The ease of preparation makes casseroles a popular go-to dinner option for many. This cheesy deluxe tuna casserole makes it easy to serve a rounded meal for dinner. Ingredients like pasta, canned tuna, premade stock, canned corn, and frozen peas keep the prep work straightforward. Then, it's just a matter of cooking the pasta, whipping up a creamy cheese sauce, and mixing in the pasta, tuna, and vegetables. Topped with more cheese and breadcrumbs and baked until golden, the result is a decadent, crispy topping with a rich, velvety filling.

Recipe: Cheesy Deluxe Tuna Casserole

Deviled eggs have been around for centuries, but it wasn't until the 1940s that their popularity started to grow in the U.S. The following decades saw stuffed eggs as a common appetizer at parties, potlucks, and picnics. You don't need much more than eggs and a little seasoning to whip up this bite, making it all the more convenient when hosting or bringing a plate of food to an event. Our recipe just calls for crème fraîche, mayonnaise, Dijon, fresh dill, salt, and pepper to enhance the egg yolks.

Recipe: Easy Deviled Eggs

Sweetening vegetables to add a touch of comfort has long been a common practice, and in the 1950s, the release of a recipe by Heinz placed carrots front and center, alongside brown sugar, ketchup, and seasonings. Variations followed, including these honey-glazed carrots, which require almost no work and yield plenty of flavor. This version infuses butter with garlic before mixing it with honey and drizzling over carrots to bake. These sweet, tender carrots make an effortless side dish for roasts, landing them a repeat spot in the rotation.

Recipe: Honey-Glazed Carrots

Although this dish was invented in the early 1900s, over the following decades it amassed national popularity in the United States, marking it as a favorite for past and present generations. The foundation is a creamy sauce that's made in numerous ways, coating fettuccine pasta served with strips of chicken. Here, the sauce is made with butter, milk, cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, and lemon juice, giving it a velvety texture and a bright taste that enhances the chicken and noodles.

Recipe: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

A version of this recipe was first published in the mid-1920s, and it soon became a hit. Pairing sweet, tangy pineapple with salty, smoked ham adds plenty of flavor contrast and enough visual interest to warrant a spot at a holiday dinner table. Using toothpicks, cover the surface of a large ham with canned pineapple rings, then whisk together a glaze with the remaining juice, brown sugar, and pineapple preserves. Serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables for a classic special occasion meal.

Recipe: Smoked Pineapple Ham