12 Meals You Probably Ate In The '80s If You Were Middle Class

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In the 1980s, it was pretty normal to be middle class. Well, at least, most people thought of themselves as middle class, regardless of whether they met the economical definition. For most people, being middle class meant feeling comfortable. "We weren't rich, but it felt like we were," recalls one Reddit user in the r/AskReddit subreddit. "One TV, one phone stuck to the wall, bikes till the streetlights came on, and nobody knew where you were and that was normal." And another common occurrence? A hot dinner waiting on the table, usually made with ground beef, spaghetti, or canned vegetables.

We're taking a trip down memory lane to take a closer look at the middle class dinner tables of the 1980s. While some meals are still beloved classics now, others are a little more, let's say, dated. We'll ask you this: When's the last time you ate a bologna sandwich on white bread? Now, when's the last time you ate a burger? You get the idea. Some things never change.

For fans of "The Brady Bunch," it's impossible to say the words "pork chops and applesauce" with a straight face. For the uninitiated, there's an iconic scene in the show where Peter Brady tries to imitate Humphrey Bogart after asking what's for dinner. That episode aired in the early 1970s, but the classic combination of pork chops and applesauce was still a firm favorite into the 1980s for many middle class households. Others would have pork chops with a side of boxed mac and cheese or perhaps a pile of soggy, boiled vegetables.

Not everyone has fond memories of pork chop dinners. "[Pork chops and applesauce] is still my least favorite meal to this day," said one Redditor in the r/GenX subreddit. "Mom would cook the crap out of the poor pig, so you got a lump of fat surrounding some very dry meat. I still can't cook pork chops correctly."

Many remember their pork chops being pretty overdone during this era, which might have had something to do with the 1986 outbreak of trichinosis (a parasite that can lurk in undercooked pork). "[The appearance of the electric skillet] meant 1/4" thick pork chops cooked for about 45 minutes in crisco until they were curled up and had the consistency of boot leather at my house in the 1980s," said another Redditor in r/BuyItForLife in a comment with nearly 540 upvotes. "Had to ensure the trichinosis was cooked out."

Bologna sandwiches were a classic middle class lunch for many in the 1980s. Often, they consisted of just a slice of bologna, a slice of cheese, and some white bread. Sometimes there was some mustard or maybe a slather or mayonnaise, but for the most part, these sandwiches were, in a word, basic. Some loved the simplicity of a bologna sandwich, especially if it was made with fried bologna, while others ate so many in the 1980s, they've sworn off of them for good. "I can't even look at bologna anymore unless I have less than $10 until Payday and need to not starve," said one Redditor in r/GenX.

Bologna sandwiches are still around, of course, but they're not as ubiquitous as they used to be in the school canteen. In the 1990s, people became more conscious of saturated fat and sodium intake, and so bologna (high in both, of course) started to fall out of favor. That said, some Gen Xers say it's still a comfort food for them. "I LOVE a baloney sandwich now and again," said one Redditor in r/GenX. I actually eat baloney straight from the package, just roll it up and gobble it down."

Despite the name, London broil steak actually has nothing to do with England. Nope, the term, which refers to the technique of cooking marinated beef over a high heat, has American roots. And while it sounds sophisticated, it's just a good way of making more affordable cuts of beef taste juicy and lean. And that's why it was a middle class favorite in the 1980s.

Some home cooks (usually moms, let's be honest) might have reached for "The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet" cookbook, written by French-American chef Pierre Franey, to make their London broil steak. Published in 1980, the book refers to London broil as "child's play" for the average amateur chef, and encourages the reader to serve it with fresh mushroom sauce, rather than "one of those thick, mucilaginous sauces made throughout the United States with canned mushrooms."

Franey likely had the best intentions, but, for most women, it was easier to just grab a can of mushroom soup. After all, they were busier than ever: By 1980, women made up more than 40% of the American workforce. Still, many found the time when they could. One Redditor in r/GenX recalls their mom making them "grilled steaks with mushrooms sauteed in butter, garlic, and burgundy wine," on special occasions. But canned vegetables were never far away. "With rare exceptions, most vegetables not in a salad were boiled to death with a lot of salt and a little fatback, or they came out of a can," they added.

Spaghetti has long been a comforting staple in the U.S. Pasta made its American debut in the late 1800s, but even now, more than a century later, getting home from a long day at work or school to a plate of noodles and rich tomato sauce is the equivalent to a warm hug. Per Statista, in 2025, more than half of Americans said they eat pasta on a regular basis.

For many people, spaghetti, specifically, reminds them of being a kid in the 1980s. In many middle class households especially, spaghetti was a common sight on the dinner table, sometimes served with a slice of bread and plenty of butter. Some remember their spaghetti being served to them plain, while others recall enjoying it with homemade tomato meat sauce.

While, for many, pasta is a lifelong joy, others say that eating too much spaghetti as a kid in the 1980s was enough to put them off the dish for life. "[I] haven't eaten spaghetti since I was 18, now almost 54, and never will again," said one Redditor in r/GenX.

There's not much to a sloppy Joe. It is, quite literally, just ground beef, tomato sauce, and a bun. The joy is all in the eating: One bite, and the mixture splurges out, dripping down your chin, making a mess of your t-shirt. For a kid, it's glorious. Sloppy Joes were a common school cafeteria choice in the 1980s, but many middle class kids also remember coming home to sloppy Joes for dinner.

For the most part, sloppy Joes were made with Hunt's Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce, which you can still buy today (it's basically canned tomato puree, vinegar, and high fructose corn syrup). "Sloppy Joe nights were 'Manwich' nights when I was a kid," reads one Reddit post in the r/80s subreddit with more than 240 upvotes. Others recall their parents having their own signature recipes. "My dad's version of sloppy Joe's was just ground beef and bbq sauce," added another Reddit user. "And they were damn tasty."

Sloppy Joe is a nostalgic comfort food that has stood the test of time. In fact, many people who were kids in the 1980s now feed the messy sandwich to their own Gen Z children. Top tip: If you want to take your sloppy Joe to the next level, consider adding a bit of cheese and some roasted red peppers. Thank us later.

Unlike London broil steak, Cincinnati chili really does come from Cincinnati. First served in the Empress Chili Parlor back in the 1920s, the chili is unique in that it's made with chopped onions, kidney beans, shredded yellow cheese, and Middle Eastern spices, and it's often served with spaghetti (unlike Texan chili, which is usually served in a bowl, as is).

For some middle class 1980s kids, getting home to a bowl of Cincinnati chili was a regular occurrence. In fact, chili, in general, was a staple for many households during this era, just as it is now. It makes sense; after all, this classic dish is both easy to make and filling. "Chili in the crockpot we would then eat all week," said one Redditor in r/GenX. "And spaghetti. My mom still hates to cook."

Chili wasn't just a meal you enjoyed at home, though. During this decade, many chain restaurants, largely targeted at the middle classes, were starting to grow in the US. Chili's, for example, was founded in the 1970s, but expanded rapidly in the 1980s. "Chili's in the 80s was absolutely phenomenal, one of my favorite places," said one Redditor in r/Chilis. Another agreed: "It was so great back then," before adding that "the chili recipe was perfect Texas red."

Since the 1930s, Americans have relied on Spam, a shelf-stable, processed, canned concoction of pork and ham, when budgets are tight. Sure, it has fallen in and of favor over the years, but many who grew up in the 20th century (and the 21st) remember eating at some point. In the 1980s, it was no different.

In fact, some people who were raised in middle class households during this decade remember eating Spam and pineapple on special occasions. "When Mom felt fancy [we had] a couple of cans of Spam boiled in canned pineapple with the juice," said one Redditor in r/GenX. They added: "Looking back, I realize my mom wasn't a very good cook. But I think she did the best she could with a limited budget and 7 mouths to feed."

Spam wasn't always served with pineapple, of course. Some remember eating Spam and eggs on camping vacations, while others would slather it in ketchup and stuff it in a sandwich or eat it with a side of toast and butter.

Americans eat billions of burgers every single year. They are, without a doubt, one of the most popular foods in the U.S., and they have been for more than a century. Fun fact: White Castle, the first fast food burger chain, was founded in the early 1920s. After that, the industry boomed, and by the early 1980s, fast food chains were on every corner. Many remember stopping by chains like Hardee's and McDonald's for a quick patty during this decade. But burgers weren't limited to the fast food industry, many middle class families used to cook them up at home for dinner in the 1980s, too. "[We had] basic cheeseburgers on Sundays when Dad would cook," said one Redditor in r/GenX.

Not all homemade burgers were basic, of course. Some homecooks would have kept recipe books like "Betty Crocker's Hamburger Cookbook" on their shelves in preparation for burger night. The book was originally published in 1973, but it was such a hit, it was reprinted several times, and in 1980, the third edition was released with recipes for Crunchy Teriyaki Burgers (teriyaki sauce was having a big moment in the 1970s and 1980s), Caraway Burgers, and Reuben Burgers. The latter, of course, is the classic sandwich, reimagined in a burger format.

Around the same time that Spam hit the market, Kraft introduced America to boxed mac and cheese. Of course, it was a hit. Shelf-stable cheese? People couldn't get enough. Fifty years later, in the 1980s, boxed mac and cheese was a dinnertime staple all over the country.

In middle class households, the popular pantry item was often prepared as a side dish to dishes like burgers or pork chops. For some, it was a surprise to go to lower class homes and realize that for many Americans, the boxed mac and cheese was the main event. "For my family, it was one of at least 3 sides," said one Redditor in r/GenX. "For my friend, the dinner was the [mac] and cheese."

If mac and cheese was served as the sole dinner, there's a good chance it would have been made from scratch, and they might have looked to fictional middle class icon Betty Crocker to help them make it. Betty Crocker's Smartcook, published in 1988, for example, features not one, but two recipes for macaroni cheese, the first with green chilies and the second with tomato.

Sure, you can eat tater tots as they are with a side of ketchup, but in the midwest, people like to turn them into a casserole, called tater tot hotdish. It's basically canned soup mixed with ground beef and canned vegetables, and then topped with rows of tater tots. In the south, a similar dish exists, only it's often called tater tot casserole. Whatever the name, this dish is simple, comforting, and nostalgic to all who grew up eating it. In many 1980s middle class households, it was a firm favorite.

In fact, some loved it so much, they kept it as a dinner staple long after the close of the decade. "I still make [tater] tot casserole with cream of chicken instead of cream of mushroom," commented one Instagram user on a Reel of tater tot casserole. "So good!" Another added: "They served us tater tot casserole for lunch at school. One of the best things they served."

Walking through the door to find a tuna casserole waiting on the table was a common occurrence for many middle class kids in the 1980s. For most, the hearty, fishy dish followed a similar formula: Noodles, canned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, and a can of peas. Some swapped the noodles for macaroni, while others were treated to a crispy, crushed potato chip topping. In fact, according to the 1982 edition of "A Campbell Cookbook: Cooking With Soup," adding potato chips to tuna casserole was the key to a "perfect" dish.

Homecooks who had a copy of the 1981 edition of "Betty Crocker's Casserole Cookbook," though, might have been a little more adventurous. The book includes a recipe for curried tuna casserole, which swaps the noodles for rice and adds in a dash of curry powder for extra flavor. There's also a tuna-rice bake with added parsley, mustard, and pimiento-stuffed olives, a tuna cracker casserole, a tuna chow mein casserole, tuna-asparagus casserole, and plenty more — we could go on and on. Seriously, this book must have been a middle class tuna casserole-lover's bible in the 1980s.

Meatloaf is one of those classic, comforting dishes that has always stretched across the class divide. It was a classic, budget-friendly wartime and Depression meal, for example, but in the 1950s, it was also common for housewives to experiment with fancier presentations of the simple dish, which is usually made with ground meat, bread, eggs, and cooked vegetables, and usually glazed with ketchup or another sauce.

In the 1980s, things were no different. Meatloaf was a favorite for people growing up in lower class homes, but it was also staple on middle class tables. And once again, many moms probably reached for Betty Crocker when meatloaf night rolled around.

As you'd expect from a book called "American Style Cooking," this 1984 Betty Crocker classic featured a recipe for "Family Meatloaf," made with tomatoes, ground beef, eggs, oat, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. In fact, many Betty Crocker cookbooks came with a meatloaf recipe, and many of them are so beloved, they're still made on repeat today.