This Classic 3-Ingredient Struggle Meal Is A Cheap Way To Fill Your Stomach

Trips to the grocery store all too often leave us with a pain in our wallets, so cheap, filling meals are always welcome. That doesn't mean that these so-called struggle meals can't be delicious. With just three inexpensive ingredients, you can make a good dinner that will make not only your wallet happy, but also your stomach, too.

All it takes is rice, an egg, and a dash of soy sauce to make tamago kake gohan, a Japanese recipe that's good for any meal of the day. It's cheap, filling, and tasty, making it perfect for anyone who's both hungry and budget-conscious. Traditionally, it's made by cracking a raw egg into the hot rice, where it partially cooks. However, if you're understandably wary of eating raw egg, you can pre-cook it slightly, perhaps using some of our best egg boiling hacks. Alternatively, you can use pasteurized eggs, which are meant to be safer since they've undergone heat treatment to kill harmful bacteria.

Otherwise, all you'll need is a dash of soy sauce to finish things off. When making this dish, it's important to remember not to add salt. The soy sauce will provide all the delicious salty, umami flavor you need. Adding more on top of that can overpower the meal.

One of the great things about tamago kake gohan is that, thanks to its simplicity, it's incredibly easy to customize. Just changing the type of rice or eggs you cook with can make a big difference. The difference between white rice and brown rice, for instance, means that a seemingly simple swap to brown rice brings nutty flavor and more nutrition. Pre-cooking the eggs in different ways, like scrambling or poaching, is another great, easy way to enhance the recipe with a bit of texture.

If you want more flavor, mix up the seasonings. This dish is a great way to use leftover seasoning packets from ramen noodles, for example, though keep a light hand if you're watching your sodium. Even just a crank or two of fresh pepper to go with the soy sauce can add complexity. Or, mix in a little miso and honey to turn the soy sauce into miso glaze. Meanwhile, garlic and ginger both go incredibly well with soy sauce and can make your dish taste mouthwateringly good with just a dash.

You're not limited to just extra seasonings, either. If you've got the time and budget, add some meat or veggies to make your tamago kake gohan even heartier. A bunch of extra ingredients sort of takes the "struggle" out of a struggle meal, but it's well worth it ... and not every dollar needs to be stretched to the breaking point.