Appalachian Recipes: 14 Mountain Suppers and Breakfasts Grandma Made From Almost Nothing

Appalachian recipes come from a place where nothing went to waste and every meal had to stretch. In the mountains of Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina, families cooked from the garden, the root cellar and the pantry shelf, and somehow it always tasted like love. A pot of beans simmered all afternoon, apples sizzled in the cast iron skillet, and there was always room for one more at the table. Today, kitchen videos from small mountain cooks pull millions of views, because so many of us miss that kind of food. Here are the dishes that fed Appalachian families for generations, each with an easy recipe you can make this fall..

Appalachian recipes from the old mountain kitchen table

In a small kitchen in the mountains, a woman cooks supper the way her mother did: soup beans, fried corn, cornbread and garden tomatoes. A video of a meal just like that has been watched almost 2 million times. These dishes are simple, cheap and full of memory. We start with the supper plate that ties them all together. Did anyone in your family cook like this..

You will need: 1 pot of soup beans, 1 skillet of cornbread, 1 sweet onion sliced, sliced garden tomatoes, a jar of chow-chow or pickles, butter

How to make it: 1. Ladle hot soup beans into bowls. 2. Cut the cornbread into wedges and butter them while warm. 3. Set out the sliced onion and tomatoes on a plate. 4. Add a spoon of chow-chow on top of the beans. 5. Crumble cornbread right into the bowl, the old mountain way.

Soup beans, the heart of Appalachian recipes

Ask anyone raised in the mountains about supper and they will say soup beans. Dried pinto beans simmer slowly with a ham hock or a piece of salt pork until they are tender and the broth turns rich and creamy. Served with cornbread and raw onion, it is one of the cheapest and most filling meals there is. Do you crumble your cornbread into the beans or eat it on the side?

You will need: 1 lb dried pinto beans, 1 smoked ham hock, 1 onion halved, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 8 cups water

How to make it: 1. Rinse the beans, cover with water and soak overnight, then drain. 2. Put the beans, ham hock and onion in a big pot with 8 cups water. 3. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. 4. Cook 2 to 3 hours, adding hot water as needed, until very tender. 5. Pull the meat off the hock, stir it back in and season with salt and pepper.

Biscuits and sausage milk gravy, Appalachian recipes for breakfast

A real mountain breakfast means hot biscuits split open and drowned in sausage milk gravy. The gravy is made right in the sausage pan with flour and milk, so not one drop of flavor is lost. It is hearty enough to carry a family through a long morning of work. How do you take it: gravy on top or on the side?

You will need: 1 lb breakfast sausage, 1/3 cup flour, 3 cups whole milk, 1/2 tsp black pepper, salt to taste, 8 warm biscuits

How to make it: 1. Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it up. 2. Leave the meat and drippings in the pan and sprinkle in the flour. 3. Stir 2 minutes to cook the flour. 4. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring until thick and bubbly. 5. Add plenty of pepper and salt and spoon over split biscuits.

Skillet fried corn

Fried corn is not crunchy at all. Fresh corn is cut and scraped off the cob so all the sweet milk comes with it, then cooked in bacon grease and butter until thick and creamy. Mountain cooks made big batches in late summer and froze the rest for winter. It is one of those Appalachian recipes that tastes like August. Have you ever scraped corn off the cob?

You will need: 6 ears fresh corn (or 4 cups frozen), 2 tbsp bacon grease, 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper

How to make it: 1. Cut the tops of the kernels off the cobs into a bowl. 2. Scrape each cob with the back of the knife to get the milky pulp. 3. Heat the bacon grease and butter in a skillet. 4. Add the corn, milk, sugar and salt. 5. Cook 15 minutes over medium low heat, stirring, until thick and creamy.

Fried squash and onions

When the garden made more yellow squash than anyone could eat, it went into the skillet with sweet onions. Cooked slowly in a little bacon grease or butter, it turns tender and golden with crispy edges. Like most Appalachian recipes, it started with what the garden gave. It is a humble side that disappears fast at any supper. Do you like your squash soft or a little crispy?

You will need: 4 yellow squash sliced into rounds, 1 sweet onion sliced, 2 tbsp bacon grease or butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper

How to make it: 1. Heat the bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. 2. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes. 3. Add the squash in an even layer. 4. Cook without stirring 4 minutes, then turn and cook 10 more minutes until tender and golden. 5. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Kilt lettuce, the mountain wilted salad

Kilt lettuce, short for killed lettuce, is a spring tradition in the mountains. Tender leaf lettuce and green onions get covered with sizzling bacon grease and vinegar, which wilts them just enough. It is tangy, smoky and always served with soup beans and cornbread. It is one of the oldest Appalachian recipes still made today. Have you tried a wilted salad?

You will need: 8 cups leaf lettuce, 4 green onions sliced, 6 slices bacon, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper

How to make it: 1. Put the lettuce and green onions in a large bowl. 2. Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble it. 3. Keep the hot grease in the pan and stir in the vinegar, sugar and salt. 4. Pour the hot dressing over the lettuce and toss quickly. 5. Top with bacon and serve right away.

Country cube steak and gravy, Appalachian recipes for supper

Cube steak was the affordable cut that made Sunday supper feel special. Floured and fried in a cast iron pan, then smothered in pan gravy, it turns tender and full of flavor. Serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans for the full plate. Mashed potatoes or biscuits under your gravy?

You will need: 4 cube steaks, 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 cup oil, 1 onion sliced, 2 cups beef broth, 1/2 cup milk

How to make it: 1. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder and coat the steaks. 2. Brown in hot oil 3 minutes per side and set aside. 3. Cook the onion in the pan, then stir in 2 tbsp of the leftover flour. 4. Whisk in the broth and milk until smooth. 5. Return the steaks, cover and simmer 25 minutes until tender.

Apple stack cake, the old wedding cake of the mountains

Apple stack cake is thin, molasses sweetened layers stacked with spiced dried apple filling. Old stories say neighbors once each brought a layer to a wedding. The magic happens after a day or two, when the apples soak into the cake and it turns soft and moist. It is the queen of Appalachian recipes for fall. Would you have the patience to wait two days?

You will need: Layers: 4 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/2 cup butter, 1 egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ginger. Filling: 1 lb dried apples, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice

How to make it: 1. Simmer the dried apples in water to cover for 45 minutes, then mash with the sugar and spices. 2. Mix the layer ingredients into a stiff dough and divide into 6 balls. 3. Pat each ball into a 9 inch round on a greased pan and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. 4. Stack the layers with apple filling between each one. 5. Wrap and rest 1 to 2 days before slicing.

Leather britches, the dried beans of winter

Before freezers, mountain families strung green beans on thread and hung them to dry by the stove or on the porch. These dried beans, called leather britches or shuck beans, were cooked all winter with a piece of pork. It is one of the most clever Appalachian recipes for keeping food. They taste deeper and smokier than fresh beans. Did your grandparents ever hang beans to dry?

You will need: 1 lb dried green beans (leather britches), 1 smoked ham hock or 4 oz salt pork, 1 onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, water

How to make it: 1. Soak the dried beans overnight in plenty of water, then drain. 2. Put them in a pot with the pork and onion and cover with fresh water. 3. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 hours, adding water as needed. 4. Season with salt and pepper near the end. 5. Serve hot with cornbread.

Chow-chow relish from the end of the garden

Chow-chow is a sweet and tangy relish made at the end of the season with green tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and onions. A spoonful on top of soup beans is pure mountain tradition. Many families still put up jars every fall. This small batch keeps in the fridge for a few weeks. What do you put chow-chow on?

You will need: 2 cups chopped green tomatoes, 2 cups chopped cabbage, 1 green pepper chopped, 1 red pepper chopped, 1 onion chopped, 1 tbsp salt, 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp mustard seed, 1/2 tsp turmeric

How to make it: 1. Toss the vegetables with salt and let stand 2 hours, then drain. 2. Boil the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and turmeric. 3. Add the vegetables and simmer 10 minutes. 4. Spoon into clean jars. 5. Cool and keep in the fridge up to 3 weeks.

Fried green tomatoes

When frost was coming, cooks picked every last green tomato and fried them in cornmeal. The slices turn crispy outside and tangy inside. They are wonderful with a little ranch or comeback sauce, or tucked into a biscuit. Of all Appalachian recipes, this is the one that went on to become famous across the whole country. Have you had them?

You will need: 3 large green tomatoes sliced 1/3 inch thick, 1/2 cup flour, 2 eggs beaten, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, oil for frying

How to make it: 1. Salt the tomato slices and let them sit 10 minutes, then pat dry. 2. Set up bowls of flour, egg and cornmeal mixed with salt and pepper. 3. Coat each slice in flour, then egg, then cornmeal. 4. Fry in 1/2 inch of hot oil 3 minutes per side until golden. 5. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Potato cakes from leftover mashed potatoes

Nobody in a mountain kitchen threw out mashed potatoes. The next morning they became crispy potato cakes, fried in a hot skillet until golden and served with eggs or soup beans. Thrift like this runs through all Appalachian recipes. Kids loved them and they cost nothing. Do you call them potato cakes, potato patties or something else?

You will need: 2 cups cold mashed potatoes, 1 egg, 1/4 cup flour plus more for coating, 2 green onions chopped, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (optional), salt and pepper, 3 tbsp oil or bacon grease

How to make it: 1. Mix the potatoes, egg, flour, green onions, cheese, salt and pepper. 2. Shape into 8 patties. 3. Dust both sides lightly with flour. 4. Fry in hot oil over medium heat 4 minutes per side until golden and crisp. 5. Drain and serve warm.

Slow cooker apple butter

Apple butter was once stirred all day in big copper kettles outdoors, with the whole family taking turns. Today the slow cooker does the stirring for you. Apples cook down with sugar and spice until they turn dark, thick and spreadable. Spread it on biscuits or give jars as Christmas gifts. Would you make a batch to share?

You will need: 5 lb apples peeled and chopped, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1/4 cup apple cider

How to make it: 1. Put the apples in a slow cooker and add the sugars, spices, salt and cider. 2. Cook on low for 10 hours, stirring once or twice. 3. Blend until smooth with a stick blender. 4. Cook uncovered on low 2 more hours until thick. 5. Stir in vanilla, cool and spoon into jars for the fridge.

Blackberry cobbler, the sweet end of Appalachian recipes

Wild blackberries grow along every fence and road in the mountains, and summer meant buckets of them. Blackberry cobbler with a soft, buttery batter crust is the simple dessert that ends our tour. Frozen berries work just as well in winter. For more cozy ideas, see our cast iron skillet recipes from grandma’s kitchen, or watch a real mountain supper being cooked. Which of these Appalachian recipes reminds you of home?

You will need: 4 cups blackberries, 1 1/4 cups sugar divided, 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup milk, vanilla ice cream to serve

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350 F and melt the butter in a 9 by 13 inch dish in the oven. 2. Toss the berries with 1/4 cup sugar. 3. Whisk the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and milk. 4. Pour the batter over the melted butter, then spoon the berries on top without stirring. 5. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until golden and serve warm with ice cream.