There are some straightforward recipes that sound delicious and, hopefully, are. Then there are meals that sound as if they’ll taste terrible — and surprisingly don’t. Here are some recipes you’d probably skip past, but honestly, you should give them a try.
Kilt Lettuce
This is otherwise known as Killed Lettuce (the Kentucky accent accounts for the “kilt” name) and sounds awful. Wilted lettuce? When I find that in the fridge, I toss it. But wilting on purpose and adding green onion apparently changes everything.
Recipe: Delishably
Hamburger Soup
This has a variety of less-than-appealing names: poor man’s soup, hangover soup, bachelor’s stew, and more. But brown some hamburger with onion, add whatever vegetables you have on hand, and you’ll create a hearty (and easy) meal.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
Grape Jelly Meatballs
These require just three ingredients — meatballs, grape jelly, and ketchup — but this sounds like a sick sugar bomb. However, people love them — and not just because they’re easy to make.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
Tuna Mac
While I’m not a big fan of canned tuna, mixing it into mac and cheese might be the right combination to make eating tinned fish more appealing.
Recipe: Allrecipes
Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwich
Let’s be honest that this sounds disgusting. But no less than the New York Times cooking section posted a recipe for this “underappreciated classic.” There is some debate over dill pickles or bread and butter pickles in the comments, though NYT advocates for bread and butter.
Recipe: New York Times
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Pineapple Casserole
Cheddar cheese and pineapple? This is a weird one, but it’s surprisingly simple to make and tasty. It’s popular in parts of the South, particularly with Easter and Christmas ham.
Recipe: Southern Living
Kedgeree
This sounds truly awful. Take tinned smoked fish, rice, curry, and boiled eggs and toss it all in a casserole dish. I’m still not convinced, but this has been a staple of British cuisine since soldiers brought the basic recipe (which emphasized lentils, not fish) back from India.
Recipe: The Spruce Eats
Weiner Stew
This doesn’t sound great — hot dogs and potatoes plus tomato sauce — but it’s not only cheap and filling, the person who posted the recipe says it’s a hit with her family and was a traditional part of the menu growing up.
Recipe: Spark Recipes
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Basque Cottage Cheese
Mayo and cottage cheese? Sure, why not? I’ll be honest, this doesn’t sound that good. However, people love it. Go figure.
Recipe: ND Nation
Cheese Ramen
Slapping a slice of American cheese on top of ramen noodles sounds like the stuff of late-night college study sessions, but Mike’s Mighty Good is pretty convincing making a case for it. Pro tip: Add a second slice and cool things off with a little milk.
Recipe: Mike’s Mighty Good
Asparagus Casserole
This is a pretty simple recipe, so it might be a good way to use asparagus that’s gone limp. But given that asparagus isn’t cheap, you might not choose to put it in a casserole right away.
Recipe: Allrecipes
Brown Potatoes
Potatoes cooked in sugar doesn’t sound all that great, but this is well-loved in Denmark (Danes serve this for Christmas dinner), and you might feel very internationally cool putting it on your table.
Recipe: Daring Gourmet
Beef Tongue Tacos
While imagining a beef tongue and all those human-like taste buds may lack appeal, Tacos de Lengua can be melt-in-your-mouth tender and high in flavor. And in a taco, you may not think about it being tongue anyway.
Recipe: Allrecipes
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
While the thought of mayo in your cake may sound yucky, the truth is that mayonnaise adds extra moisture and a rich flavor to cakes. So, there’s good reason to hold your nose and grab the mayo.
Recipe: Erren’s Kitchen
Lamb and Rhubarb Stew
While this sounds like an odd mash-up, knowing its a Persian recipe better known as Khoresht Rivas makes it more interesting. My hold up is not caring for lamb, so I’ll have to pass even if it is amazing.
Recipe: Delicious
Garlic Mustard Pasta
While you might find this mixture unappetizing, a little white wine always helps. Try Dijon mustard and pass on the ballpark stuff.
Recipe: Vikalinka
Scrapple
Sounds cute, doesn’t it? But scrapple is organ meats mixed with cornmeal and buckwheat. However, people (mostly in the mid-Atlantic region) who love it, love it.
Recipe: Forager Chef
