YouTubers Tell Us Their Struggle Meals

Matthew Mercer's struggle meal combines Campbell's cream of chicken soup, ramen noodles (beef flavor packet), and canned chicken breast. He advises using only half a can of water for a thicker, saucier consistency, and draining the chicken. Cayenne pepper and garlic flavoring are added for taste. This recipe is designed to be cost-effective, shelf-stable, and yield multiple servings.

He begins with 'kumiff chicken soup,' adds 'ramen noodles,' 'canned chicken breast,' and 'cayenne pepper' for spice. He specifies 'a little over half' a can of water for thickness and mentions it 'will feed you for the entire day if you pace it out properly'.

Keith Habersberger's struggle meal is a 'Leftover Toddler Breakfast Sandwich,' which is a mashup of chicken apple sausage, cheesy eggs, and peanut butter rye toast with honey. The hosts interpret this as a busy parent's method of consuming child's leftovers, combining disparate flavors into one meal.

Keith describes it as 'leftover toddler breakfast sandwich' with 'chicken apple sausage link, some cheesy eggs on peanut butter rye toast with a little bit of honey'. The host notes, 'Is that what dads are doing? Is that what it's like to be a dad is you just take whatever is left on your toddler's plate and eat it.'

Trixie Mattel's struggle meal consists of vegetarian alphabet soup (or minestrone) and a grilled cheese sandwich made with sourdough bread, cheddar cheese, and mayonnaise on the outside for crispiness. The hosts found this meal to be surprisingly 'luxurious' and highly satisfying, rating it very positively.

Trixie requests 'vegetable vegetarian alphabet soup' and a 'fresh lovely grilled cheese. Sourdough. You do the mayo thing and then you do um cheddar that can melt. Crisp crisp.' The host calls it an 'adult struggle meal' and rates it '9.1', stating, 'this will end your struggle.'

Ben Ebbrell of Sorted Food shared a simple curry recipe from his book 'Can't Be Asked,' designed for minimal effort. It combines minced lamb, tinned tomatoes, and Bombay mix (an Indian snack blend) with water, stewed into a curry. The Bombay mix provides lentils, thickening agents, and spices, making it a complete, flavorful dish with minimal effort.

Ben describes his meal as 'minced lamb, tin tomatoes, and a bag of Bombay mix. Mix it together with some water, stew it down, and you have yourself an incredible curry. You've got all the lentils, all the thickening agent, all the spices, all the salt, the lamb, the lamb fat, and the tomato.' The host rates it a '10'.

Max Miller's struggle meal from his broke New York City days involved buying a $2 cup of coffee at a diner to gain access to free saltine crackers, peanut butter, and jam packets. He would then assemble 'half a dozen little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on saltine crackers for free.'

Max recounts, 'I would go to a diner and order a cup of coffee... and then I would ask for a bunch of salt pans and the free little packets of peanut butter and jam'. The host confirms, 'He was only allowed to get the crackers cuz he'd bought the coffee.'

Rhett McLaughlin's struggle meal combines two components: Ritz crackers microwaved with shredded cheese to form a 'flimsy and a little bit crispy' disc, and a mackerel salad made from canned mackerel, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, brown mustard, jalapenos, and relish. The goal is to mask the mackerel flavor. The hosts found this combination to be largely unappetizing, particularly the pooling oil and strong mackerel taste.

Rhett describes 'Ritz cracker frisbee' with 'shredded cheese' and a 'mackerel salad' with 'canned mackerel, mayonnaise, mustard, two types of mustard... jalapenos... relish'. He explicitly states, 'you don't want it to taste like mackerel.' The host rates it a '2 out of 10', noting 'a puddle of oil' and 'it still tastes like mackerel.'