When we think about Michelle Duggar raising 19 kids, the first thing we want to know is how on earth the reality TV star managed to cook for all those people every day. But now we no longer have to wonder because over the years, various members of the 19 Kids & Counting family have shared their go-to recipes, many of which are designed to feed a huge crowd on a budget. Some are more kid-friendly than others for sure, but some of them are downright weird — especially the ones that Jill Duggar likes to share on her blog.
From the famous tater tot casserole that we've seen so many times on the original show and Counting On to more creative recipes like barbecue tuna and a dish called "Chicken on the Ritz," there are a lot of Duggar recipes that leave us scratching our heads. But hey, if it works for their family, that's all that matters, right? It's not like it's easy to cook for a crowd!
Read on for the strangest recipes the Duggars have ever shared. There's probably not a lot of cooking inspiration to be found here, but it's definitely interesting to see what meals make it into their regular rotation.
Tater Tot Casserole
Perhaps the most famous Duggar recipe of them all? Tater tot casserole, of course. We've seen the Duggars prepare it for their oversized family on more than one occasion on 19 Kids & Counting, after all. It involves two pounds of ground turkey, three bags of tater tots, and we can't forget the cans of evaporated milk and cream soups for good measure.
Chicken Etti
Chicken Etti is a recipe that comes from Anna's family that has been absorbed into the Duggar repertoire. It's exactly what it sounds like: chicken and spaghetti. And it wouldn't be a Duggar recipe without including a pound of Velveeta and a can of cream of chicken soup.
Walker Creamy Burritos
When we think of burritos, we don't usually think of the adjective "creamy," but here we are. This recipe came from one of Jill's friends, and it's a bit questionable, especially because we don't normally consider cream of mushroom soup and whipping cream to be ingredients that belong in burritos.
Barbecue Tuna
Barbecue sauce and tuna fish aren't normally put together, but this recipe — which Jill said on her blog is one of Jim Bob's favorites — makes it happen. Combine drained canned tuna, the barbecue sauce of your choice, and onions, all on bread or even saltine crackers. According to Jill, it's a hit with kids, but we have our doubts.
Chicken on the Ritz
Normally, we'd be down for any recipe involving Ritz crackers, but Chicken on the Ritz is a different animal entirely. This one combines cream of mushroom soup, a tub of sour cream, a stick of butter, veggies, a whopping 10 pounds of chicken, and an entire box of Ritz crackers to create a casserole that Jill said is Michelle's favorite.
Banana Muffins
These banana muffins themselves aren't all that strange — they sound edible, and they're a lot healthier than many other Duggar recipes. But when Jinger shared this one on Instagram, fans were confused by one major detail: She said they make 11 muffins. An odd number, considering there are six or 12 cups in a muffin pan.
Bacon Green Beans
This recipe comes straight from Jessa (who says it's a Seewald family favorite, so maybe we have her husband Ben to blame for this). Combining bacon and veggies isn't unheard of, but it's kind of a head-scratcher that it calls for frozen green beans and bacon bits instead of using fresh beans and actually cooking bacon for the recipe.
Baguette Bread
The name of this recipe is what really gets us, because … baguette bread? Really? Anyway, this recipe of Anna's doesn't call for baking your own bread — just using some that's already made, slicing it up, and covering it with an entire block of cream cheese, tomatoes, and basil.
Chili Frito Pie
We've seen a lot of recipes that include Fritos over the years, but Michelle Duggar might be the first person to actually describe them as "good for you." She's said that this recipe is her go-to if she needs dinner on the table fast. It includes ground beef, chili beans, cheese, and sour cream — along with Fritos, of course.
Creamy Tomato Soup
Tomato soup is a totally normal, yummy food — especially when paired with grilled cheese. But the way that Jessa makes it definitely leaves us a bit confused. First, onions are sauteed in an entire stick of butter before combining the rest of the ingredients to make a soup — including a cup of heavy cream.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Here's another potentially healthy Duggar recipe that gets ruined by a few ingredients that probably could have been skipped. Instead of real cheese, this soup calls for two pounds of Velveeta (yet again), along with an entire quart of sweet whipping cream. Sweet?!
Spaghetti Pie
We have Derick's family to thank (blame?) for this spaghetti pie recipe, which is apparently one of Jill's husband's favorites. It's almost lasagna, but not quite, which leaves us wondering why someone wouldn't just make regular spaghetti or lasagna instead of this "pie."
Chicken 'n a Biscuit
We're all about cooking shortcuts to make dinner as easy as possible, but this casserole-style recipe is a lot to process. Canned chicken is used instead of fresh, along with gravy, cheese, and three cans of crescent rolls to feed all the Duggars at once.
Momma's Stew
When Jill shared this recipe on her blog in 2018, she said this was something that Michelle made for her kids a lot growing up. It combines ketchup, ground beef, and many, many cans of vegetables to create one big stew. On one hand, it's a good way to get veggies in our kids' tummies. On the other hand, what?
Hash Brown Casserole
This hash brown casserole recipe is interesting, to say the least. Yes, cream of chicken soup is involved, along with frozen hash browns, cheese, milk, and seasonings. But where it really seems to go off the rails is the cornflake topping, which most hash brown casseroles don't include.
