Today I am FINALLY sharing with you our version of a Rochester Garbage Plate, a NY diner staple that combines many diner favorites into one satisfying dish topped off with Rochester hot sauce (their signature meat sauce).

Rochester Garbage Plate Recipe

This garbage plate recipe has been sitting in my drafts for years… since our first trip to Rochester, NY to check out the Strong Museum and some of the city’s other kid-friendly offerings.

Ella is now a teenager and she was excitedly telling me about this cool recipe idea that she saw on Tiktok: a mash-up plate with macaroni salad, french fries, meat sauce and hot dogs. I laughed and pulled up these pictures to show her that not only have I made this super cool recipe for her before, I made it before Tiktok even existed! (Yes, she was describing a classic NY Garbage Plate.)

This famous dish was originally called “hots n’ potats” in 1918 by it’s inventor Alexander Tahou, the original owner of Nick Tahou Hots (renamed after his son), and was renamed to “Garbage Plate” sometime in the 70s.

It’s since become a must-have Rochester staple, with many other local restaurants offering up their own “Rochester plates,” “trash plates,” “junker plates,” “junkyards,” “Genny plates” and “Charlie’s plates” (to name a few).

There’s even sushi versions and vegan versions now, but we stuck pretty close to the original in our recreation. (The below image is another example of a different Rochester plate.)

Our version of a Rochester plate features our homemade macaroni salad topped with store-bought crinkle fries, a simplified “Rochester hot sauce” (a meat sauce similar to Sloppy Joe filling, only spicier), and cut-up hot dogs, with a generous drizzle of ketchup.

(Ketchup isn’t traditional – in Rochester, to order a garbage plate “with everything” means to top with with chopped, raw onions and a drizzle of mustard. But at the time that we made this, Ella was not yet a fan of mustard.)

The beauty of a garbage plate is that you can really make it your own – and you really don’t need a recipe to make it, you can use all pre-purchased ingredients. The assembly of different flavors and textures is really the allure of a Rochester plate.

If you’re thinking of heading to Rochester with kids, be sure to check out our Top 6 Things to do in Rochester with Kids and our (thorough) Review of the Strong Museum of Play.

Rochester Garbage Plate Ingredients

• Oil
• Onion, chopped
• Minced Garlic
• Ground Beef
• Cayenne Pepper
• Chili Powder
• Cinnamon
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Water
• Tomato Paste
• Brown Sugar
• Macaroni Salad <– grab our recipe for homemade macaroni salad here
• French Fries <– use frozen, or grab our recipe for homemade chip-style fries here
• Hot Dogs

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: swap out the toppings for your own preferred options; check out our list of variations above for ideas.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Cast-Iron Skillet (or any frying pan)
• Spatula
• Sharp Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board

How to Make a Rochester Garbage Plate

To make the “Rochester hot sauce,” place oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Once hot, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and spices, stirring frequently to break up the beef. Cook for 8 minutes until beef is well-browned.

Add the water, tomato paste and brown sugar, then simmer for 10 minutes as you prepare the rest of your ingredients. (For a very smooth texture, you can simmer for up to an hour, adding additional water as needed.)

Prepare the hot dogs according to your personal preferences, following the instructions on the package. (Steaming them is traditional, but I love a grilled or air-fried hot dog.)

Cook the french fries according to package instructions.

Place 1 cup of macaroni salad on each plate and top with 1 cup of french fries.

Once the meat sauce has absorbed all of the water in the skillet, top the dish with the meat sauce, followed by a cut-up hot dog.

Garnish with raw onions, mustard, or ketchup, based on your personal preferences.

Pin this Easy Rochester Garbage Plate for a fun meal the kids (hopefully) won’t forget:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our NY Garbage Plate recipe:

I hope your kids love getting to try out this classic NY dish!

For more ways to serve beef, check out our full beef recipe collection here:

For more perfect pastas, check out our full pasta recipe collection here: