I’m a vegetarian these days, so I don’t eat aspic any more, but my mom made it reasonably often when I was a kid, and it was fine. She usually made one with a tomato juice base, olives, and a few other savory things. It’s far less scary than many of the sweet Midwestern stuff-in-jello concoctions that were around in the 50s and 60s.
Bean dishes or cheese dishes instead of meat dishes? Sure; doesn’t even have to be poverty food. Some kinds go together well, some don’t. Pinto beans go well with cheddar or jack, black beans can if you have the right other flavors with them. American-style baked beans never struck me as going well with cheese, but they do well with grains. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup? It’s pretty much the canonical good lunch.
