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There is absolutely nothing worse than the daily Groundhog Day that is figuring out what to cook for dinner.

It ranks right up there with death and taxes: a miserable certainty of adult life we must endure until the very end.

Most nights, we push through the existential dread, chop some veggies, and cobble a proper meal together.

But every now and then, the collective exhaustion wins. We drop the facade of adulthood and fall back on our tried, tested, and utterly unhinged "lazy dinners."

Watch: The 'low-key genius' parenting hacks we're obsessed with. Post continues below.

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The 'low-key genius' parenting hacks we're obsessed with | Parenting Out Loud

Growing up, I knew that if my parents couldn't be bothered, we were having tinned mushroom soup on toast. It was a grey, creamy sludge that is, honestly, a delicious memory.

Everyone grew up with a version of this, which begs the question: are our questionable culinary habits hereditary?

If you literally "CBF'd" to cook, do you naturally default to the exact struggle meal your parents fed you?

I personally don't pull out the tinned soup these days, although perhaps I should.

I'm more of a "forage plate" girl. My kids know it's Bear Grylls-style dinner when they're presented with a handful of grated cheese, some chopped raw veggies, a couple of meatballs, some toast and a scattering of crackers.

Look, I probably won't earn a Michelin star, but at least a few food groups are covered… Image: Supplied.

But I wondered what the rest of the country is eating when the tank is completely empty.

So I asked 21 people to reveal their ultimate lazy dinners. The results are equal parts nostalgic, brilliant, and deeply chaotic.

The "whatever is in the pantry" purges.

"Dad would make a 'one-pot wonder,' which was essentially a total fridge clear-out plus a massive dump of Keen's Curry Powder." – Court.

"My mum did 'Chicken Surprise.' It was pasta, carrots, and peas, usually bound together with a can of Campbell's mushroom soup as the sauce. The surprise? There was absolutely no chicken. It was just a classic end-of-week pantry purge." – Sonia.

"Pasta, tuna, and cheese. Usually made by combining all the random, half-empty bags of different pasta shapes left in the cupboard. It holds up!" – Elly.

"Spaghetti and tomato soup. You just mix cooked spaghetti with a can of condensed tomato soup as the sauce, finished with cracked pepper. Heaven." – Nat.

The toast and carb connoisseurs.

"My mum would do ham, cheese, and pineapple on toast, grilled in the oven. The ultimate lazy Hawaiian pizza." – Jess.

"My mum would do eggs on toast with Vegemite for Sunday night dinner. It actually slapped, and I still do it sometimes." – Monisha.

"Growing up, it was grilled cheese on toast and hot Milos. I now do toasties if I CBF, because using a jaffle maker is way easier than watching cheese under the grill." – Nicole.

"Simple: two eggs on toast. A staple then and a staple now." – Maddy.

"Baked beans on toast. I don't think there's anything better than that." – Erin.

"We had a designated toastie night every Friday." – Tessa.

The zero-effort minimalists.

"That fresh ravioli that comes in a plastic bag, paired with the sauce that comes in the plastic tub. Peak convenience." – Lucy.

"If I really, truly CBF: a single boiled egg." – Sandy.

"One word: hummus." – Casey.

"Steak. Quick, basic, done." – Gemma.

The deeply chaotic creations.

"Once my dad left, my mum put Chicken Tonight on repeat. Honey mustard chicken one night, Chicken Cacciatore the next, until we literally threatened to move in with Dad. I still cannot look at those jars. The old ad campaign gives me genuine PTSD." – Emma.

"We call it 'Picky Bits.' It's a weird, 1970s-style charcuterie plate of random leftovers, sad salad bits, and whatever else is hiding in the dark recesses of the fridge." – Lou.

"Cheesy bean dip. You mix refried beans, cheese, passata, and some jalapeños in a bowl, blast it in the microwave, and eat it with corn chips. It sounds rank but it is genuinely delicious. It's well known in my friendship group and often gets requested now." – Georgie.

"Frozen mash mixed with peas, grated cheese, and a tin of tuna, topped with two random anchovies." – Ruth.

"Lazy nachos. Corn chips, some sort of canned bean, jar salsa, and shredded cheese melted in the microwave." – Rihanna.

The freezer treasures.

"The classic 'freezer dinner.' Whatever is currently rolling around loose in the freezer: chicken nuggets, hash browns, and party pies." – Keiran.

"It is definitely hereditary. Mine is pesto pasta, usually with chicken if it happens to be in the fridge, or whatever other rogue veggies are lurking in the crisper." – Cassie.

If this list has taught us anything, it's that "CBF dinner" is a sacred Australian institution and we are all just out here doing our best.

Now stop pretending you've never eaten hummus for dinner and tell us your version in the comments. No judgment. Only solidarity.

Feature Image: Supplied.