One of the best things to cook on a low budget is a tomato based pasta sauce. The tomatoes alone are packed with vitamins, but the fact that a can of them should cost you mere pennies will leave you plenty of your £5/$10.00 meal budget to add in even more vegetable goodness and even some meat.
This ‘almost Arrabiata’ is one of my favourite pasta sauces, and as the recipe for it involves very few ingredients, you don’t have to scrimp and compromise on flavour for the budget version. I like to add frozen peas into this dish also, as they are a brilliant cheap yet nutritious ingredient.
Having spent a while on Safeway’s website this week, it seems that $7.50 is sadly just not enough to buy a meal for 4 that still contains a good helping of fresh veg, so we have decided to up the budget to $10. Still not bad for a meal for 4 with leftovers! This one comes in at $8.97 though, so you can get yourself some candy to reward your budgeting!
Ingredients (serves 4)
300g dried penne pasta
1 red/green pepper finely diced
1 small onion finely chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
4 mushrooms sliced thinly
1 handful frozen/canned peas
1 red chilli finely chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tablespoon of oil for cooking
Total cost is a mere £2.56 at Tesco with enough pasta, mushrooms, onions, garlic, chillis and peas for another meal or $8.97 at Safeway with pasta, mushrooms, garlic and peas left over.
Directions
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Throw in peas for last 5mins of cooking When cooked, drain and return to pan with lid on.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed frying pan and add onion, garlic, mushrooms, chilli and red pepper. Fry for 5-7 minutes until veg begins to soften.
Add can of tomatoes along with 100mls water and simmer for about until sauce thickens to a rich consistency (like what you get out of a jar of pasta sauce).
Stir sauce into the pasta and peas and pile onto 4 plates.
Serve with salad and a grating of cheese if you’re feeling flush!
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Image via Taste.com.au