Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of MY spaghetti, so this will have to do.
One of my favorite frugal dinners is my sister’s hearty spaghetti sauce, which uses ground turkey instead of beef and carrots instead of sugar. A batch of this sauce, which feeds a hungry family of five or two with leftovers, costs about $5.65, plus another dollar to serve over pasta.
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey, $3 (try to get one sale for $2)
1-2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped small $.50
1 garlic clove, diced $.10
3 carrots chopped small, $.35
1 – 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, $1.20
1 small can tomato paste, $.50
1 T fresh basil or 1 t dried
1 T fresh oregano or 1 t dried
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Brown ground turkey in large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Push meat to side when browned, then add oil in open side of pan and saute onions for 2-4 minutes. Push onions to the side next to the meat and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Push to the side and add chopped carrots. Cook until juicy (about 4 mins).
Add whole peeled tomatoes, breaking up each one in your hand. Add tomato paste and one can of water. Add spices, salt and pepper. Stir a few times. Cover and simmer for one hour. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed. Serve over hot pasta. Garlic bread and salad are great additions.
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Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
This recipe is similar to some that I’ve made over the years. I look for cans of diced tomatoes (no salt added), and grab them when they’re on sale to keep in my pantry. I use ground turkey in many dishes that call for ground beef, and watch for BOGO sales of the meat. I don’t add sugar to my pasta sauce, as it’s not necessary. I use a couple of Tbsps of tomato paste for depth of flavor, then cut off both ends of the can, put it in a ziplock freezer bag to store in the freezer until needed again. Take the can out about 20-30 minutes before needed, push up one end, slice off as much paste as needed, then return to freezer. If the can is left in the fridge, it usually molds before it can be used up.
Also, if the carrot is shredded instead of chopped, it blends into the sauce better. Zucchini is another veggie that can be added for sweetness for those who prefer a sweeter sauce. I usually make my sauce vegetarian style to start with, then can add ground meat or sausage (turkey or chicken) later if I want meat in the sauce. Otherwise, I stick with the plain sauce over whole wheat pasta.
@EllieD I never tried adding zucchini instead of carrots, but this will definitely help me use up all the zucchini on sale next summer!
I chop carrots, celery, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and whatever else I have in the food processor until the consistency of ground beef; then saute in water before adding the remaining sauce ingredients. Works great as a vegie sauce or to stretch the meat. Noone knows it’s loaded with vegies. Thanks EllieD for the great tip with the frozen tomato paste!
One more item I like to include in pasta sauce is sliced portabello mushrooms. Kids don’t always like them, but if you mince the ‘shrooms, chances are the kids won’t notice. I’m with Jeanne on including whatever happens to be in the fridge on sauce day. I never thought about processing them, as I kinda like the chunky texture, but might try it her way next time. Loooooove how many ways one can do pasta sauce! Also, you don’t need to turn on the oven, which is a major plus with the triple digit temps in SoCal!
Better to put fresh herbs in closer to end, or they get cooked to death. If using dried it doesn’t matter; but reduce quantity by ½ to 2/3.
Like Spag Bol, Lasagne & many other tomato-based pasta dishes, it always tastes better the next day; great to batch & freeze.
I prefer passata (sieved tomatos) to tomato paste or concentrate; I’d use 8oz in this recipe to replace the tomato concentrate, and omit the water. Passata freezes well & can be used straight from the freezer
If you want to boost the flavor add a stock cube.
The Left-overs can make a great pasta bake; mix pasta and sauce together, put in greased oven-proof dish, sprinkle a couple of handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs over the top, with seasoning & herbs mixed in, then a handful of finely grated cheese. Bake 25min at 375ºF, 190ºC, Gas 5.
If you’re feeling extravagant top with cheese sauce before you put the breadcrunbs on top. Works best with pasta shapes, rather than spaghetti.