Recipes for feeding four people for $12 per dish

Speaking of buying groceries on a budget, here are seven recipes that serve four people for less than $12 per dish courtesy of BJ’s, a warehouse club on the East Coast. (If you are not near a BJ’s, check out my tips for getting Costco deals without paying for the membership.)

Guess how much each the recipe for Lemon-Chicken Bowtie Pasta costs and the person who comes closest will win a free one-year membership to BJs, valued at $45. Leave your answer as a comment on this post, on my Facebook page, or on Twitter. One guess per email, please.

The giveaway will work a bit like “The Price Is Right.” The reader whose guess comes closest to the amount without going over wins. If multiple readers guess correctly the prize goes to whoever answered first.

BJ’s has 187 locations in 15 states. Find a BJ’s near you.

Lemon-Chicken Bowtie Pasta, serves 4 at ??? price – guess for a chance to win a $45 BJ’s membership

8 oz. Barilla® Farfalle

4 Perdue® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (1¼ lb.)

5 Green Onions, sliced

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Wesson® Canola Oil

1/ 8 tsp. McCormick® Cayenne Pepper

1½ cups Progresso® Chicken Broth

2 tsp. Grey Poupon® Dijon Mustard

¼ cup fresh Lemon Juice

White Sauce (see below)

1. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. 2. Cut chicken

into ¾” pieces. Set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high

heat. Add green onions and garlic and sauté one minute.

3. Add chicken and sauté, turning chicken occasionally until

cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. 4. Add pasta, toss

and set aside. 5. Adapt Basic White Sauce recipe (see previous

page): mix cayenne pepper into flour before adding. Reduce

milk by 1½ cups, substituting same amount of chicken broth.

Add chicken broth-milk mix to fl our mix per recipe instructions.

6. While sauce is still hot, whisk in mustard and lemon juice,

then immediately pour over chicken-pasta mixture; lightly toss

to mix. 7. Garnish with sliced lemon and serve immediately.

BASIC WHITE SAUCE Makes 2 cups.

Your microwave’s cooking times may vary.

Please watch carefully.

4 Tbsp. Land O’Lakes® Sweet Butter

4 Tbsp. Gold Medal® All-Purpose Flour

2 cups Milk

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

1. Melt butter on high in 1-qt., microwave-safe

bowl, about 20 to 30 seconds. 2. Stir in fl our,

using spoon to break up lumps, until smoothly

blended. 3. Add milk, salt and pepper and stir

until completely blended. 4. Microwave on high,

pausing to stir every 30 seconds or so, until sauce

is thick and bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Variation: Add 2 cups of shredded Cracker Barrel®

Sharp Cheddar Cheese and toss with cooked elbow

macaroni for mac and cheese. See pasta recipes

for more variations.

For six more recipes that feed four for less than $12, keep reading.

Tortellini salad, serves 4 at $1.47 per serving

With Dijon Vinaigrette (recipe below) or similar bottled dressing

1 lb. frozen Mama’s Home Style 5-Cheese Tortellini

2½ cups Fresh Broccoli, chopped

3 medium Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 Green Onion, chopped

1. Cook pasta until almost al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add broccoli

to pot with pasta and cook just until pasta is al dente, about 1 minute

more. Drain immediately. 2. Rinse pasta and broccoli in very cold

water until completely cooled. Drain thoroughly. 3. Combine pasta and

broccoli with rest of vegetables in large bowl. 4. Prepare vinaigrette

according to recipe. Add to pasta and vegetables, reserving 1/ 3 cup.

Toss to coat. 5. Chill overnight. 6. Bring to room temperature before

serving and drizzle with reserved vinaigrette.

DIJON VINAIGRETTE

3/ 8 cup Wesson® Canola Oil

3/ 8 cup Rozzano® Balsamic Vinegar

½ cup Grey Poupon® Dijon Mustard

¼ cup Land O’Lakes® Half and Half

1 tsp. McCormick® Dried Italian Seasoning

1 clove Garlic, minced

Pulse in blender or whisk until thoroughly combined

Angel Hair Frittata, serves 4 at $1.72 per serving

4 Tbsp. Rozzano® Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 small Zucchini, sliced

1 Tomato, seeded and chopped

1 Green Onion, diced

4 cloves Garlic, finely minced

2 Tbsp. Black Pearls® Sliced

Black Olives

½ tsp. McCormick® Basil

Leaves, crumbled

4 Eggland’s Best Eggs

Salt and Black Pepper

½ cup Locatelli® Grated Romano Cheese

6 oz. Barilla® Angel Hair, cooked al dente

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté fresh

vegetables and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes. 2. Stir in olives and

dried herbs. Set aside to cool. 3. Preheat broiler. Beat eggs and cheese in

large bowl. Stir in vegetables and pasta and season with salt and pepper.

4. Heat remaining oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Pour

egg mixture into pan and spread with spatula until veggies and pasta

are evenly distributed. 5. Cook until eggs are set and golden-brown on

bottom. 6. Immediately place skillet under broiler. Cook until top is set

and golden-brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully remove pan from oven.

7. Loosen edges with butter spreader. Carefully invert pan over large

plate and slide frittata out. 8. Cut into 4 wedges and serve immediately.

Toasted Ravioli, serves 4 at $2.64 per serving

1 pkg. Joseph’s Spinach and Mozzarella Ravioli

½ cup Milk

1 cup Progresso® Italian Bread Crumbs

2 cups Wesson® Vegetable Oil

¼ cup Locatelli® Grated Romano Cheese

2 cups Rozzano® Fresh Bruschetta, for dipping

1. Heat oil in cast-iron or other heavy skillet until thermometer

reads 375º. 2. Pour milk and bread crumbs into individual

shallow dishes. 3. Dip ravioli in milk, shaking off excess, and

then immediately into bread crumbs. 4. Carefully add ravioli

to hot oil a few at a time. Don’t crowd pan. Cook ravioli until

golden-brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turning halfway so that

they cook evenly. 5. Carefully remove first batch of ravioli

from pan with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels while

second batch cooks. 6. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve

with warm bruschetta.

Shrimp Lo-Mein, serves 4 at $2.74 per serving

8 oz. Barilla® Whole Grain Spaghetti

1 Tbsp. Kikkoman® Soy Sauce

½ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Domino® Cane Sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh Ginger, grated

2 tsp. Argo® Cornstarch

1 lb. Berkley & Jensen® 21/25 Frozen Raw Shrimp, defrosted

4 Tbsp. Berkley & Jensen® Peanut Oil

2 stalks Celery, finely sliced

1 ½ cups Fresh Express® Cole Slaw (undressed)

1 Green Onion, minced

1. Cook spaghetti until al dente and drain immediately. Rinse with

cold water and drain thoroughly. Set aside. 2. Mix soy sauce, ginger,

cornstarch, salt and sugar in large bowl. Add shrimp and let marinate

for 20 minutes. 3. Heat wok or large, straight-sided skillet over high

heat until very hot. Add 2 Tbsp. of oil. Using slotted spoon, carefully

add shrimp to hot pan. Reserve marinade. Stir-fry until shrimp is

just opaque. Immediately remove from pan and set aside. 4. Add

remaining oil. Stir-fry celery, slaw and green onion until just tender,

about 5 minutes. 5. Add shrimp to ingredients in pan, along with

reserved marinade. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce boils and

thickens. 6. Add spaghetti to pan and toss to mix. Remove from heat

and serve immediately.

Pasta Primavera, serves 4 at $2.44 per serving

8 oz. Barilla® Linguine

1 small Summer Squash, thinly sliced

10 oz. Asparagus Spears, 2″ pieces

8 oz. Green Giant® Baby Carrots, quartered lengthwise

1 cup Berkley & Jensen® Grade A Fancy Peas, defrosted

1 recipe White Sauce (below)

¾ cup Sargento® Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Grape Tomatoes (Optional)

1. Add pasta to large pot of rapidly boiling, salted water. Cook

4 minutes. 2. Add all vegetables except peas to pot with pasta.

Cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente. 3. Drain

immediately and transfer to large serving bowl. Add peas and

toss to mix. 4. Prepare white sauce according to recipe. While

still hot, add ½ cup shredded cheese and stir until melted. 5.

Pour cheese sauce over pasta-vegetable mixture and lightly toss

to mix. 6. Serve immediately garnished with remaining ¼ cup

shredded cheese and Grape Tomato halves (optional).

Baked Ham and Ziti Casserole, serves 4 at $2.04 per serving

8 oz. Barilla PLUS® Penne

12 oz. fresh Broccoli Florets

8 oz. Wellsley Farms® Ham Steak, 1″ dice

White Sauce (see above)

¾ cup Sargento® Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 Tbsp. McCormick® Whole Peppercorns (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Add pasta to large pot of rapidly

boiling, salted water. Cook 4 minutes. 2. Add broccoli florets

to pot with pasta. Cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is

al dente, about 6 minutes. 3. Drain immediately and transfer

to large serving bowl. Add ham and toss to mix. 4. Prepare

white sauce. While still hot, add shredded cheese and stir until

melted. 5. Stir in peppercorns (optional) then immediately pour

sauce over pasta-vegetable mixture. Toss lightly to mix and bake

30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.