FollowMade a really easy budget meal the other night that took very little time and effort. Needless to say this meal is not only easy on the budget but is known as comfort food. I also used up a partial pack of pre-cooked meatballs which was thrifty indeed.
Here is the ingredients for those of you who want to make it for your family.
1 package mini shell pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
Little oil
Half a package of precooked mini cheese and meat meatballs
1 large can of diced tomatoes with spices
Grated old cheddar cheese or even creamed cheddar cheese in the jar
Boil water and a little oil and salt. When boiling add macaroni and put in pot to boil. Also add frozen meatballs and cook for four minutes. Drain immediately and pour into colander and run cold water through it until it is not clammy. Put back in pot. Add canned tomatoes, salt and pepper. Chop the meatballs in half or quarters. If serving immediately, toss in half a jar or more of creamed cheddar cheese, such as Cheez Whiz, mix until smooth. Serve immediately.
Pasta is as most of you know very economical and versatile. It can be used in a variety of ways to make all sorts of main dishes and entrees. Pasta comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be used as a side dish or a meal in itself. You can make a cream sauce for it, eat it without meat, have it just plain with cheese, or top it with some sort of sauce. Pasta also can be made into a salad, to serve alongside chicken, fish, steak, or any other type of meat that you choose.
Pasta dinners are also a comfort food and are eaten more often when the weather starts to get colder. Pasta dinners are very easy budget meals that fill your tummy while saving you money. If you are cooking for young children, stick to the smaller pasta shapes, not the manicotti for instance. Change up the shapes every now and again in order to keep children excited about eating it.
