Inexpensive Pasta Dishes

Becca25

February 13, 20090 found this helpful

Buy a cheap bag of Penne. After cooked, melt butter and add garlic and parmesan cheese ( the can works perfectly fine ). You can add meats or veggies if you want. Very simple and very tasty! Most the items are staples in the kitchen anyways!

If you have about $5 for a base pasta, grab a bag of noodles, cook. Melt butter, heavy cream, and bag of white cheese ( parm, italian blend, asiago, etc ) until smooth. Add your choice of meats and veggies.

Nicole Hardy

February 13, 20090 found this helpful

Condensed mushroom soup with can of tuna mixed in and cheap penne pasta - filling and a bit different - OR condensed tomato soup with tin of chopped tomatoes and some chopped up smoked bacon and cheap penne pasta - very tasty and reasonably priced

Penne or whatever pasta you prefer.
One jar alfredo sauce.
One small can of sliced or chopped olives.
Cook pasta.
Add jar of alfredo sauce.
Add can of olives.

Brown 1 lb of ground beef in deep skillet. Drain fat and add 2 cups dry pasta of choice, 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 8 oz can tomato sauce and 3/4 cup of water. Bring to boil and then simmer covered for 20 minutes. Top with Mozzarella cheese and serve.

You can make a mexican version by substituting tomatoes with chiles and topping with Cheddar Cheese.

Nell Tunstall

February 17, 20090 found this helpful

Use the ramen noodles (nothing cheaper then these cook the noodles as directed (save seasoning pack). Drain the noodles and add to ground beef and a can of veg-all(drained), add the seasoning pack.

Cook two or three beef flavored ramen noodles packs, drain off the excess liquid

Thinly slice a steak (get one on sale that week!) and stir-fry until desired doneness

Cook a pack of spinach in the microwave, drain off excess liquid

Combine the noodles, steak, and spinach with a little soy sauce and some rice wine vinegar - delicious!

cettina
Bronze Request Medal for All Time! 64 Requests

February 17, 20090 found this helpful

this feeds 4people easily.
about 2oz(or more depending on taste)of cheapo blue cheese
1medium pot yogurt.(or light cream if you dont like yogurt)

freebyrdz

February 18, 20090 found this helpful

Jamazetti
feeds 4-6 adults

1 bag of Rottini pasta $1.20
I 1/2 lbs ground beef $4.00
2 large tins diced tomatoes $1.60
2 tins Campbell's Tomato soup- Undiluted $1.60
grated cheese $1.00
garlic
oregano
basil

You can use generic or store brand but Campbell's seems to taste better.

While pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, brown ground beef with spices. Add undiluted soup, canned tomatoes with the liquid. Simmer until pasta is cooked. Drain and mix pasta with beef mixture. Top with grated cheese.

This is very fast and easy to make. It is so delicious that my family demands that I make this at least once a week and friends request it when they come over for supper. Best part is, if you get the stuff on sale, very inexpensive for the amount that it makes.

Source: My daughter's Home-Ec class

Cheryl

February 20, 20090 found this helpful

Here's my recipe for an inexpensive Italian style pasta dinner:
1 box penne rigate or geminelli pasta
5-6 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp sugar(optional)
dash salt & pepper
2 28oz cans pear tomato strips with basil (I use walmart's brand, do not drain)
3 tbsp Classico sundried tomato pesto or regular pesto
Shredded italian blend cheese or mozzarella as desired or use parmesean if desired.
Saute garlic in olive oil in large frying pan. Add tomatoes, italian seasoning, sugar, salt & pepper. *Use a splatter screen on top of pan! Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until sauce reduces or cooks off most of the liquid, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in pesto. Ready to serve.

I never thought my DH would eat this, but I just cook whatever pasta I have (elbow, bows, whatever) and add Italian dressing. He eates it up. Could add anything else you wanted. He likes it warm, but I serve it cold (as leftovers too).

Making your own pasta is the very cheapest. I take 1 egg, add 1 Tab water and 1/2 tsp. salt, beat together. Add flour, about 1 cup or so, adding flour till it sticks together and forms a ball, and is fairly firm and not sticky. Then you can roll it out between waxed paper or plastic wrap and cut in strips, but also you can pinch off small pieces, squeeze them flat and drop in the boiling broth.

There is another recipe I have from a old 1942 cookbook. The recipe is called Rivels. It calls for 1 egg and flour. You stir the egg into flour with the fingers to make small dry crumbles. Then you use them in your soup. There is a recipe called Potato Rivel Soup. Cook 2 - 3 potatoes in 2 1/2 qt water season with salt pepper and butter. Add revels made with 1 egg and simmer 15 minutes.

Tony

March 3, 20090 found this helpful

Cheapest and best.
Cook spaghetti. Blanche in boiling water to remove starch.
Serve into bowls. Now drizzle with Italian virgin olive oil.
Add black pepper.
Best spaghetti recipe ever and on the menu in every restaurant in Venice as antipasti.

Tapestry Lady

March 21, 20090 found this helpful

Savory Pasta Bake:

2 cans whole or diced tomatoes, partially drained
1 onion, chopped
Chopped green pepper, frozen peas, corn, whatever you have on hand
Cooked bacon, chopped ham or any cooked leftover meat
Pasta

Thyme, 1 tsp
Marjoram, 1 tsp
Paprika, 1 tbs.
Bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
Grated cheese

This is a favorite around here! It's tasty, cheap, quick to make, and a good way to use up leftovers.

In a saucepan simmer together tomatoes, onion, vegetables, meat, herbs & spices until thick and vegetables are cooked, about half an hour. Cook pasta seperately and drain. Combine sauce and pasta in a casserole dish, mix well and top with some grated cheese. Bake in a hot oven for a few minutes until cheese is melted. Makes about 4 servings, depending on how much pasta you use. Since the sauce only needs to coat the pasta it can be stretched pretty far if need be.

Robin

May 16, 20090 found this helpful

Pasta with a drained can of tuna, herbs and salt, olive oil, crushed red pepper. (parmesan is nice if you have any).

Alfredo sauce is merely 1-2tbs butter, 3tbs of light cream or whipping or half half and 1/3 cup of parmesan, just add ingredients to hot pasta and you're done. Black pepper is good too.

My new favorite is thing called Frugal Pizza Rice (can do pasta instead)

1 1/2 cups cooked rice or pasta
3/4 cup med or sharp cheddar shredded cheese
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-4 sticks celery, thinly chopped
1 level teaspoon dried basil/or oregano/or italian seasoning
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes, chopped
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper.

Heat the cooking oil in a large pan. Fry the chopped onions and celery until they are browned. Mix with the cold cooked rice, the basil and the can of tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to season.
Add the cheese, reserving 3 tablespoons of it to sprinkle on the top.
Add the egg, and stir well into the mixture pour into greased 8x8 or so casserole or pan. Sprinkle the cheese on the top.
Cook at 375 deg for half an hour.