Mike’s Budget Friendly Spaghetti
By Mr_Mike_Love
Spaghetti, for me, is one of those good old fashioned comfort foods. It warms you and satisfies your appetite quite well. The absolute best sauce is made from scratch, in an open pot, not a slow cooker. I have tried it just once. It was a bland mush.
I have my own secret recipe for making a very robust meat sauce, but I have not published it yet, maybe in the future. The problem with making my sauce from scratch is that all of the ingredients to make it cost around $30 USD. When you live on a tight budget as I do, it is just not possible to. Add to that, I make my own sauce in around 3 or 4 quart batches, so I do not have to make it often, but does go bad after a few months in the freezer. Money wasted.
A couple months ago, I had that urge for spaghetti, but I was not too far from being broke. I do not eat frozen meals at all. I love some of the choices out there, but they are loaded with fat, sodium, cholesterol, and sugars. After I stopped consuming those 2 years ago, I was able to drop 25lbs, my blood pressure, and my cholesterol count without even lifting a finger.
So what did I do about my spaghetti urge? I got creative. I did some searching on the net to find which jarred (not canned) sauces were the best. I was looking for flavor and low cost, as well as low sodium and sugar. One particular brand caught my eye. I had seen it at the store where I shop, but never bought it. The one I am referring to is Newman’s Own Sockarooni. It has a very nice rich sweet taste. Not too bad for a sauce that has only 7 grams of sugar per serving. So, I bought 2 jars at a cost of $2.69 each, along with some Italian sausage and some vegetables. I cooked it up that afternoon, and I was a bit impressed. Though, after simmering for 2 hours, it was just a bit too sweet and I had to add some crushed red pepper to give it a bit of a bite and tone down the sweetness. It resulted in quite a tasty sauce that cost me less than $10 to make. Please note, that cost is for the sauce only and does not include the meatballs or sausages.
A couple weeks later, I decided to try again, this time only one jar of Sockarooni. I changed the second jar to the same brand’s Marinara. It has the same nutritional content as the other. That batch turned out quite amazing. I did have to add some Italian seasoning to liven the taste up a bit.
So, here you go. Mike’s Budget Friendly Spaghetti. This recipe includes a recipe and method for optional meatballs and Italian Sausages.
This recipe will yield 5 to 7 servings.
Grocery List:
For the sauce:
o1 jar of Newman’s Own Sockarooni
o1 jar of Newman’s Own Marinara
o1 medium onion, chopped
o4 Jalapeno Peppers, shredded, do not remove the seeds (optional, but recommended)
oCrushed Red Pepper to taste (optional to the Jalapeno)
oItalian Seasoning to taste
o1lb (0.45 kg) Italian Sausage (I use hot, but the choice is up to you depending your taste)
o5 or 6 cloves of Garlic, minced (dried minced garlic may be substituted in which case you would use 1 tsp or to taste)
o1 package of Italian Sausages, 5 each (optional)
oPasta of your choice
o2 ounces (59 ml) Rum, Wine, or Beer (optional)
For Meatballs (optional)
o1lb (.45 kg) Ground Beef, 85/15 mix
o1lb (.45 kg) Italian Sausage
o1 small onion, chopped
Method:
(For the optional meatballs and sausages, you want to make these first)
Combine the ground beef, sausage, and onion in a bowl. Form your meatballs to the desired size and place on a plate. Heat a skillet on high, and sauté until they are crispy dark brown on the outside. Remove from skillet and set aside. They will be raw in the middle, but they will finish cooking in the sauce.
For the sausages, perform same cooking method as the meatballs. Fry them until they are crispy dark brown on the outside. Remove from skillet and set aside. As with the meatballs, they will be raw in the middle, but they will finish cooking in the sauce.
NOTE
This batch of sauce is not large enough to accommodate both meatballs and sausages. You will have to decide which one you would like to have.
The Sauce and putting it all together:
In a large pot on high heat, brown the Italian sausage chopping to crumble it. Keep it moving in the pot so it does not burn. When it is showing some brown, add in the minced garlic. As before, keep stirring and chopping to further crumble the meat and release the garlic flavor. After about 3 minutes, add the onion. Keep stirring, but not chopping any longer. After 2 minutes, add the jalapeno (or crushed red pepper). Keep stirring.
Shake the jars of sauce and open. Add them to the pot, mixing it thoroughly. Allow to come to a boil then reduce the heat to medium. Take 2 ounces (59 ml) of rum, beer, or wine (optional) and pour into one of the empty jars. Replace the lid and shake vigorously. Remove the lid and pour into the second jar and repeat. Pour the contents into the sauce and mix thoroughly. Add in the meatballs or sausages and mix. Add in Italian seasoning to taste and stir. Allow to come to a boil again, then reduce heat to medium low. Allow to cook for minimum 2 hours, stirring occasionally. A good idea is to start taking small samples of the sauce after about 30 minutes to test the flavor. Adjust as required with the Italian seasoning and/or peppers.
In another large pot, bring the appropriate amount of water to a boil and add in the pasta. Cook until al dente. If you desire, you can add your favorite herbs/spices to the water to flavor the pasta. When al dente, remove from the heat and drain.
NOTE
Do not add oil to the pasta. This is an old wives tale that it will leave your pasta slimy and the sauce will not stick to it.
After 2 hours minimum of the sauce cooking, pour in the cooked pasta and combine. Allow to slow simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve. Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese, if desired. Also, good with some nice rosemary garlic bread.
ENJOY