Trust me, the gang tell me that this tastes a LOT better than my photo looks!
The family had this on Meatfree Monday this week: it is a dish I gleaned from one of the Sainsbury's free "Live well on less" magazines, but it was originally made with spaghetti. This time I made it with wholewheat fusili to make it a bit healthier for the EFG. They say that they prefer the fusili to the spaghetti, so that's how I shall make it in the future.
The recipe is simple: just cook 400g pasta in a pan of boiling water to al dente, and then keep warm. Preheat the oven to about 180C.
Fry one chopped onion in a saute pan, with a clove of garlic added after a few minutes and then pour in two cans of chopped tomatoes. Cook all this together for about 10 minutes, and then add a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
Prepare a shallow ovenproof dish - mine is about 11 x 8 inches and pyrex. Boil the kettle.
Drain the pasta and pour the pasta into the tomato sauce and mix well to coat the pasta with the sauce.
Tip this into the ovenproof dish, and add half a cup of boiling water. Tear a ball of mozzarella into small pieces and tuck in to the pasta mixture, spaced around the dish. Sprinkle 50g of grated cheese over the top [I used grated mozzarella] and pop into the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.
This makes 6 servings, and so I have extras to pop into the freezer and bank for another day.
The costings for this are as follows and using Sainsbury's prices:
400g wholewheat fusili = 76p [95p/500g pack]
2 tins tomatoes = 68p [34p/400g carton Basics]
1 clove garlic = 5p [35p/bulb garlic]
1 onion = 6p [95p/1.5kg [about 15 onions Basics range]
1 ball mozzarella = 55p [Basics]
50g grated mozzarella = 29p [£1.15/200g Basics]
so for 6 portions, this works out to about 40p a portion - bargain....
You could serve this with salad, or with garlic bread, I should think. They ate it just as it came!
7 comments:
One of my favourites too, but I've never tried to freeze it, does it freeze well ?
Hi Sue! I get it out of the freezer in the morning and it is ready to pop in the microwave by tea time, although I have to admit that most of the time my wee heathens smother it with ketchup...
Morgan,
Save some of the water that you cooked the pasta in to add to it.
Italians always do this and for some reason the dish always tastes better
Hi got the Daily Mirror this morning and cut the voucher out as well as all the other vouchers with it, keep up the good work, xxx
I have a similar recipe I often use from years ago at weight Watchers, except mine has no cheese, but tin of WW baked beans, mince and herbs, really stodgy but still WW's!! The boy's don't know where I got the recipe from and I'm not telling as they would only moan about 'diet' food!!!!
@Kim - I'll try that next time - thanks for the tip.
@RQ - The EFG thinks that baked beans with pasta would be too much carbohydrate for her, and I wouldn't use mince on a Monday because I am trying to build up a bigger repertoire of meat-free meals and I attempt a Meat-free Monday each week. However, thanks v much for your contribution, and I think I could make something meaty and pasta-ish in that line on a different day! Without the beans....
@Caio - yep, I remembered to get the paper too. Going to plan a shop a bit carefully to stock up the storecupboard to replenish what we have been eating this month in our minimal-spending month xx
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