was so delicious, ingreds. are, onion, 2tsps garlic, 750 grms muchrooms, parsley, premade pasta sauce, spinach, egg lasagne & cheese. The muchrooms are what make it so nicebut they are expensive, what could I replace them with for a change and to make it cheaper?
davidt4,
Aug 5, 11:23pm
You could try pieces of cooked pumpkin. And to further cut the cost down you could make your own sauce instead of buying it pre-made.
white_elephant,
Aug 5, 11:30pm
Thanks davidt, I'll try that, I love pumpkin. Do you save alot making your own pasta sauce, thinking of time & effort as well?
davidt4,
Aug 5, 11:37pm
What does a jar of sauce cost? You can make your own with just a tin of plain chopped tomatoes, an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic and some salt and pepper, some dried oregano and a bay leaf. That won't cost more than about $1. 80.
uli,
Aug 5, 11:41pm
Not sure about much rooms?
But yes - you save about 500% on costs of ingred's if making pasta sauce yourself in bulk - then freeze - even more if mince is on special :)
white_elephant,
Aug 5, 11:42pm
I only notice prices when they are really expensive, I think pasta sauce is about $3. 00. When I shop I just grab what I need and when the trolly is full thats it, its nearly always the same amount each week.
uli,
Aug 5, 11:53pm
Ok then - a very novel way of budgeting and saving money I guess ... if it works for you - GREAT!
nauru,
Aug 6, 2:54am
Yes, you do and when you make it yourself, you know what goes into it too. I make pasta sauce all the time, so easy from so little too and also use it as a pizza topping. No convenience foods here, I'm lucky enough these days to have the time to make most things from scratch and enjoy trying new things. Usually try to make in bulk and freeze for later use. I'm into making my own pasta (new to me) these days too which is way better than shop bought and cheaper too.
white_elephant,
Aug 6, 4:02am
nauru can you please give me your recipe for pasta sauce, I'd love to give it ago especially because it will be good to know what is in it. I don't have to grow the tomatoes first do I?
greerg,
Aug 6, 10:13pm
Cheaper if you grow your own but I quite often make a bulk batch from canned tomatoes bought when they're on special then freeze in the right quantities for us. I agree with Nauru that home-made is nicer and I find now that if I do buy fresh sheets if I'm in a hurry that they seem thick and claggy.
nauru,
Aug 8, 3:36am
Tomato Sauce 1 onion chopped, 3 cl garlic chopped, 2 stalks celery chopped small, 1/2 large grated carrot, 1 can tomatoes chopped, salt & pepper to taste, 4-6 tablsp tomato paste, 2 bayleaves, 2 teasp sugar, 1/2 cup water or stock, 1/2 teasp each dried basil, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary or 1 tablsp each fresh herbs chopped. Cook over med heat, onion, garlic celery, carrot and tomatoes until soft. Add herbs and bay leaves, season with S & P, add sugarif using, stir in paste, water or stock. Reduce heat and cover, simmer until veges are cooked and sauce has thickened. Remove bay leaves and cool and then process with hand blender or food processor. Store in a jars in the fridge and use as pasta sauce or topping for pizza.
I usually double the recipe and freeze in portions for later use. You can also add chopped mushrooms with other veges if liked.
nauru,
Aug 8, 3:37am
Creamy Ham and Mushroom Sauce 1tablsp olive oil 1 med onion chopped 2-3 cloves garlic chopped 2 slice ham chopped 2-3 cups mushrooms sliced 1/2teasp dried thyme 1 cup milk 1/2 cup cream, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 teasp cornflour made to a paste with a little water or milk
Put oil in pan, add onion & garlic, saute until soft, add chopped ham and thyme, cook 1 min. Add mushroom and continue to cook until soft. Stir in milk & cream and heat through add cornflour paste and stir over med heat until thickened. Stir in parsley and serve with any kind of pasta topped with parmesan cheese.
elliehen,
Aug 8, 8:03am
If you don't have time to make the complete tomato sauce when tomatoes are at the height of the harvest and cheap, then just do this. Saute onion, garlic and celery, then add tomatoes without skins (pop in boiling water for a few minutes and the skins jump off! ) and simmer till soft.
Freeze in portions and then when you need a tomato sauce for pasta you can add all the extras - including tomato paste to thicken and add more tomato-y 'oomph'. The mix of tomato/onion/garlic/celery is a tasty savoury mix to serve on toast too.
white_elephant,
Jan 7, 9:13am
Thanks alot nauru & elliehen, I'll give it a go.
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