Monday Night Pasta Sauce

Posted by ljmacphee on October 6, 2008 under Dinner | Be the First to Comment

As prices climb and the stock market falls it gets harder to toss food at the end of the week.  I clean out the fridge on Mondays so that’s my night to make pasta sauce.  This sauce takes about 10 minutes to put together. The flavor comes from the various vegetables and meat that have been cooked previously in different ways.

Take last week’s left over meat and vegetables.  I prefer more meat than vegetables, but whatever is in the fridge I use.  Grind it in the food processor, you want about 2 cups worth of ground cooked meat and vegetables.

In a large skillet add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.  Slowly brown garlic.

After garlic browns add your ground meats and vegetables. Cook until meat and vegetables are warm.

Then add 1 can tomato paste ( 6 oz ), 6 oz water  or wine and 1 can diced tomatoes ( ~ 15 oz )

Let simmer on the lowest heat for a half hour.

Serve over your favorite pasta.

Most importantly the cost of this meal is just the pasta, 1 can of paste and 1 can of diced tomatoes. The rest was leftovers or things you have in the fridge.

Mediterranean Pasta

Posted by ljmacphee on July 2, 2007 under Dinner | Be the First to Comment

This is a nice quick summer dish. It is something one of the local restaurants serves up.

1 pound baby portabella mushrooms sliced thin
1/2 sweet onion sliced thin
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained well
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup uncooked spinach packed tight

1 cup feta

1 stick butter ( 1 pound )
garlic to taste
olive oil
1 pound pasta noodles

Boil the pasta until done.

In a skillet put grated garlic and butter. Add in mushrooms, onion, pine nuts, tomatoes and spinach and cool until done.

Strain the pasta and toss with olive oil to keep from sticking ( ~ tablespoon or so ). Divide pasta among 4 bowls.

Top pasta with cooked vegetables.

Top with crumbled feta.

Serves 4