Spaghetti is always a money-saving, time-saving, crowd-pleasing dinner!
How to stretch your spaghetti to save money:
I use jarred spaghetti sauce and I and some or all of the following to it depending on what I have on hand and how big a batch of spaghetti I want.
- Canned or fresh sliced mushrooms
- Chopped onion
- Chopped green bell pepper
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Canned tomato sauce
I use less meat than I used too (I used to dump a whole pound in there!) I use about a half a pound of meat now and it makes just as much spaghetti!
What to do with leftover spaghetti:
Anytime you can make 2 meals out of one it’s saves money! Instead of throwing out leftover spaghetti, make baked spaghetti with the leftovers!
- The night you make your spaghetti, cook extra noodles (can be spaghetti noodles, or penne or elbow macaroni to add variety) and put in a casserole dish. Pour your leftover spaghetti sauce over the paste. Put a lid on the dish and put in the fridge until the next night.
When you’re ready to reheat it for the next night’s dinner, add shredded cheese and stir. You can use an Italian blend (Parmesan, Romano, etc.) for an Italian dish or use colby jack and/or cheddar for a completely different taste. I usually put about 2/3 bag in the dish and mix.
Put it in the oven and bake 350-400 degrees until warm. Top with rest of cheese and bake til cheese is melted. You could also top it with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (see how to make your own here) and then the cheese. - You can also do the above but use a disposable aluminum pan and put your pasta, sauce and cheese in it and wrap it all up and stick in the freezer for a quick freezer meal later on.
- I’ve also just dumped sauce straight in to a gallon size freezer bag and stuck it in the freezer for quick spaghetti later. (Be sure to lay it flat in the freezer until frozen and then you can store it standing up)
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