Thrifty shopping is an important part of cheap eating, so your first step is to locate a source of inexpensive food. The ideal store is one which carries a variety of staples. Winco and Grocery Outlet are chains on the West Coast, while ALDI and Trader Joe's appear in many states and have inexpensive store-brand items. Also watch for sales, and for generic-brand staple foods, at ordinary supermarkets.
For more information on food sources and ways to save, read Budget Eating: Food Shopping for the Recession. Or learn how to make a cheap vegan meal of three-bean salad.
Mushroom Cheese Pasta Recipe
Cooking Implements: This mushroom pasta recipe is designed as a filling dinner for a low-fuss kitchen, the kind that might be kept by a student or a person living alone. As such, the minimum required implements are as follows:
- Cheese grater
- Medium saucepan/cookpot with lid
- Small frying pan
- Turner, or fork
Ingredients, per portion:
- 4 dry oz. (about 113 grams) of pasta; spiral pasta works well, as does fettucini.
- 2 fresh white mushrooms or crimini mushrooms.
- 2 oz. (about 57 grams) cheese; blend of pepper jack and cheddar, or cheese of your choice.
- Butter or vegetable oil, enough to coat a small frying pan.
- 1 clove of fresh garlic.
Directions:
- Fill saucepan with enough water for the amount of pasta. Add a pinch of salt (optional). Set on burner turned to high.
- Slice mushrooms thinly and chop garlic finely. Set aside.
- When water boils, add pasta. Stir immediately. Keep stirring occasionally throughout.
- Coat frying pan with oil and set on medium-low. Add mushrooms once oil is warm. Stir occasionally with turner or fork.
- When mushrooms are smaller and darker, add garlic to the frying pan. Turn heat to medium.
- When pasta is ready, drain quickly (using the lid of the saucepan, if no colander is available.)
- Add the contents of the frying pan to the pasta in the saucepan.
- Immediately grate cheese directly into the pan, stirring throughout.
- When cheese is fully mixed into the pasta, cover and let sit for 5 minutes for melting, either off burner or on burner turned to lowest setting.
- Serve.
Price breakdown for four portions:
One pound (454 g) of pasta costs $1 at the dollar store or Trader Joe's, to $2 bought at regular supermarkets. Eight fresh white mushrooms usually cost about $2, depending on the source. Eight ounces (227 g) of cheese: store brands or discount groceries run $2-3. Butter or oil: even good olive oil is under $1 for the amount used in this recipe. Fresh garlic is around 50 cents a head – pennies per person.
Total cost: between $6.50 and $8.50 for four servings, or between $1.63 and $2.13 per person.
 |
