I’m trying to learn to buy groceries, cook for myself again.
Can’t afford to buy and keep produce. Limited cookware. So, any recipe telling me to crush garlic, dice onions, etc, can’t do.
Need budget, ghetto, for people on a fixed income, easy no frills way to make diy tomato paste pasta sauce.
Good suggestions so far. Tks. I have 1 bowl, 1 plate, 1 spoon, 1 fork, 1 butter knife ; 1 small sauce pan; Only stores nearby are corner stores. Hardly any produce. Having to make due with what you can find in a liquor store.
I gotta be honest if you don’t have the ability to chop onions or garlic you might as well just buy pre-made sauce my man.
Yeah I kinda feel like the first step would be to figure out how to do that rather than trying to sidestep the issue
There’s ways to cut stuff up without actually handling a knife if it’s like a physical issue - those little mini food processors for example are really good for most veggies (they struggle on harder or stringy things but for onions and garlic and whatnot they’re pretty good)
It’s good that you’re wanting to cook for yourself, but why no produce? You really need to be able to cut up and onion and to be fair garlic you can get away with already diced jarred stuff, but whew love me my onions lol
Here’s a recipe that is budget centered. You could tweak it to your particular needs but cutting out the parts you can’t do > https://www.spendwithpennies.com/easy-meat-sauce/
Yeah I wonder what OP meant? No fridge? Even then, onions and garlic stay good for a long time outside the fridge.
It’s, I have no Tupperware. Nothing to put an onion into after I cut a bit off, to keep it fresh. No foil, no ziploc bags. My $ sitch is that bad right now. I have $60 to last me til September 3. Hence, why I probably sound stupid and clueless right now.
You need to hit up the food bank. They give out food. No questions asked. Fresh veggies and fruits and plenty of ready to go meals. There’s no shame in it. I’ve been in your situation many times and churches very often are giving out free food to people who need it. Again no one will question your situation. You just go there and get your food and leave.
As @KingJalopy@lemm.ee said, please try the food bank. You’ll wreck yourself if you try to survive only on pasta and tomato sauce even if it’s just for a month. Where do you live?
You can peel off a few layers at a time of onion and leave the smaller sphere in the fridge or even on the counter for a pretty good while (maybe two weeks or so). That won’t stink up anything.
Do you have a fridge? If so, you can just stick half an onion (not minced, obviously) straight in the fridge for a few days just fine. The exposed surface will dry out slightly, but that’s not an issue if you’re just using them for sauce. I usually use a whole onion per dish anyways, since I love onions, and they’re a dirt cheap way to add flavor and some semblance of vegetables to a meal.
If you have a freezer, frozen peas are also really cheap and nutritious, and they basically only need to be thawed. Plain pasta with salt, little bit of butter or oil, splash of vinegar, some of the pasta water (all those starches in the pasta water will help a simple sauce come together), and frozen peas is really cheap and easy, yet somehow really tasty.
You can also bulk it up if you add beans. Beans are cheapest if you buy a bag of them dry at some place like walmart (I prefer pinto beans and chickpeas, but you can go with any beans you like) instead of going for canned. Just soak the dry beans in a bowl of water overnight on the counter, replace the water, then boil them on the stove for about an hour (until they’re soft) and strain. Chickpeas also taste pretty good with pasta.
Other options if you have a fridge is to crack an egg into the pasta right after you’ve strained it and mixing it so it can cook in the residual heat. You can also chop up a hotdog and put it in your sauce. Surprisingly tasty.
You can get by without tupperware to store leftovers if you eat just one or two big meals a day; it allows you to do more in bulk with a one-pot meal, with less preparation, and you just eat it all in one go. I also find I can get away with leaving it on the counter for up to a couple hours and then finishing it if I don’t want to eat it all in just one sitting.
Also, the cheat codes to making food taste good, even if not fancy, are salt, fat, and acid. Even plain pasta tastes really good if it’s properly salted and given a generous drizzle of oil and vinegar. Bouillon cubes are also a good cheat code to making things taste better for cheap. Heck, you can even buy a cheap bottle of vinaigrette salad dressing (e.g., italian or greek dressing) and pour that on your pasta for a basic pasta “salad”.
Ok so half cut onions might smell up your fridge, but otherwise they’re just most likely to dehydrate without being covered in the fridge for a week. Also onions can prematurely ripen other produce when stored in the same place. Whole onions store well outside the fridge for weeks, even a month. Potatoes are the same.
Sealed food storage is best though, so if you find some leftover plastic containers they sell takeaway food in, washing and reusing these can be a free option. Same with glass jars. Check goodwill for Tupperware too.
Lemons I leave cut in the fridge for well over a week and they just dehydrate a little on the outside, I’ve only ever seen one get a little mold, most things can’t live in that acidic an environment.
Most other things freeze really well, if that is an option for you. If you do buy fresh, you can increase their fridge lifespans by washing and then thoroughly drying them. The best veg are ones you can buy with the roots still attached, those can be planted or kept in the fridge a long while with the roots kept wet.
Please don’t assume that you sound, or believe that you are, stupid or clueless. Whatever you’re going through won’t get any better if you beat yourself up, even sarcastically. Take care, you’ll pull through!
I’m with eeedawg, keeping onions for cooking is easy, they last quite a while, are cheap, and they are used in a lot of recipes.
Now if you said green onions, or celery, I would understand.
Try canned crushed tomatoes. If you can access some seasonings, a bit of garlic powder and dried Italian blend herbs go a long way to making it taste more like pasta sauce. It can be warmed in the microwave or stovetop if you have access. It is safe to eat right out of the can without heat but def tastes better if you can simmer it for a while. Leftovers will require refrigeration or can be frozen. You mentioned that you can’t keep produce, so if you don’t have a fridge or freezer, look for small cans of plain tomato sauce - not pasta sauce, and not tomato paste, but just plain sauce. You can dress this up with herbs also and have a smaller amount to avoid leftovers
Optional: Add olive oil, or just about any kind of cheap melting cheese, or even milk, or non-dairy creamer to give it richness.
Also optional: Add crushed red pepper flakes, just like the ones for pizza, to give sauce some kick.
Non dairy creamer, awesome. Wouldn’t have thought of that
This is very accurate,also maybe add a bit of the starchy water after cooking to the sauce.Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn’t just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better
Exactly the kind of tips I’m looking for. Tks!
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Get the small saucepan.
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Put some cheap cooking oil in it. Fry onions in it. Honestly buy a small knife and cut them on your plate or whatever, its worth it.
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Then chuck in garlic paste/garlic salt if you got it. And a teaspoon of Paprika. Salt. Pepper
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If you’ve got some minced/ground meat cook it in the oil too.
The reason we do this step is because oil holds flavour and this will honestly make your sauce taste way better.
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if you have access to a grater grate some carrot into it. Doesn’t change the taste but makes the meal bigger. Same thing with split red lentils.
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chuck in a tin of tomatoes or tomato puree or whatever tomato base you got.
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throw in your herbs, hopefully basil and oregano or else “italian seasoning”.
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Cook it for about 10 min bam you’re done.
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Most people are giving you good advice on how to make a good sauce for cheap, but I hear you on the low-equipment and storage issue.
I’m going to assume you have access to a microwave or portable stove top/burner or other heat source, a glass bowl or cooking pot, something to stir with, and maybe a tiny little space in a fridge.
- Dried herbs and spices are your flavour friends and are shelf-stable. For pasta sauces you can’t go wrong with the traditional Italian herbs basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary. Some places sell a premix “Italian seasoning”, I prefer to mix and choose myself to help keep some variety. You do what is best for you.
- Bottled vinegars help with flavour balancing/boosting, if it’s bland but already contains salt and fat, a tiny bit of vinegar will help. If it’s too sweet, adding a little more vinegar will help that too. And they are shelf stable. For pasta sauces a red wine or balsamic or regular white vinegar is fine. Try to get vinegar without added sugar. Bottled lemon juice is also OK, but crap compared to fresh lemons. Fresh lemons can keep for a while in a fridge if you have space, and you don’t need much to get the effect.
- Some kind of sugar, for the occasions where you get really sour unripe tomato or you put too much vinegar in. Or if you get some bitter vegetables/flavour. White sugar is fine, I like light brown better. Honey works too in even smaller quantities. All raw sugars are shelf-stable.
- A bottle of vegetable oil (or olive oil, especially for italian/greek). Again, shelf-stable. Fat boosts flavour (and calories, be careful with it).
- Bullion or Powdered Stock, also shelf-stable. Adds salt + savory flavours. Other shelf-stable options for salty + umami are soy sauce but it isn’t very Italian. Dried mushrooms work for savory flavours but might be hard to find or expensive or not the right kind. I have a small container of dried porcini mushrooms for European foods, and shiitake for Asian foods.
- Bottled pasta sauce, try for no added sugar, oil or salt, because you will add your own and they are easy to over-do. Premade pasta sauce is often the cheapest shelf-stable option including multiple vegetables and has some pre-balancing of flavours already done, but it can be shit quality ingredients. It is precooked just needs to be heated through with whatever heat source you have. If you hate the flavour of it, try to add a little of each of the other items while heating until it tastes better. Understanding balancing the “5 flavours” fir your own tastes is key to mastery. If you only eat/heat part of the sauce, the rest of the container needs to go in the fridge or freezer.
- Passata or bottled/tinned tomatoes. This is the often higher quality and cheap option, doesn’t have the advantage of other veg for nutrition, and it’s slower to make because you need to heat it through for long enough to evaporate some water off to make it more flavourful. Again, try to avoid added sugar/fat/salt. Otherwise it has the same instructions as for pre-bottled sauce, heat, mix flavours, eat. If you don’t use all of it, again, it needs to go in the fridge or freezer.
- Some tomato paste is close to shelf-stable, others need the fridge. Check the packaging but this is a highly recommended small-size way to get more intense tomato flavour.
- Other shelf-stable additions for pasta: Whole black pepper in a grinder is the best, but any works, or red chilli flakes, for some heat. Dried/fried onion flakes, dried chives, dried garlic flakes / salt… whatever you like best.
If you mix any or all of the above to your taste, heat it through and for long enough without a lid to thicken the sauce by evaporation, you can get some extremely tasty food. And the only things you will need to store in a fridge are the leftover end-result or tomato-based or rehydrated ingredients.
But, you will experience poor nutrition relying only on shelf-stable foods in longer situations. If you can boost that with a variety of frozen or fresh veg, you will be doing yourself a huge favour. You also need to consider protein sources. Meats nd cheese usually need the fridge, but beans and lentils in the right balance can work for no-fridge situations too.
I unfortunately have a lot of experience with this issue, so if there’s anything else I can suggest solutions for, let me know.
Tomato sauce (in pasta al pomodoro) only requires tomato, salt, olive oil, and basil; everything else is optional: garlic, onion, herbs, chilli.
See the following recipes:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=innnyQEXBFE
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgKvlAYOdU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeEeldJEtq0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOS8XSpC98c
The italian videos have english sub titles. Besides cherry tomato, you can also try mutti tomato puree, it is not so expensive but very tasty.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=innnyQEXBFE
https://piped.video/watch?v=NIgKvlAYOdU
https://piped.video/watch?v=QeEeldJEtq0
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
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I have the easiest DIY sauce you can get:
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28 oz can of tomatoes (either whole or diced, ived used both)
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1 onion cut in half
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1/2 stick of butter
You put them all in a sauce pan on medium heat until it looks like sauce.
I’ve made this plenty of times. Whole canned tomatoes are usually better than diced - just break them up a bit by squishing them with a spoon when you put them in the pan. Needs to cook for a good while - 45 minutes out so. And add salt at the end to taste! But a super reliable sauce and requires very little equipment out prep.
I can vouch for this sauce as well, I rarely use jarred sauce because this one is so simple and tasty
Literally can’t get easier than this. It a perfect base recipe that you can build upon later. Have some meat? Brown it up in some oil then add it to the pot. All I would add to the base recipe is don’t forget to add a bit of salt at the end.
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If you’re on a budget, you should be buying pasta sauce, not making it. Classico is a decent cheap brand. (Definitely better than those ketchup brands known as Prego and Ragu).
For tomato sauce, if you want to add more flavor, Italian sausage is your best friend. $3-5 for a pack. The beef+pork fat really brings out the taste. Add that to your spaghetti sauce and enjoy 3-5 days worth of food that practically tastes gourmet, all for under $10.
It sounds like you want something good, cheap and easy. I think you can only pick 2 of those requirements.
I know you’re asking for tomato sauce, presumably for pasta, but look at what poor people have historically eaten. For example, beans and rice will feed you for pennies, but don’t buy the canned beans, get a big bag for cheap. It’s more work to soak and boil them, but that’s your savings (labor). Dried beans and rice, when kept dry can last a decade.
I’m sure there are other cheap, filling foods, but I am tired.
Can’t go wrong with Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce recipe if you’re looking for easy and tasty:
28oz can of tomatoes (San Marzano is best), 5 tbsp butter, onion peeled and cut in half. Add all ingredients to a pan and simmer on a medium heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, and gently crushing tomatoes. Remove onion and add salt to taste. Makes 4 servings.
I like to throw in a sprig of basil too, but it’s not necessary.
Great recommendation! I’ve made this many times.
Some additional notes:
With the limited budget, I would recommend eating the onion halves rather than discarding them.
And if an onion is too much produce, onion powder will work. Both onion and garlic powder are reasonable options, especially in any recipe that cooks a while. Especially given your limited budget, do not shake any spices directly into the pot (they’ll start to clump). Always put spices in another dish (like your bowl, you can always rinse it if you feel the need), or your hand and then add them to the pot.
Onions will keep for quite a while in a cool dark place, and can still be used even if they start to go off.
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Soft spot? Cut it off
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Sprouting? That’s edible, chuck it in too
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Mold? If it’s black mold, Peel off all layers with evidence of mold, or wash it off, it’s probably only on the top layer
In any of these cases, you might consider using twice as much onion as the recipe calls for, to try and use up as much as you can.
Carrots and celery can also keep for similar amounts of time in the fridge, and bad spots can be cut out. They can also be added in a lot of places where they’re not asked for. I understand that produce might be challenging, but even if you only make it to the grocery store once a month, these may still be an option.
Some good suggestions. The cooked onions are delicious, and definitely worth keeping. I’ve used them in a roasted vegetable side dish, and within a veggie lasagna. The recipe is very well known though so there’s lots of suggestions online for what to do with them e.g. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/what-to-do-with-onion-from-marcella-hazan-tomato-sauce-article.
Just to note, while black mold is common on onions and can be washed/cut off. The roots of some other molds can be highly toxic and discarding the visibly affected parts may not be enough, so be very careful.
Good note on mold. I considered saying black mold, and for whatever reason decided against it.
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People here have given you good pasta sauce recipes here, let me recommend ramen. I’ve found it at dollar stores and most grocery stores, it’s shelf stable, and pretty versatile. Can add egg and/or almost any frozen produce you can find.
The biggest thing about cooking is spices. You dont need fresh, dried and in a jar fine. But go get yourself a few tiny containers of:
- garlic powder
- oregano
- rosemary
- thyme
Aldi has these, like $2 each and you can easily make a dozen meals from that much if you’re feeding one or two people. For most things you can do the large content in single cans while doing spices to taste but typically 1-2 teaspoons.
- 1x can of tomato sauce
- 1x can of tomato paste
- optionally 1x can of diced tomatoes
- 1-2 tsp of each: garlic, oregano, rosemary, thyme
- 1 tsp salt
Put it all together, simmer and stir until warm.
Bonus
Dont let anyone tell you cooking is difficult. Want to beef up your sauce? A pound of ground beef or ground sausage cooked for 10 minutes can be added in. Green bell peppers and onions, chopped and quickly sauteed, just toss them in.
What’s the key to frugal cooking? Go buy the amount of food you need. Buy one pepper and one onion. If the store only sells them in larger quantities make multiple servings and then have a week of things that use pasta sauce.
Was worried about buying onions, peppers, and them going bad too quickly. One onion, one bell pepper. That will work
Always go to the produce and meat sections first. If you can buy small great. If not then the canned goods you buy just enough to meet your needs for cooking all the produce/meat.
https://playswellwithbutter.com/san-marzano-tomato-sauce/
The only “produce” is the garlic, but you can just buy the jarred minced garlic. I usually find it near the whole garlic in the produce area
An easy non-tomato pasta is a tin of soup as the sauce.
Butter and black pepper is as easy as it gets; get some fruit for afters and that’s not a terrible meal. You can chuck in extra bits and pieces to make it more interesting (cold meats, salad veg, cheese, anything tasty you can get to bite size).
Corner stores have trouble keeping fresh produce in because it goes out of date so quick. It might be worth asking them if you could pick up any past their best items for cheap at the end of the day.
You can quarter an onion or a potato (no need to peel) and get through most soft veg with a butter knife. But you could do with a better knife. Ask around some charity shops, they’ll often have stuff like that come in and (depending on where you are) many of them still function as both fundraiser and provider of cheap stuff for people who need it.
Good luck. Hope things get easier for you soon.
