Meal: Pasta with stewed tomatoes & FD-Beef

Kaylee's not-a-blog » Food » Meals » Pasta with stewed tomatoes & FD-Beef

This was another experiment that worked out wonderfully my very first time, and has become a regular part of my meal rotation. :)

Steps:

add about a quarter to a third of a pound of pasta to your pot
add about half a can (400~ g, 14~ ounce size) of stewed (or diced) tomatoes
([optional] use a spoon to cut up any large chunks)
[optional] add 1 to 2 spoonfuls of freeze dried beef (or any other kind of meat or protein)
[optional] add chopped onion and/or other vegetables (regular or dehydrated/freeze-dried)
add enough water to cover everything, plus a wee bit more (about a finger thickness)
add Italian Seasoning and Garlic powder
mix :)
[optional] leave to soak for an hour or so (which will save some fuel, and produce some Aroma Therapy - a frugal duo!)
cook "normally", however do not drain - the tomatoes will break down somewhat, and form a pleasant sauce
[optional] at the end, add some Parmesan Cheese, cover, let sit for a bit (1-5 minutes)

This produces a sauce with zero to very few undesireable "extras" (salt, suger), yet costs much less than high end "natural" sauces.
The sauce is simultaneously watery and truly chunky. :)
I genuinely enjoy this far more than canned/jarred pasta sauce. :)

I generally make this when it's cool weather.
I use a cleancut can opener to open the can, then replace the cover after using the first half of the contents.
Since I don't have a fridge, I either make two batches in one day,
or make one meal for dinner then another batch for brunch the next day, to use up the can. :)

Picture:

Final, ready to eat:

Costs:

item	amount used	cost (range)	calories
pasta	1/4 lb	$0.25	390~ cal
diced/stewed tomatoes	1/2 can	$0.24 - $0.32	60 cal
meat	+	$0.33 (WAG)	75 cal
vegetable(s)	+	$0.10 (WAG)	25 cal
Parmesan Cheese	+	+	+ cal
Total:		$0.92 - $1.00 +	550 + cal

Costs of pasta and tomatoes were based on Aldi and other budget/"generic" brands.
I based my meat "WAG" (Wild-Assed-Guestimate) on the time I used about one third of a can of ham chunks (dollar store, 5 ounce size).
I based my vegetable WAG on how many meals I got out of my last 2 onions.

ToDo:

measure fuel used non-soaked vs pre-soaked
add pictures of more ingredient variations
weigh amounts of FD Beef and Parmesan Cheese used (average over several meals)