Spaghetti Dinner under $10

Hi friends!  I'm so sorry it's been awhile since I have posted.  This month has been a crazy month, so please forgive me.  I promise I'll get back on track.

Well you all know my goal with this blog is to make fast, cheap, and delicious meals.  Last night I was looking through my pantry deciding what to make for dinner.  Now you have to realize that it was already 6pm and I hadn't planned anything, so it had to be fast.  Instantly I knew I was going to make pasta because it's fast, and I knew I had all the ingredients.  I decided on spaghetti because we haven't had that in my house for awhile.  Now, I want to convince all of you that making your own spaghetti sauce is so much cheaper, and much more delicious then buying a jar.  The great thing about making your own is that you can make a bunch and then freeze some so you always have it on hand.  

This sauce that I made last night cost a total of $6.50  Then all I had to do was cook the spaghetti noodles which you can find for under a dollar most of the time.  I guess this is one reason why I love pasta so much.  It feeds an army for such a little amount of money.  Okay, on to the sauce.

Ingredients

2 tsp. dried Basil

3 Tbs. Fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp. dried

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. dried Oregano

A heaping spoonful of cream cheese (optional.  I use this if I have it on hand)

1 onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 lb. Mild Italian sausage browned, and drained

2 cans diced Tomatoes with juices

4 oz. Tomato paste

1 12 oz can Tomato sauce

1 tsp. chicken bouillon crystals

1 can mushrooms, drained (optional)

salt and pepper

 1 package spaghetti

Directions

In a pot heat up some olive oil and toss in your onion and garlic.  You are going to cook this on medium heat until fragrant and the onions are translucent.  Dump in all of your tomato cans.  The diced, sauce, and paste.  Sprinkle in all of your herbs and then stir.  Cover and let simmer while you brown your meat.

In a saute pan brown your sausage and drain.  Add the meat to your sauce.  Next you are going to add the cram cheese, mushrooms, chicken bouillon, and the salt and pepper.  Cover and let simmer for about 15-20 min.  You want all of the flavors to really cook into the sauce and get the sauce thick.  (If for some reason your sauce isn't thick enough just stir in some more tomato paste.)

Next cook your spaghetti according to the package instructions.  Make sure to salt your water and keep about 1/4 cup of the pasta water when you drain your pasta.

After the pasta is cooked and your sauce has simmered for 20 min.  Add a few heaping ladles of sauce to your spaghetti and toss.  (This sauce recipe makes enough for a family of 4.  Since I have 2 people in my fam I freeze the remaining.)  Serve in a big pasta dish and sprinkle with Parmesan reggiano.  Enjoy!