We had this last night for a quick meal after football practice. We had plenty for seconds, enough for my lunch today, and a container to freeze for another quick meal.
This is the ingredient list with notes on their cost in parenthesis:
1 pound ground beef ($1.15 by purchasing on sale for $2.29/lb and using a $20 savings voucher previously purchased for $10 to use at Louie's P & R)
1 box of Barilla rotini (was on clearance for 49 cents at Kroger. Wheat rotini was recently on clearance for 29 cents per box)
1 can of Progresso Meal Starters Sun Dried Tomato Sauce (50 cents per can at Dollar Tree)
1 can of Butterball chicken broth (previously on sale for 50 cents with coupon at Walgreens)
1 empty can filled with water
About half a jar of the Ragu Double Cheddar pasta sauce (previously purchased at Kroger during Mega Event for around $1.20 = about 60 cents worth used)
A handful of dehydrated, minced onions
Mexican oregano to taste
Italian seasoning to taste
Directions:
Combine tomato sauce, chicken stock, and water in a pan. Add the dehydrated onions and bring to a boil. Add the entire box of rotini for about 12 minutes or until desired tenderness with a bit of the oregano and Italian seasoning. Reduce heat and add the cheese sauce. Brown the ground beef with the remaining spices. Add the browned beef to the pan Andover thoroughly.
I did not drain the pasta. By using only enough liquid to cover the rotini and boiling a bit longer, it made a good sauce when combined with the cheese.
The entire pan, which made two meals for my family of three and my lunch, was less than $3.50.
