Thanks to everyone who reached out to say they found my grocery planning post useful! I hope it was helpful advice, and piggybacking off of that I can try and share some go-to recipes.
This is a one-pot comfort meal that is cheap and comes together in about a half hour with mostly passive cooking – the most effort is chopping the onion. It makes 4-6 servings and pairs well with steamed veggies or a side salad.
There are a few ingredients that could be unconventional for a lot of shopping lists, but are worth buying and can be found at most grocery stores (including Aldi and Walmart) The main protein is canned mackeral in oil – it’s a low-mercury fish that is cheap, high in vitamins and Omega-3’s, and helps lower blood pressure.
Goat cheese I always have around – it’s cheap, has a long shelf life, and is high in probiotics. It’s easier to digest than cow’s milk, so people with lactose intolerance may have an easier time with it. You can do a lot with it, and it’s a healthy sub for heavy cream in pastas.
- 1 can of mackeral, in oil (canned tuna also works)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5-6 cloves of garlic or a big spoonful of jarlic
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- Pasta shape of your choice
- “Italian” spices (use whatever you have – oregano, rosemary, marjoram, basil, generic Italian seasoning, etc)
- Salt and pepper
- Goat cheese, and optional parmesan
- Drain the olive oil from the mackeral into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and cook over low-medium heat. Cook the onion for 1-2 minutes, add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, and coat generously with your seasonings. Cook all of the veggies until you notice the tomatoes start to break down a bit.
- Add your pasta and cover with just enough water to cook according to the box directions.
- When the pasta is done cooking, stir in the mackerel and enough goat cheese to create a creamy consistency to your liking. Top with parmesan if preferred.