Use a favorite frugal ingredient

photo by erin.kkr

Pasta is a frugal staple. It’s economical and easy to prepare, and its versatility makes it a budget-friendly favorite. You can serve it hot or cold, make a meal for one or a big crowd, and dress it up for an elegant meal or toss together as a casual dish. Plus, there are so many types of pasta and recipes that it never has to be boring. Here are three recipes to add to your meal possibilities.

Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 jar (16-1/2 ounces) pasta sauce
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons oregano
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time

Use a large slow cooker, or cut the recipe in half. Brown the meat on the stovetop and drain well. Let it cool a bit. Chop up the onion, carrots and celery. Add them to the empty slow cooker. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the tomatoes and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano and Tabasco sauce. Stir in the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the dry pasta. Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit. — Bella, Iowa

Easy Gnocchi

1 cup mashed potatoes
1 egg
2 cups flour

Mix and knead ingredients into a ball. Shape portions into snakes and cut into half-inch pieces. Drop pieces into boiling, salted water. Cook for 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top. Delicious with red, white or cheese sauces, or primavera. — Constance, New Jersey

Springtime Spaghetti

2 medium squash, 1 yellow and 1 green, cut into thin 2-inch matchsticks
2 medium carrots, cut into thin 2-inch matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons margarine, divided
8 ounces spaghetti
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup milk
3/4 pounds cooked shrimp
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt

In skillet, cook veggies and garlic in the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the margarine until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Get your pasta cooking, and while it is, add remaining margarine to skillet and melt. Stir in flour, cook for a minute, and slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Cook until slightly thickened. Add veggies, shrimp, cheese and salt, cooking to heat it all through. Drain pasta, toss all together and serve. Cook’s note: You can also make this with cooked chicken instead of shrimp, but the pink of the shrimp and the colors of the vegetables remind me of springtime. Or use a mix of the two. You may need to add a bit more milk if it is too thick. — Darlene, New York