Budget Meals.....Poor Man Spaghetti

Poor Man Spaghetti has been around as long as I can remember. Now while my family didn’t invent this recipe, we all know and love it. The first time I made this for my husband he thought I was crazy but it became one of his favorites. This is a great meal when you’re in a penny pinch but need a quick and easy meal that won’t break the bank. 

Now before I go into the recipe let me first say that it does contain hot dogs. While I understand some people will freak out about that.....yes I know what is in hot dogs. Honestly we’ve been eating them since I was  little and we’re all FINE!!!! A lot of people have a love hate relationship when it comes to this form of meat and that’s understandable. 

You can substitute it if you want, but the point of this recipe is to save money so take that in mind. My family has actually done egg and tomato gravy which you would think would be nasty but it’s actually really good. Here in the south we’ve learned a thing or two about how to make budget friendly meals that feed a whole bunch of people. 

So now that we have that out of the way here are a few things that you will need:

1 medium onion

Minced garlic (optional)

2 (15oz) cans of tomato sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes 

1 pkg of hot dogs of your choice..... or substitute

Seasoning

Pinch of sugar to cut the acid

Rice or pasta depending on what you like

Directions:

Start off by browning 1 onion. I normally let the onion cook for about 15mins or until it’s soft. 

Dice up a package of hot dogs or substitute of your choice.

As I've said before, we're fine with using hot dogs and normally I can buy a package for under $1 just saying.

Let the onions and hot dogs brown for a few minutes. Now some people won't add the hot dogs until after the sauce has been cooking for a while. Me personally, I think it adds more flavor if I brown them but do it however you prefer.

Next, you'll want to add your can of diced tomatoes. I like to let this simmer for about 5 minutes. 

Add your cans of tomato sauce. I normally fill up one large can with water and add that as well. You can add water until it gets to the consistency  you want.

Now you'll want to add your seasonings. I use these seasonings in pretty much everything I cook with the exception of sugar. If you add sugar, it will help to cut the acid in the sauce. There is also another ingredient, but that's my little secret.



Mix it all together!!!!!!!!

Cover and lower the temperature to medium heat. The longer you cook the sauce, the better it is. Normally, I cook the sauce for 1 to 2 hours. But if I'm in a hurry to get something on the table, I have cooked this in 40 minutes on a higher heat.





And that's pretty much it!!!!! You can serve this over rice or pasta depending on what you have and what's on sale. It's a super easy recipe that can save you money on your grocery budget. It honestly might cost you around $5 to make and that's with me doubling the recipe.

I hope you enjoyed this Budget Meal and will give it a try. It's been a favorite in my family for years and will continue to be passed down for years to come.

*~ Cassie ~*

@livingtobudget