Monday's Money Saving Recipe - stretch your Spaghetti

Spaghetti is always a money-saving, time-saving, crowd-pleasing dinner!


How to stretch your spaghetti to save money:
You don't always have to use as much ground beef. I cook for two and used to think I had to put a pound in there. If you cook for a bigger family, you may have always used two pounds. Try using half as much meat as you normally do and add to your sauce (yes, even to canned or jarred sauce):

• Canned or fresh sliced mushrooms (I always have canned mushrooms on hand for my spaghetti)
• Chopped onion
• Chopped green bell pepper
• Canned tomatoes

What to do with leftover spaghetti:
Anytime you can make 2 meals out of one it's saves money! Instead of throwing out leftover spaghetti, make baked spaghetti with the leftovers!
The night you make your spaghetti, cook extra noodles (can be spaghetti noodles, or penne or elbow macaroni to add variety) and put in a casserole dish. Pour your leftover spaghetti sauce over the paste. Put a lid on the dish and put in the fridge until the next night.
When you're ready to reheat it for the next night's dinner, add shredded cheese and stir. You can use an italian blend (parmesan, romano, etc.) for an italian dish or use colby, jack and/or cheddar for a completely different taste. I usually put about 2/3 bag in the dish and mix.
Put it in the oven and bake 350-400 degrees until warm. Top with rest of cheese and bake til cheese is melted. You could also top it with italian seasoned breadcrumbs (see how to make your own here) and then the cheese.