$1 a Serving

Having recently returned to the grind of the work world, time is of the essence. Taking a paycut means that money is tight so finding a good meal for less is a challenge.

I dislike prepared/processed foods greatly (an understatement) and honestly my body is so used to homemade that to eat something processed causes physical illness.

No problem. I will continue on my quest to eat homemade although time is harder to find.

Thankfully I have a crockpot and I know how to use it!

We do not eat much beef because of health reasons but this recipe is an exception.

My homemade beefy spaghetti sauce is hearty, full of vegetables and just tastes better every day.

I made a pot full and it lasted several days. All I needed to do after a long day of work was cook up some pasta (purchased for .88 a pound box on sale) and heat up some sauce.

I made it Sunday, we had it that evening, then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There is enough left for one helping which hubby can take to work for lunch. That is 5 dinners for 2 for under $12.

Here is how I made my sauce.

First I browned 3 lbs of ground beef. I probably could have purchased it for less than the $3.69 a lb. but you get the idea.

Drain off all fat.

I then added the following:

1 medium yellow onion - chopped
6 cloves of garlic - chopped
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley - chopped
2 long pieces of celery - leaves included- chopped
1 medium carrot - chopped
(I use a mini food chopper which makes chopping the veggies easy!)
Now the spices!!!
about 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

I allow this to cook together until onion is softened and then I added 2 1/2 large cans of good quality crushed tomatoes. I also added about 1/2 can of water, stirred it together and allowed it to cook in the crockpot on medium for about 3 hours.

Delicious! Nice and thick and hearty.

Hubby doesn't like the carrots but it is a great way to get your veggies! I also occasionally add some chopped spinach which adds some flavor and vitamins.

This is a recipe that makes several servings and if you add salad and bread it goes even further!

What I love is that you can come home from work at night, have an easy pasta dinner but use your own fresh, homemade sauce!

Try it and you will be hooked. There is not a lot of prep time and as I said, the crockpot cooks it while you do other things. Perfect!