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This page will list recipes that I’ve tried & tested. These recipes will be aimed at the college student – dishes that are cheap & delicious.

Simple & Hearty Pasta Sauce + Pasta

Ingredients
1 jar of pasta sauce (I usually go with Traditional Prego)
1 box of whole wheat pasta (I used rotini coils, but spaghetti is fine!)
Ground meat - either lean ground beef or ground turkey
Vegetables of your choice, such as
- mushrooms
- onions
- peppers
- minced carrots
- zucchini, and
Seasonings of your choice, such as
- garlic powder
- onion powder/flakes
- basil
- parsley flakes
- curry powder (a MUST for ground turkey!)
- ground black or white pepper

STEPS

1) Dice up your veggies into small pieces; smaller pieces = quicker cooking. All at once, add your veggies to an oiled sautee pan (use olive oil) on medium high (it should already be preheated so that the veggies sizzle upon contact) and sweat them.

2) Add your meat and break up lumps so that it is crumbly and cook through - you may want to increase the heat so that the meat cooks quickly. Afterward, season your veggies and meat liberally with spices and herbs.

3) Add 1 jar of pasta sauce to a sauce pan and turn the heat to medium high. Add your meat/veggie mixture to the sauce; stir. Add more seasonings to your taste.

OPTIONAL: Before adding the sauce, heat the same saucepan you will use for your sauce and add olive oil, then mince garlic and sautee the garlic for about 2 minutes. Make sure the heat is not too high in order to avoid burning the garlic. If you do this, add the veggies BEFORE you add the sauce so that the mixture picks up as much garlic as possible.

4) Now we wait. After “angry” bubbles break the surface, drop the heat in order to simmer your sauce. Stir regularly and taste your sauce and adjust seasonings to taste. Simmer for as long as possible. I recommend at least 2 hours.

5) Cook pasta accordingly, drain and serve hot with fresh sauce on top. Top with cheese and/or parsley; serve with fresh spring greens and garlic bread.