Roasted-tomato topping for pasta, bread or polenta: 39 cents/serving

Apologies for the late post, but I have officially entered into the late stage of pregnancy where standing on my feet, at the counter, for long periods of time has gotten almost unbearably difficult. I’m still cooking, mind you, but it’s more in the vein of throwing things together based on the garden and pantry and hoping they cohere enough to be edible before I have to go sit down. The resulting “recipes,” if I remember them at all, are rarely innovative or tested enough to warrant inclusion on the blog. The last thing I made that would be worth your time and trouble to re-create was this roasted tomato dish, utilizing what appears to have been the last big tomato harvest of the summer. It’s nothing fancy, just a big ol’ pile of heirlooms and a few handfuls of sun golds (or whatever tomatoes you have on hand), roasted in olive oil to concentrate their sweetness and topped with basil-garlic bread crumbs. I served it over pasta, but it would also be great over polenta or on bread as a sort of bruschetta.

Panzanella: 18 cents/serving

With compliments to the Italians, panzanella is the original budget meal. The O.G. Sui generis. Some stale bread, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and tomatoes and basil from the garden, and you’ve got yourself dinner. Provided you made your own bread or are using a loaf that otherwise would’ve been thrown out (and have tomatoes and basil in your garden), it shouldn’t cost more than 25 cents or so a serving. And it’s still tasty even after it’s sat for a while, making it an excellent side or potluck dish.

Tomato cobbler: 60 cents/serving

Regular readers of this site know I’m a big fan of savory baking. It’s efficient, it’s delicious, and if you happen eat it all, oh well—it’s dinner! I’ve been wanting to make this particular cobbler for a couple of years now, given that it calls for three pounds of cherry tomatoes. I certainly knew I wouldn’t be buying those tomatoes in the store, so I’d have to wait until a year I could grow them myself. As it so happens, this is the year. Our plants have been so fecund that harvesting three pounds of sun golds only took a couple of days. If you yourself have a surplus of cherry tomatoes, or don’t mind going out and buying them, this is perhaps one of the best places for them to end up. Oven roasting brings out a sweet tartness that contrasts with the topping of rich, creamy cheese biscuits, and, provided you grew your own tomatoes, the whole thing costs less than $4 to make.

Gemelli with sungold tomatoes, beans & olives: 63 cents/serving

We had our first harvest of sungold tomatoes this week, and as difficult as it was for me to refrain from eating them right off the plant (although I admit there may have been a few that “fell”), I managed to accumulate enough to make this pasta dish. It’s a light, quick, cheap, and filling warm-weather meal, especially with the beans, and it can, of course, be made with any variety of cherry or grape tomato. I also used fresh oregano, but I didn’t like it all that much with the olives, so I’m recommending you use basil.

Red-lentil dal with apples: 55 cents/serving

I don’t cook a lot of Indian food (no particular reason why; I just don’t find myself drawn to it), but when I do, it’s usually some variation of dal, a simple, usually vegan lentil stew that can be made using whatever vegetables or lentils one happens to have on hand. This red-lentil version was born to use up half a can of whole tomatoes I had languishing in the freezer, as well as some of the 4 lbs. of Granny Smiths we bought this weekend at Winco; the apples add a sweet tang that goes perfectly with the earthiness of the lentils. It’s quick, warming and healthy—perfect for a rainy weeknight. (Yes, I know the Pacific Northwest is probably the only place in the country right now where it’s still raining and 55 degrees, but just humor me.)

Bulgur-lentil soup with mint: 63 cents/serving

Few things are more healthily filling than the combination of bulgur and lentils, and few things are more simple and inexpensive to make than soup. Why not combine them? (And use up some more of the weed-like mint that has now aggressively popped up in almost every part of the garden?) This soup certainly won’t win any awards for innovation, but it’s warm, comforting, and so hearty that B. and I were completely stuffed after our single 63-cent servings.

Spaghetti with sausage ragù: $1.45/serving

If you’re lucky enough to have access to a Grocery Outlet (I believe they’re only ubiquitous in California, Oregon and Washington, although other regions of the U.S. probably have something comparable), here’s a tip for you: Check the frozen-foods aisle for sausage. They have it in the regular meat area, but it’s nowhere near as cheap as the frozen stuff—several times now I was able to find Johnsonville Italian sausage for $1.79 a pound. At this rate it’s cheaper than beef or pork, and it makes a superb pasta sauce. It’s not quite as quick and easy as the bacon and tomato cream sauce I posted a few days ago, but it’s amazingly flavorful and allows you to stretch less than $2 worth of sausage into almost 6 servings.

Bacon and tomato cream sauce for pasta: $2.70

Back when I used to coupon, jarred tomato sauce was pretty much always on my radar. There was usually a coupon for some brand or another, and it was pretty easy to find what I considered at the time “the good stuff” (Newman’s, Classico) for around $2. Never mind that my beloved “good stuff” was nothing more than processed, over-sweetened, homogenous-tasting tomato purée; it was only $2! If only I knew at the time I could make almost two jars’ worth of restaurant-quality tomato sauce myself—WITH BACON!—for under $3. Seriously, if you’re beholden to the jarred stuff, you need to try this. It can be whipped up in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta, and might just make you repent your addiction to processed food* once and for all.

*(Yes, I know bacon, wine and cream are all technically processed foods. Just let me have this one.)

Chicken thigh pasta sauce: 95 cents/serving

I struggled with what to call this sauce. It’s not rich enough to be a Bolognese and not heavy enough to be a ragout, but it’s in the same ballpark. In fact, if anything, it’s a lighter combination of both, full of zingy lemon and fresh herbs; perfect for early spring when a heavy braise doesn’t quite feel right but you still want a satisfying, meaty pasta sauce. I like to grind my own chicken thighs (you can do this easily in a food processor), but you can just as easily substitute ground turkey or pre-ground chicken if you’re not on a budget. It’s also great in the summer when you can use fresh tomatoes.

BLT salad rolls: $1.44/serving

The idea for this somewhat abominable (but oh so refreshing and delicious!) fusion project comes from White on Rice Couple, by way of The Kitchn. (They call them “spring rolls,” but in our house—correct or not—spring rolls are fried and salad rolls are fresh, so that’s what I’m calling them here.) They’re gluten-free, low carb, quick to make, and ideal for lunch or dinner. I even concocted an appropriate soy-Dijon fusion dipping sauce to go with them.