Cheap Family Dinners with Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

When the work week gets hectic, most of us go into autopilot in the kitchen, resorting to a few dishes we know by heart and can whip up quickly. Or, worse, we turn to unhealthy fast food to feed our family when we're too exhausted or busy to think about cooking. Which is why I love this homemade spaghetti sauce recipe -- it's healthy, cheap, simple, and versatile, so I can use it as backup for several meals.

This homemade spaghetti sauce, which my family and I love, is a variation of a tomato sauce my great grandmother use to make. She was an authority in Syrian cuisine, which utilizes a lot of cinnamon -- the surprise ingredient in this homemade spaghetti sauce. (If you are from the Cincinnati area, you have already been introduced to cinnamon-spiked tomato sauces thanks to eateries such as Skyline Chili and Goldstar Chili which feature Cincinnati-style chili -- a recipe that was actually introduced to the area by a Middle Eastern family.)

I love sharing this recipe for cheap homemade spaghetti sauce because most people cannot imagine adding cinnamon to their spaghetti sauce, but are always pleasantly surprised by the wonderful complement. Once you master the sauce, which is quite simple and error proof, you can use it as the base for a variety of meals. And, since the recipe requires only a few ingredients, some of which you might already have on hand, it makes a great, healthy cheap meal you can feel good about serving your family.

The ingredients you will need to make this healthy, cheap and simple recipe include 2 cloves of garlic (crushed), 2 T butter, 2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes, 1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce, 1 1/2 t. cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste.To make this homemade spaghetti sauce: melt the butter over medium heat; add crushed garlic; saute until garlic becomes soft and aromatic; add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and cinnamon; stir; season with salt and pepper; and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes. If cooking with pasta, add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce. The starchy water will help the sauce stick to your pasta. Enjoy!

Cheap family dinners that can be made with this homemade spaghetti sauce

For a heartier sauce, add one pound of ground meat (turkey or beef). Since the homemade spaghetti sauce has such great flavor, you only need to season the meat with salt and pepper before adding to the sauce. Brown the meat, season with salt and pepper, add to the sauce; simmer for at least 15 minutes.

Up the nutritional value by adding fresh steamed veggies, such as sliced zucchini or squash, chopped cauliflower, diced carrots, or chopped spinach. Try tricking your pint-sized picky eaters by pureeing the veggies before mixing them into the sauce.

Mix in diced chicken breast and fresh green beans and serve over brown rice for a well-rounded, simple, inexpensive meal. To make it even easier, use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Make extra sauce and freeze it. Use the sauce for all pasta dishes such as lasagna, baked ziti, and pasta primavera.

Serve up as a soup on chilly nights. Puree the sauce, add loads of veggies and serve over small soup pasta (i.e. elbow pasta). Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.