Sunday 3/14 Rigatoni

Rigatoni
This recipe is loosely based on a recipe I found in Parenting magazine.

• 1 lb Rigatoni pasta ($1.00)
• 1 lb Ground meat ($2.98)
• 1-26 oz container of Marinara sauce (Ragu--$1.86)
• 1 small container of chopped black olives ($1.16)
• 1 1/2 c. part-skim ricotta cheese (2c. approx. $2.34)
• 1/2c. shredded mozzarella cheese (2c. bag--$1.96)

Boil pasta. Cook ground meat in a little olive oil if you have it. I also added a little minced garlic and oregano and basil that I already had in the fridge/pantry. The recipe originally called for spicy italian sausage, but I made it this way (easier and cheaper for me). Add olives and marinara. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Add ricotta and stir to combine. Transfer to baking dish and top with mozzarella. Place under broiler until cheese bubbles.

The verdict: Once again, my kids and husband loved it! I told them it was spaghetti. They didn't even notice the olives! Total cost to make was approx. $11.00. I served this with some buttered toast under the broiler. This recipe left about 1/3 in leftovers. My son is completely on table foods, so we eat A LOT. A smaller family would have at least 1/2 left over, if not more. FYI: Sunday night is usually sandwiches, muffins and eggs and cereal, or leftovers. I only cook ONE meal a day!