My God-Child's Mother's Pasta

My God-child's mother is a powerful woman. She has this ability to multi-task unlike anyone I have ever met. Within twenty minutes, she can have her four boys fed, dressed and groomed, the kitchen cleaned, and over the phone, convince an airline that the delay during her last trip should earn her a free flight to Hawaii. I'm not kidding.

During my last visit to her home, she insisted on making my family and I a light lunch. Walking into her pristine kitchen, all I saw was one single pot sitting on her stove top. Silently, I was thankful we ate brunch just an hour before. Whatever it was, I did not think that something made in a single pot (in a clean kitchen) could be satifying. I was wrong.

Its a simple pasta recipe but something about the stewed tomatoes and the way the pasta soaks up the juices makes this dish so tasty. I ate two bowls and could have eaten another (and would have if I didn't feel like I would have been judged.) The pasta was just so tasty. When I flew back to DC, I could not wait to make my own pot. I will say, I made some mistakes. Mistake 1: I used whole wheat pasta. USE regular angel hair or spaghetti. The texture of whole wheat pasta is just plain TERRIBLE. Mistake 2: Salt and pepper the ground turkey before adding the stewed tomatoes. It just doesn't cut it when you try to season after everything is mixed.

(Items purchased at Safeway)

1 pound Ground Turkey = $4.49

1 pound spaghetti = $.75 (saved $1.64 using a club card and double coupon)

2 cans of Italian stewed tomatoes = $2.98 (saved $.20 using a club card)

1 onion (diced) = free from previous shopping trip

1 Garlic (will need about a tablespoon minced) = $.48

Salt and Pepper = free

Olive Oil = free

Cook the pasta, drain, and set aside. In the same pot, cook onions until translucent. Throw in the ground turkey and cook until browned and season with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break up the pieces. Drain out juices if desired. Throw in the two cans of stewed tomatoes. Use a knife to cut up the large pieces of tomatoes. Throw in the garlic. Simmer for five mintues. Slowly add the pasta to the sauce. It might seem like there is too much pasta but there isn't. The pasta will soak up the juices but there will still be a good amount of sauce. (But if you insist on more sauce, I would recommend getting an extra can of stewed tomatoes.) Eat and enjoy.

The entire dish cost $8.70 (about $10 with taxes.) It will probably serve about four to five meals (or more) so each meal would cost less than $2.50. I could have saved more money if I found some coupons for the stewed tomatoes and if I bought the ground turkey on sale. But overall, not bad for my first time documenting a thrifty meal.