The Broke Girl Blog
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Kitchen Sink Pasta

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I’m all about giving credit where credit is due- this recipe was 100% my mum’s brainchild. She likes to call it “Use Up Pasta”, she literally puts everything but the kitchen sink in terms of delicious vegetables in it. Whatever is lying around is fair game. This version has carrots, mushrooms, zuchini, celery, spinach and onions. But you use whatever you need to use up, that’s kind of the idea! I apologize, since these weren’t my groceries I’m not sure on what the costing would be, but I wanted to share this recipe because I feel like I harp on never throwing food away, and this is perfect for using up veggies that may otherwise not get used. Kitchen Sink Pasta Italian sausage Small pasta (mini shells, penne, rotini) Leftover veggies Tomato Paste Start by taking your Italian sausage and breaking it up in an electric skillet or large frying…

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Burst Tomato Penne with Kale

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Hi! Today’s post is a quick and easy vegetarian dinner option that is so, so delicious and super healthful. This recipe is pretty close to my spaghetti squash with tomatoes and zucchini, but it’s a bit more indulgent and not gluten free. The combination of tomatoes, tomato paste, kale, minced onions and garlic, italian herbs and fresh basil is simmered with parmesan rind and then topped with grated parmesan and fresh basil. If you follow me on Instagram then you know this photo is one of my most liked, and it’s of this recipe! Burst Tomato Penne with Kale $0.80 per serving, $4.81 for 6 1/4 onion- $0.06 ~one pint of grape tomatoes -$2.47 1/2 a can of tomato paste- $0.33 previously frozen kale- $1.28 basil leaves- $0.67 Pantry items: parmesan rind (ask for it at the cheese counters, sometimes it’s free), salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning Start by chopping your…

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In cheap eats

Lentils with Israeli Cous Cous and Mushroom Ragout

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Hi! Today’s post is a freezer meal stockup or family sized recipe that is cheap and cheerful- my two favorite things! Cooking with beans and lentils allows me to skip on expensive meat, and instead load up on healthful vegetables. Sometimes I make the choice to eat meat free and have the nice produce I want. This option actually only uses one fresh ingredient- mushrooms. These could easily be swapped out for rehydrated dried or canned if you are looking to save even more. The most common comment I get when people talk about lentils is usually a combination of “those take forever to cook” or “aren’t those hard to cook?” My answer is the crockpot we all love- seven hours on low while you sleep, and those lentils are cooked. I boil mine because I tend to do a bunch of food prep all at once and one little…

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In cheap eats

Parmesan Risotto with Sausage and Fennel

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Risotto is, by my mind, a total comfort food. It’s delicious, carb-y (admit it, carbs make us all happy) and can be made with pretty much any ingredients you have laying around. I’m sure someone reading this is thinking REALLY?! Three risotto recipes in three months?! I know. I’m predictable! This recipe is actually inspired by a pizza you can get at a local restaurant near to where my parents live called Buco Pizzeria. This pizza is so good it lives in my dreams sometimes! I was craving it one morning while going grocery shopping and fennel and sausage miraculously ended up in my cart. Parmesan Risotto with Sausage and Fennel Serves 4 for $10.98, or $2.75 per serving Ingredients: 1/2 an onion- $0.12 ~1 cup of arborio rice- $0.80 1/2 cup of parmesan (grated)- $3.38 1.5 boxes of vegetable stock- $2.21 2 Links of italian sausage – $2.00 1 fennel…

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In cheap eats

Zucchini Puttanesca

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Hellllooooo! My absolute favorite vegetable is zucchini. I love its texture, its willingness to take on whatever flavors you throw at it, and its crazy versatility. This post has zucchini two ways if you can believe it! Best of all, zucchini grows like a weed in the Alberta summer so for several months out of the year I either have fresh zucchini courtesy of the garden my mum keeps (I help I swear!) or frozen grated zucchini to make good use of. This is a fairly quick and simple recipe where everything gets thrown into a pot, you heat it up, taste test it all, freeze some, eat some, have a nap… well, that’s what I do anyhow. ***I got my noodling machine almost FREE thanks to my Superstore Plus points. It was VERY affordable actually, only about $20 so I think I paid about 3/4 dollars to purchase it…

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In cheap eats

Dill and Parsley Pesto

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Recently I picked up a huuuuge bunch of dill at Superstore for $2.50. I really only wanted a little for in my dill-cucumber dip but it was $2.50 per bundle, not a weighted price, so home I went with this large bunch of dill. I took it to my mum’s house thinking maybe she would like some for something, but that’s tough because my dad isn’t the biggest fan of dill. So instead, she suggested making freezer pesto to add flavor to anything I like. In this case the pesto is devoid of cheese so that if I wanted,  I could easily spread it on fish, or stir into greek yogurt for a quick dip. If you want parmesan, just mix in a couple tablespoons to the package you pull out of the freezer. Because of the cost of pine nuts, this isn’t a terribly affordable thing to make.…

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In cheap eats

Butternut Squash Me

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Recently I picked up a butternut squash at the grocery store for a whopping $2.67 because I was 100% jonesing to quasi-recreate (more about the quasi in a bit) this risotto that I learned to make while at a class with my mom put on by the Sorrentino’s group. I was unaware of what I was getting into really, because I had no idea this sweet little butternut squash was actually not that little, and thus starts a  saga of how I’m making several (yep, these are enough to feed a crowd) meals using this delish little gourd. As I said, this is based on a recipe from the Sorrentino’s Group. It’s actually pretty darn close BUT I say it’s ‘based’ because I actually use canned shrimp rather than the gorgeous, huge prawns they provided us with at the class, more onion, more garlic, probably more squash and a little…

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