Dinner for less than $10
Here's a recipe for a beef soup that costs less than $10 and will feed at least four, courtesy of the Supermarket Guru. Note, you can make a lot of broth-based soups for less than $10. If the tab comes in under, I like to buy a loaf of crusty French bread to dip in the soup.
Shopping list with approximate prices:
15 oz. can of tomato sauce $0.67
2 lb. Boneless Beef Chuck Roast (on sale @ $2.15/lb.) $4.30
1 onion - quartered $0.50
3 long carrots or 1/2 of a 16 oz bag baby carrots $0.85
1/2 lb. orzo pasta $0.68
Total $7.00
From your pantry:
3 stalks celery - cut into 2" pieces
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Cooking instructions:
Put the boneless chuck roast in a pot and cover the meat with water, bringing it to a boil.
Add salt, pepper and garlic powder, lower the temperature and simmer for 1 1/2 hours - then, add onion, carrots and celery and the can of tomato sauce and continue to cook for another 1 1/2 hours. Cook the orzo according to package directions.
When the soup is done, remove the meat from the pot and pull it apart into pieces. Add the pieces of meat back into the soup and serve with the orzo.
Because this soup needs to cook a LONG time, it's a good one to make on the weekends. Then warm it up for a quick mid-week meal.
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About The Bargain Hunter
Daily News staff writer Julia Scott loves to find bargains on everything from groceries to Gucci. Her tips will help keep your hard earned cash where it belongs - in your pocket.
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Save even more by cooking this with a pressure cooker. It'll take only 30-40 minutes
My dish similar to this eliminates the tomato, uses barley instead of orzo (more filling, more nutritious, and higher in fiber), and substitutes beef shanks for the roast (added flavor from the bone and marrow), uses 2 onions and only the tops of 2 or 3 celery stalks, and adds canned or fresh mushrooms. Add more flavor with Worcestershire sauce and/or A1, plus your favorite herbs and spices. Freshly ground black pepper is a must. Note: granulated or fresh garlic is lower in sodium than garlic powder. This dish can be made in bulk, and frozen in serving-size portions. Handy for those nights when you're exhausted after work, especially on cold winter nights. You can brown the shanks, then cook all in a crockpot, or, as Steve suggests, use a pressure cooker if you're in a hurry. I prefer stove-top or crockpot.