this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2023
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I'm trying to learn to buy groceries, cook for myself again.

Can't afford to buy and keep produce. Limited cookware. So, any recipe telling me to crush garlic, dice onions, etc, can't do.

Need budget, ghetto, for people on a fixed income, easy no frills way to make diy tomato paste pasta sauce.

Good suggestions so far. Tks. I have 1 bowl, 1 plate, 1 spoon, 1 fork, 1 butter knife ; 1 small sauce pan; Only stores nearby are corner stores. Hardly any produce. Having to make due with what you can find in a liquor store.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The biggest thing about cooking is spices. You dont need fresh, dried and in a jar fine. But go get yourself a few tiny containers of:

  • garlic powder
  • oregano
  • rosemary
  • thyme

Aldi has these, like $2 each and you can easily make a dozen meals from that much if you're feeding one or two people. For most things you can do the large content in single cans while doing spices to taste but typically 1-2 teaspoons.

  • 1x can of tomato sauce
  • 1x can of tomato paste
  • optionally 1x can of diced tomatoes
  • 1-2 tsp of each: garlic, oregano, rosemary, thyme
  • 1 tsp salt

Put it all together, simmer and stir until warm.

Bonus

Dont let anyone tell you cooking is difficult. Want to beef up your sauce? A pound of ground beef or ground sausage cooked for 10 minutes can be added in. Green bell peppers and onions, chopped and quickly sauteed, just toss them in.

What's the key to frugal cooking? Go buy the amount of food you need. Buy one pepper and one onion. If the store only sells them in larger quantities make multiple servings and then have a week of things that use pasta sauce.

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Was worried about buying onions, peppers, and them going bad too quickly. One onion, one bell pepper. That will work

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Always go to the produce and meat sections first. If you can buy small great. If not then the canned goods you buy just enough to meet your needs for cooking all the produce/meat.