Tomato Sauce and Its' Budget Value

Tomato Sauce - one of the original five mother sauces can provide you with an array of economical meals!

Pictured above is my homemade spaghetti/marinara made with 2019 garden tomatoes we cooked down and canned.

Making your own large pot of sauce which can be frozen is something I highly recommend to folks on a tight food budget. There are some keys to making it inexpensively:

1. Often stores have 10 for 10 sales on tomato products and that's when you buy your plum tomatoes, tomato puree and tomato paste - stock up.
2. Another on sale item is your pasta. In my area some brands will go on sale for $1.00 per box and that's when I stock up.
3. Third, our store makes a wonderful Italian sausage and I buy it on sale - it is at times so much less expensive than ground beef and is a great meat addition to any Italian style dinner.
4. I am a fan of fresh garlic and onion. However budget cooking often requires that you go less expensively. There are brands who offer a frozen variety of chopped onions and it's less expensive than purchasing a couple of fresh sweet onions. Also, chopped garlic in jars is economical as you refrigerate it and it lasts for months.

From a large pot of sauce, there are so many meals that you can make:

1. Pasta with sausage or meatballs.
2. Lasagna, baked ziti, rollatinis.
3. Sausage, peppers and onions served with bread or pasta.
4. Sausage or meatball sandwiches on hard rolls, meatball quesadillas.
5. Chicken Cutlet Parmesan, Pork Cutlet Parmesan.
6. Chicken Cacciatore.
7. Penne a la Vodka.
8. American Goulash.

The list is endless really. You just have to use your imagination. You can freeze sauce for up to 6 months, but I recommend using it within 3 months.