Saving Money on Groceries by Stretching Your Meals

On any given day at the grocery store, you’ll find people carefully comparing prices between brands as they look for ways to cut their grocery budget in the face of a downturn in the economy and rising grocery prices. Our family is no exception to this, and another way I’ve found to save money on our grocery bill is to stretch our meals so that they provide more food for less.

For example, we love stuffed shells, an Italian dish consisting of large pasta shells filled with a ricotta cheese mixture and covered in sauce (recipe below). I’ve never had much luck making my own pasta sauce, so this is not a cheap dish to me prepare.

One thing I’ve found is that when I follow the recipe and just make one pan of the stuffed shells, it’s simply not enough food for our family. My husband also prefers the shells a little less cheesy than they often end up being. No matter how hard I try to fill the shells with less, it never quite works out.

The last time I made this recipe, I tried something new. I filled half of the shells with the cheese filling like usual. This time, though, I used the rest of the empty shells to fill in the gaps in the 9×13 pan. It turned out to be the perfect compromise – a yummy dinner that was filling and not nearly as expensive as making a double batch!

What other recipes do you stretch for your family’s needs? Join us at the forums and share your favorites!

Recipe for Stuffed Shells

Box of large shells
Jar of pasta sauce
Filling:
   1 lb ricotta
   1 cup shredded mozzarella
   3/4 tsp parsley
   1/4 cup parmesan
   1 egg
   salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

::Boil shells (just to al dente; don’t overcook them!) and spread on wax paper to cool.

::In a large ziploc bag, add each of the filling ingredients, close and then massage until well mixed.

::Clip off the corner of the bag and use it to pipe the filling into half the shells.

::Spread a small amount of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Place the stuffed shells in the pan in rows. Fill in the spaces with empty shells. Pour sauce over them and top with shredded cheeese.

::Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Photo Sources: ralphbijker and pirate johnny

Mandi Ehman is a WAHM to three little girls (4, almost-3 and 1). She can be found sharing her organizational and time management tips at Organizing Your Way and making the most of every moment with her girls at Doodles’ Place.