A Hundred Ways with Pastaby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 19 Aug 2009 09:46 AM Pasta is a very economical food. It is enriched, filling and can be a healthy part of a frugal diet. There are many enhanced pastas these days, including ones made with whole grains or containing added protein. These special pastas often cost more or offer less in the box, but they are still generally less costly that many other meals. Okay, so I have never counted up all of the ways that we have prepared pasta, but I bet it has been at least one hundred ways. There are so great recipes out there. You can boil pasta, bake pasta, have it plain, have it with sauces, add it to a casserole, put it in soup, add it to skillet dishes and more. It can serve as a main meal, as a side dish. Pasta can be served hot or cold. Here are some of my favorite delicious and cost effective ways to serve pasta. The old standard with a bit of sauce and maybe a meatball or two. Add some cold ricotta cheese to add calcium and protein. Or skip the sauce and use the ricotta and peas for a great Italian dish. Garlic, olive oil and broccoli is another simple country dish that is also yummy and cheap. The broccoli gives the dish a nice texture, and the garlic and oil gives the dish plenty of flavor. Beat some eggs and cheese together, and then add the pasta and any vegetables you wish. Bake it in the oven for a great, updated (meaning easy) version of a frittata. Some peanut butter and sesame oil with a touch of red pepper and some seasonings will turn plain old spaghetti into cold sesame noodles, one of my favorite chinese-american dishes. And speaking of cold, there are probably at least 50 different ways to make macaroni salad. Sometimes it turns out so well that I have a hard time considering it just a side dish. What are some of your favorite things to do with pasta? You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here! Related Articles: Cutting Down on the Cost of Eating Out Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags frugal cooking, Food, Pasta, recipe ideas Discuss this article
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