I used to cook everything from a box until a neighbor showed me a cheaper way to make pasta sauce last fall

I used to spend $3 or $4 on a jar of pasta sauce every week. Then my neighbor down the street in Nashville told me she just crushes a can of whole tomatoes with some garlic and olive oil. The can costs $1.20 and lasts for two meals. Has anyone else found a simple swap that saves money like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenix84510d ago

You're saving what, like $2 a week? That's $100 a year maybe. Meanwhile you're spending time crushing tomatoes and cleaning garlic off your hands, plus you have to deal with the seeds and chunks that don't break down. The jarred stuff is already smooth and seasoned, and it takes zero effort. I'd rather spend the extra dollar and have my sauce ready to pour straight out of the jar while I'm chopping onions for something else. Plus those canned tomatoes can taste tinny if you don't simmer them long enough, and who has the patience for that on a Tuesday night?

paul_burns10d ago

I just don't see the big deal, @phoenix845. I crushed a can of San Marzanos last Tuesday night and it took maybe four minutes. The garlic I mince once a week and keep in oil in the fridge. As for tinny taste, that's why I add a pinch of sugar and let it bubble for ten minutes while the pasta cooks. The jarred stuff always tastes too sweet or too salty to me anyway.