Modern Food Explorer

Dinner for 4 under $5!

With the shutdown, and some facing the reality of a loss in income and benefits, it becomes crucial to stretch your dollar.

I had food stamps as a kid for a bit, and have had moments as an adult where my groceries came from the food pantry. It can be hard to create nutritious  or filling meals with little money.

I decided to recreate a recipe from my childhood that I loved,  for under $5. This dish is called:Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Now the best part about this dish is that it is simple, versatile, and quick.

To start, I got my ingredients from Aldis. This recipe requires:

1 can(5oz) of tuna – $.89

1 can of peas(15oz) – $.78

1 can of cream of mushroom soup(10.5oz) – $.70

egg noodles(16oz package) – $1.62

Here is how I made it:

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Add 1/2 the bag(8oz) of egg noodles to the pot. Cook until al dente( soft, but still slightly firm)
3. Drain pasta and put into a mixing bowl.
4. Add remaining ingredients. For this recipe I only added half the can of peas(7.5oz), but you can add as much as you like. No rules!

Now you season with pepper and stop here. Or, if you have saltines and margarine or butter in the pantry, you can turn it into a baked Tuna Casserole. This is my preference because it tastes so good. If you dont have saltines, any crackers will do!

To make it into Baked Tuna Casserole:

5. Preheat oven to 350.

6. Add to a baking dish with high sides. I used a brownie pan I had on hand. No need to grease.

7. Put 10 (or more if you like a thicker crust) saltines into a zip lock. Crush until fine crumbs are made.

8. Melt 2-3 tbs of butter in microwave.

9. Mix saltine crumbs in butter and sprinkle over casserole.

10. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are slightly toasted.

let it cool for a few minutes, then serve.

#mealsunder5 #dinnerideas #fall