This pasta dish feeds the whole family for under five bucks. You’re welcome.

Brought to you in partnership with Woolworths.

Hey you. Let’s talk cheap and easy dinners. I’m currently obsessed with working out how to save money on food and groceries, because it’s our biggest expense next to the mortgage. The way I see it is, the more I save in the kitchen, the more sushi we can eat out. Cos, balance.

If there are two things that go better together than Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, it’s spinach and ricotta. Are you with me? They’re a match made in heaven, so this dish was a no-brainer. And it’s cheap. The whole dish feeds four people {we had leftovers even!} and only costs $4.29 all up. CHEAP. You could make it even cheaper if you don’t get fancy milk, but the only milk I like to drink is this fancy one.

For this version, I’ve used full fat ricotta from the deli… which makes for a crumbly pasta sauce. If you want creamy and wet, then go for this smooth ricotta {and it will actually work out cheaper}.

As I’m creating cheaper dinner ideas, I’ve discovered a few things; Woolies pasta is super cheap and makes a good base. Most pastas are only $1. Shopping from the deli is a sure fire way to only get what you need, and also spend less. And lastly, keeping it simple saves money. This dish is flavoursome, helped by the lightly fried garlic, but also only has a handful of ingredients.

See, it really only needs a few ingredients and anyone could throw it together. If you have tweens or teens in your family, this is a great one to hand to them and get them to cook.

Cheap and easy spinach and ricotta pasta recipe

Want more deliciously easy recipes? Browse through hundreds of my tried and tested recipes, or take a look at my free recipe eBook filled with budget-friendly dinner ideas. You can also keep up-to-date by following along on Instagram or Facebook.

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Spinach & Ricotta Pasta


  • Author: Chantelle

Ingredients

Scale

 

250g Woolworths fettuccine, uncooked

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup milk {full cream is best}

300g Woolworths full fat ricotta

125g frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Pinch of salt and pepper


Instructions

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, and cook the pasta as per the packet instructions or until al dente.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic and olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, until golden. Add in the ricotta and milk until it forms a sauce. Add in 1/2 cup of water from the pasta pot if you want to smooth it out more. Turn the heat to low, and let simmer.
  3. Drain the pasta once cooked, and add to the frying pan with the ricotta sauce. Squeeze any excess liquid from the spinach, and then add to the frying pan. Stir to combine and coat the pasta. Serve immediately.