As the holidays approach, preparing meals ahead of time makes everything so much easier. You can prepare dishes that are budget friendly and quick to help offset some of those nasty holiday expenses. I ran across this Artichoke Pasta Bake on the BudgetBytes.com website. As soon as I saw it I thought it looked like the perfect, budget friendly blend of tastiness and nutrition. I also knew that I must share this meal with all of you at once. Yummy!
The Artichoke Pasta Bake recipe comes in at a total cost of just $13.99. That price breaks down to about $1.45 through nine servings. The dish is originally vegetarian. But, you could easily add cooked chicken or Italian sausage to it. Mushrooms also might make for a tasty addition to the dish.
This dish is super budget-friendly and healthy. You can prepare it ahead of time and then freeze it. Then, simply reheat when your family is in the mood for pasta. Just add some fresh Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs when you reheat and you will be ready to go.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (rigatoni or penne) $1.59
- 4 cups homemade pasta sauce $2.94
- 1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts $2.70
- 1 (6 oz.) can whole black olives $1.55
- 1 (8 oz) jar sliced banana peppers $1.18
- 4 oz. crumbled feta $1.74
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan $0.39
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella $1.50
- ½ bunch Italian parsley $0.40
Cook pasta according to the package directions and boil for 7 to 10 minutes. Then drain the pasta and return it to the pot (turn the burner off). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the pasta is cooking, drain and chop the canned artichoke hearts and olives. Rinse and chop the parsley. Remove the banana peppers from the jar and drain.
After the pasta has been drained and returned to the pot, add the pasta sauce, artichoke hearts, black olives, banana peppers and chopped parsley. Stir everything together and add the Parmesan, feta and a half cup of the shredded mozzarella. Stir to combine.
Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 11 inch glass casserole dish and top with the remaining cup of shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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