I am all about saving money on food. My family is the size of five, which includes three young kids, and as my children grow, so does my food budget. I like to cook food that is healthy but inexpensive as well. Cheap food oftentimes can be unhealthy but I like to focus on food that can be still somewhat healthy and less expensive for your budget at the same time. Today I’m going to tell you how to make a super quick pasta with pesto. It’s a super quick meal, and cheap dinner, that my kids will actually eat and everybody’s happy with.
It’s a Cheap Dinner for a Family
One of my children does not like spaghetti sauce and because of that one of my other children refuses to eat it as well. So I came up with a quick little solution to this problem by creating a spaghetti sauce-free pasta that’s really quick and easy to make and is really cheap as well.
I like to keep it simple too so I like to use frozen vegetables because they are ready to be cooked right away and I can steam them in the microwave. Then, I can just toss them into the mix. Frozen vegetables are also great to have because you’ll have to worry about them rotting in the refrigerator and they’re always available so this is actually a great meal for nights where you really don’t know what you’re gonna cook and you need to make something really quick. It’s a much cheaper dinner option than ordering out and it won’t take a lot of effort, I promise you!
Pesto Pasta Ingredients and Price
For this recipe, you need to have pasta, pesto, and frozen peas. Optionally you can also include chicken if you like but that’s going to increase your cost of course. There are a bunch of different types of pesto out there so you should find the one that you like best and that will work for your family. But to keep this a cheap dinner, just stick with the main ingredients!
The ingredients can all be found at Walmart but any substitutions will work fine. I typically shop at Aldi or Walmart curbside pick up. With gas prices going up, though, I decided that Walmart+ was worth the money to avoid driving and instead have my groceries delivered right to my door. If you want to sign up for Walmart+ and decide to become a paid member, we’ll both get $20 off a future order by using this link.
| Main Ingredients for Pesto Pasta | Price |
|---|---|
| I Box of Barilla Whole Wheat Pasta (16 oz) | $1.38 |
| 1 Bag of Great Value Sweet Peas (12 oz) | $0.77 |
| 1/3 jar Classico Signature Pesto Sauce (8.1 oz) | $2.93 |
| Total | $5.08 |
Directions
- Boil a pot of water.
- Once the water is ready, add the pasta to it. I like to use whole wheat pasta. Add an extra minute to the cooking time.
- Two minutes before the pasta is finished I put the frozen peas directly into the water so that they can cook up a little.
- Once this is done I drain the water by putting the peas and pasta into a strainer.
- Then I put it back into the pan and quickly add the pesto.
- Sprinkle cheese on top, if desired.
Pesto Pasta Variations
You can really do whatever you like with this recipe to make it work for your family. Sometimes I will use broccoli and other times peas. Another fun thing to do for the kids is to use different types of pasta. Last week I used ziti noodles and the kids loved them!
Pesto and Peas Pasta with Chicken
Like I said, sometimes I do add chicken. When I make it this way then I sauté the chicken in a pan while the pasta water is first turned on. I brown the chicken and throw in the peas. Then, I’ll throw them into the mix with the pasta and pesto once it’s ready. In addition, when it’s all done, you can sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan or Mozerella cheese on top to make it a little bit tastier.
Pesto and Peas Pasta with Spinach
Sometimes I also like to cook up a little bit of spinach to put on the side for my husband and I.
Pesto and Peas Pasta with Broccoli
Rather than using peas, sometimes I substitute broccoli.
Give It a Try and Let Me Know What You Think
Pasta with pesto is one of my family‘s most recent favorites. What do you think? Will you try this? Leave a comment below.
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