Very few of the things I do are not frugal.  So when I begin writing a Frugal Friday post, sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees, so to speak.

So, today I am giving you the recipe I am making for dinner tonight.  Fair warning, this isn’t health food.  Well, maybe in comparison with a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake from Jack-*-*-Box this might qualify.  But it is frugal and will feed about 10 hungry people, just remember to serve a large green salad or a big bowl of steamed broccoli with it.

Spaghetti Mac Bake

1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce (we like Paul Newman’s, but that’s not frugal)

12 oz pkg elbow macaroni (I use medium size)

1 lb bulk sausage, cooked (see, not health food)

3 C water

½ – ¾ lb  grated cheese (mozzarella or cheddar or colby)

Pour sauce into your 9 X 13 and add the water and stir, then add the pasta and cooked sausage.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Now carefully take it out of the oven and remove the foil, DO NOT LET THE STEAM BURN YOU!  Give it a stir and spread the cheese over it, put it back in the oven for 8 minutes.

This is the current favorite at our house, as long as I leave the cheese off of one corner for The Squid.

So here’s the breakdown of what it cost me to make this dinner.

Sauce – $1.69 for the Paul Newman’s (store brand costs $0.89)

Pasta – $0.83

Sausage – $1.18

Cheese – $1.92

Total – $5.62

And since there are 8 of us and it feeds about 10, we will have leftovers for lunches.

Works for me.

By the way, there are 2 giveaways this month.  Click here and here to enter each one.

Related posts:

1. Breakfast Casserole
2. Frugal Cornbread
3. Homemade Chimichangas
4. Potatoes and Ham – YUMMY!
5. Let Them Eat . . . Beans