Yummy recipe

Since I'm now a "stay at home mom" I think of it as my job to save us money in every way possible! So, I've started doing detailed meal plans utilizing food we have and creating shopping list. Right now I plan and shop a week at a time, but my goal is to move to no more often that every 2 weeks. I also plan to bargain, coupon, and sale shop. It's fun, because it's quite the challenge. I should mention that being a working mom has really helped me appreciate being at home. Right now I don't feel that I could get bored, but if I do I can just remind myself how grateful I am to be with little Alana and take care of our family.

Anyway, looking through my cookbooks and planning meals was fun. I came across the following recipe, and it was actually incredibly yummy, so I thought I'd share!

Pasta Razoli (this makes like 10 servings, so feel free to cut it down if you try it!)

1 lb hamburger
2 c. beef broth
4 small cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can white kidney beans
2 garlic cloves
1 c celery, finely chopped
1 cups carrots finely chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 medium onion
2 c. small cooked pasta

Brown meat with Onion. In large saucepan, combine all but pasta. After cooking pasta, add that too. Cook until veggies and beans are heated and tender, about 30 min.

This was super easy. I forgot the sugar, but I added thyme. We topped it with parmesan cheese. For the benefit of my family: this reminds me of a beefed up version of "macaroni with tomato soup and cheese"... :) We also served with cornbread and salad. Oh, by the way, it's a soup. Maybe if you want it less soupy, only cook the noodles part way and let them obsorb lots of the liquid. And even with the hot weather, this was a hearty meal, but might be better for wintertime!