Budget Friendly Food- Steak Pizzaola

Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of money. For a good portion of my childhood I can remember my family being extremely strapped for cash and there were some weeks we would get by eating just spaghetti with jarred tomato sauce because it’s all we could afford.

I read a vast variety of blogs, and some of the “money saving” ones out there offer some great advice, but when I see what is on some of the menus I kind of cringe (no offense). Peanut butter and jelly is fine, but when you eat it 5 out of 7 days a week it gets old fast….

Steak pizzaola is something I don’t make often, but when I do it gives me such a strong sense of nostalgia. I used to watch my dad my make this when I was probably my daughters age now. It’s inexpensive, only requires a handful of ingredients, and is really easy to make.

Lets get started…

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless chuck steak sliced thin
3-5 garlic cloves
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chicken base or 1 bouillon cube
2 tbsp of fresh parsley
Traditionally-1 package of spaghetti or linguine (I use egg noodles)
red pepper flakes
kosher salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions:

Salt and pepper both sides of your steak, set aside.
Peel and crush your garlic cloves, set aside.
Heat your stove top to medium heat.
In a saute pan add a tablespoon of olive oil, add your crushed garlic, and a teaspoon of crushed red pepper. When you can smell the garlic remove it from the oil and set aside, now add your steak to the pan.
Brown both sides of the steak,
Turn heat down to med-low and add back your garlic, can of diced tomatoes, chicken base, and 1 cup of water.

Let simmer for 2-3 hours. The longer it cooks, the more tender the meat will be. You could even do this in a crockpot I’m sure.

When it’s almost time to be served… Cook your pasta accordingly. Pull the steak from the sauce, slice it, add it back into the sauce. I pull my pasta out of the water just before it’s al dente and finish cooking it in the pizzaola sauce.

Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, then serve.

I’m pretty sure this meal costs around $7.00 to make and feeds 4 people. Adjust the measurements if you need more or less for your family.

See, you can have steak on a budget! It may not be filet mignon, but it’s better then PBandJ. The big bold flavors of steak pizzaola will leave your family so full and satisfied, they won’t even realize you stayed within your budget to make it.