Friday, November 14, 2008

Improvising
--Tomato Soup Spaghetti Sauce



Tomato Soup Spaghetti Sauce
A new addition to the Ugly Binder, from the internet

1 pound hamburger I used ground turkey
1 medium onion
2 cans tomato soup I used the 25% less sodium variety
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup water; (up to 1 cup)

Cook hamburger and onion until meat is done. Add everything else but water - combine. Add water until slightly thinner than you want sauce and simmer until desired thickness. Serve.
________________________

Last night we were supposed to have a new recipe, Unstuffed Cabbage, which required over an hour in the oven but, well, I have no oven right now. I thought about making it in the crockpot but I didn't have that kind of time. (I won't leave my crockpot on while I'm at work - I'm gone too long.)

So I took out the ground turkey that recipe called for and I did what I rarely do - I searched the internet for a recipe that used the turkey and the tomato soup that the recipe also called for. I had a box of Smart Taste spaghetti in the cupboard and in the past I've made pasta recipes that used tomato soup with good results so I was zeroing in on a pasta sauce recipe.

I found this and I have to say that I was very pleased. I would definitely make this again. Tomato soup is comfort food and that comfort comes through, even in this sauce. The soup is basically thickened tomato purée that is a little bit sweet but the vinegar cuts the sweetness just enough. I loved this with the ground turkey. I'm a big fan of the turkey-tomato sauce combination. I'm hoping to score some turkey leftovers on Thanksgiving to make Giada's Turkey Bolognese again.

Here's the weekly recap:

Monday I made Hawaiian Franks.

Tuesday I made Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Wednesday we had bacon cheeseburgers on the grill with french fries cooked in the toaster oven.

Last night we had this sauce with spaghetti.

Tonight, well, here's a funny story. I bought everything I needed to make pizza and even made the dough last night. HELLO! I don't have an oven! Well, I'll be standing in front of the toaster oven all night making small pizzas LOL. If I only had a brain.

I went grocery shopping last night. I spent less than I have in ages since I hadn't planned any meals yet. One new thing that I've noticed my grocery store is doing now is that for some of their sales that are 3 for $5, 6 for $10, etc., you must buy the full amount (all 3, all 6, etc.). Not all of these sales require you to buy all of the items (they love to run the 10 for $10 sales and that would just be ridiculous if you actually had to buy 10 of each product), just some of them, which they note on their weekly circular but I'm not sure if they tell you that in the store. Very confusing and I don't like it.

Speaking of grocery stores, my closest store has finally put in the self check-out machines. They're part of a large chain so it's surprising that it took so long. They were supposed to be building a new, bigger store which is why I thought they weren't bothering but I wonder if that is on hold now, with the economy in the crapper and all. There was something very depressing about seeing those machines in the store.

Question of the Day: Do you like tomato soup?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like tomato soup--with grilled cheese sandwiches. That is the way we had it when I was little.
Sheila

Randi said...

I like Tomato soup when I'm sick. I made some awesome homeade soup a few times this summer. Its hard to eat the canned stuff now.

The grocery store where I shop in MI has 10 for 10 and then you get 1 for free. I never end up buying 10. You dont need to buy all 10 of the same thing, but they're mostly store brand junk food stuff so I rarely do it.

Unknown said...

Yes!!! I just had some earlier this week and it was SO good!

Annie said...

I never really liked tomato soup as a kid. I don't know if I would like it now. I should try it again now to see!
I would eat that spaghetti though, for sure!

Vincent said...

This recipe just saved my life. I was able to whip up a meal out of what I had on hand n the cabinets. Thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Realized I did not have any spaghetti sauce on hand. Used this recipe but added minced celery (one stalk), minced carrot, and a can of mushrooms to meat and onions and sauteed. Very good, will use again. Thank you.

Horace said...

This is fantastic!