Easy and Affordable Italian

     By now you should all know that my favorite place to buy groceries is at Fresh & Easy. I almost always have a $10 off of $50 coupon, the store is small and quaint, and they really make it easy to eat healthy and on a budget. Cheese Tortellini with Chicken Apple Sausage is one of our favorite meals to make and I wanted to share it with you how easy and affordable it is.

     I like to use the Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce ($1.99) it is organic, has an extra kick and one jar lasts us about 2.5 uses. I also like to add a little bit more flavor to our sauce so sometimes I might mix it with an Alfredo to make a pink sauce or this time, I added a tablespoon of Sun Dried Tomato Pesto ($2.99) to the sauce, but this is also good put on bread to make a super easy Bruschetta. 

     I don't like sausage or many pork products (except bacon!) so I buy the Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage ($4.99). For two people I dice 2 of the sausage links and heat them in a skillet over medium heat until the start to have a nice golden color. I like adding this unexpectedly to Italian food because the apple adds a nice sweetness.

     Now during this time I boil and cook the Cheese Tortellini that you buy in packages in the fresh food department. I forgot to photograph it. It is $2.99 (or 2 for $5) and I usually also pick up the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli for another dinner made almost exactly the same way. 

     I got a small French Roll in the 'Reduced to Clear' section that cost me a whopping $.71. I sliced it in small rounds, added butter and a bit of Gilroy Farms Garlic Spread (around $2, I have had it forever forgot how much it cost!) and baked that in the oven for about 5 minutes.

     After you drain the pasta, I return it all back to the pot on low heat and add in all of my ingredients with a nice dose of Mozzarella on the top and just wait until the sauce is mixed in and heated up. I was going to add a small side salad of greens with Italian dressing but my lettuce was pinkish, so we just had a carb-filled dinner. Imagine a nice green next to that pasta!

     And Viola! You have a delicious and easy Italian dinner for 2. All in all this dinner cost me $9.88 excluding the butter, garlic spread and mozzarella I already had. The packages of Salad are around $1.99 so honestly, this dinner is affordable and healthy!! I would just double the whole recipe for 4-6 people. Hope this gives you guys some ideas for dinner tonight!