Not only is this tomato salsa quick and simple, it’s also super cheap. This is my go-to meal during the week when I am too zonked for some elaborate cooking, but saves me from resorting to takeout. You can totally throw in a veggie or two if you’d like, or some bacon, or canned tuna. But this dish is as amazing on its own, so there you go.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 3 servings / EUR per serving / 2.68 EUR for all)

For spaghetti:

Water (–)

2 tbsp olive oil (0.09 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

300 grams of spaghetti; I used whole-wheat (0.80 EUR)

For the sauce:

3 tbsp olive oil (0.13 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

4 garlic cloves (0.13 EUR)

1 can of peeled tomatoes (0.80 EUR)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Good pinch of freshly ground black pepper (0.01 EUR)

1 tsp dried oregano (0.07 EUR)

¼ cup of finely grated hard cheese, like Parmigiano-Reggiano (0.53 EUR)

METHOD:

Add olive oil and salt to a large pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Throw in spaghetti and cook to al dente according to the instructions on the package. While spaghetti cook, peel and finely chop onion and garlic. Reserve about a cup of pasta water for later, drain and rinse spaghetti under cold running water to immediately stop cooking and set them aside.

Wipe the pot clean, return to high heat and saute onion on oil until slightly translucent. Dump in garlic and stir for a minute before adding in tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes with your spatula, season with salt, pepper and oregano and cook for about 10 minutes to thicken. Return spaghetti to the pot, stir to coat evenly and add a splash of reserved pasta water. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning and, if necessary, dilute the sauce with a bit more of reserved pasta water. Serve immediately.

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Ova šalša je ne samo super brza i jednostavna za skuhati, ujedno je i jako jeftina. To mi je jedno od glavnih jela za ekspresno smutiti nakon posla, kada sam preumorna za neko komplicirano nakuhavanje, a svaki puta me spasi da ne pribjegnem naručivanju dostave. Možete slobodno ubaciti i neko povrće ili dva, ili malo špeka, ili konzervu tune. Ali ovo je jelo fantastično i samo za sebe, tako da recept slijedi u nastavku.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 3 porcije / 6,67 kn po porciji / 20,02 kn za sve)

Za špagete:

Voda (–)

2 žlice maslinovog ulja (0,66 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

300 grama špageta; ja sam upotrijebila integralne (6,00 kn)

Za umak:

3 žlice maslinovog ulja (0,99 kn)

1 veliki luk (0,75 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka (1,00 kn)

1 konzerva pelata (6,00 kn)

Dobar prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Dobar prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,10 kn)

1 žličica sušenog origana (0,50 kn)

¼ šalice tvrdog fino ribanog sira, tipa Parmigiano-Reggiano (4,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Dodajte maslinovo ulje i sol u veliki lonac vode i pustite da zavrije. Ubacite špagete i skuhajte al dente prema uputama na pakiranju. Dok se špageti kuhaju ogulite i sitno nasjeckajte luk i češnjak. Sačuvajte oko šalicu vode od tjestenine za kasnije, pa procijedite i operite špagete pod hladnom tekućom vodom da se prestanu kuhati, te ih stavite na stranu.

Obrišite lonac u kojem ste kuhali špagete, vratite na jaku vatru i na ulju prodinstajte luk dok ne postane staklast. Ubacite češnjak i promiješajte minutu prije nego ubacite pelate. Špatulom izgnječite pelate na manje komadiće, začinite solju, paprom i origanom, te kuhajte desetak minuta da se zgusnu. Ubacite unutra skuhane špagete i dodajte malo sačuvane vode od kuhanja tjestenine. Maknite s vatre i umiješajte ribani sir. Kušajte i prilagodite začine, a prema potrebi dodajte još malo vode od tjestenine da razrijedite umak. Poslužite odmah.