I’m trying to learn to buy groceries, cook for myself again.
Can’t afford to buy and keep produce. Limited cookware. So, any recipe telling me to crush garlic, dice onions, etc, can’t do.
Need budget, ghetto, for people on a fixed income, easy no frills way to make diy tomato paste pasta sauce.
Good suggestions so far. Tks. I have 1 bowl, 1 plate, 1 spoon, 1 fork, 1 butter knife ; 1 small sauce pan; Only stores nearby are corner stores. Hardly any produce. Having to make due with what you can find in a liquor store.
I gotta be honest if you don’t have the ability to chop onions or garlic you might as well just buy pre-made sauce my man.
Yeah I kinda feel like the first step would be to figure out how to do that rather than trying to sidestep the issue
There’s ways to cut stuff up without actually handling a knife if it’s like a physical issue - those little mini food processors for example are really good for most veggies (they struggle on harder or stringy things but for onions and garlic and whatnot they’re pretty good)
Try canned crushed tomatoes. If you can access some seasonings, a bit of garlic powder and dried Italian blend herbs go a long way to making it taste more like pasta sauce. It can be warmed in the microwave or stovetop if you have access. It is safe to eat right out of the can without heat but def tastes better if you can simmer it for a while. Leftovers will require refrigeration or can be frozen. You mentioned that you can’t keep produce, so if you don’t have a fridge or freezer, look for small cans of plain tomato sauce - not pasta sauce, and not tomato paste, but just plain sauce. You can dress this up with herbs also and have a smaller amount to avoid leftovers
It’s good that you’re wanting to cook for yourself, but why no produce? You really need to be able to cut up and onion and to be fair garlic you can get away with already diced jarred stuff, but whew love me my onions lol
Here’s a recipe that is budget centered. You could tweak it to your particular needs but cutting out the parts you can’t do > https://www.spendwithpennies.com/easy-meat-sauce/
Yeah I wonder what OP meant? No fridge? Even then, onions and garlic stay good for a long time outside the fridge.
It’s, I have no Tupperware. Nothing to put an onion into after I cut a bit off, to keep it fresh. No foil, no ziploc bags. My $ sitch is that bad right now. I have $60 to last me til September 3. Hence, why I probably sound stupid and clueless right now.
You need to hit up the food bank. They give out food. No questions asked. Fresh veggies and fruits and plenty of ready to go meals. There’s no shame in it. I’ve been in your situation many times and churches very often are giving out free food to people who need it. Again no one will question your situation. You just go there and get your food and leave.
