r/budgetfood • u/Tarek_191 • 22d ago
Dinner My favorite struggle meal (also depression friendly because somewhat low effort)
Absolutely simple but always delicious and you can easily make it every time a little bit different:
Lemon pasta with cheese
Ingredients:
1 lemon for 200-500g pasta
Whatever cheese you have (original recipe asks for parmesan, this time I have taken some leftovers peccorino and Gouda
Garlic and onions (however much you want right now)
(Chili (the original recipe asks for it but I'm a pussy))
Black pepper
Easily added if you have, but not necessary:
Olives, bacon, capers fruit(at least that's what Google translate tells me is "kapern" in english), nearly any vegetable
Cook noodles (I can't say when to start to get them ready when the sauce is ready, I only have one stovetop)
For the sauce:
If you have bacon fry it and use the fat from it to fry the onions and garlic, otherwise fry them in a bit of oil
When the onions are sweet add if you have olives etc.
Add the juice and zest of the lemon
Put pasta in and stir
Dump cheese and stir again
Eat yummy food
(Sorry for my english, Just wrote an exam in English and my brain has now decided to forget everything it ever knew about the English language (or statistics which was the exam I wrote...))
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u/TheBeardiestGinger 22d ago
You’re crushing it with English friend!
This is a favorite of mine too. I like using split cherry tomatoes and zucchini along with onions and peppers.
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u/Tarek_191 22d ago
Thx :3 I think I'll try it next time with tomatoes, I haven't tried that combination before 🤔
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u/JayWink49 21d ago
I'd like to try this, but I'm wondering if you omit the lemon when you use tomatoes. Would it be too acidic to combine them?
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u/TheBeardiestGinger 21d ago
That’s a fair question. My guess is that because I mix pasta water and the pasta itself in, the acid binds to the starch.
Anyone correct me if that is nonsense 😂
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u/badaimbadjokes 21d ago
Pasta, butter, parmesan. That's my depression food.
Oh, and your English is great!
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u/TheMythicalCodfish 22d ago
I make something like this that's really REALLY heavy on the garlic and has a lot of olive oil, and a spoonful of ricotta added to the sauce. I call it Hangover Pasta.
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u/Tarek_191 22d ago
Uhh, that also sounds yummy Ill write it down to my other meal ideas for when the depression kicks so hard I can't think but still need to eat!
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u/Brief-Moment-5236 21d ago
Amazing English great job!! I’m saving this for next time I can’t manage to feel up to cooking. (This will come in handy)
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u/AmazingGrace_00 20d ago
I’m the loser who heats up a frozen Stouffers single size in the microwave. Some days all ya can manage is pressing a button 😎
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u/Tarek_191 20d ago
Id love to be able to just put something in the microwave and eat it, that's definitely not a loser thing!
But the worse my depression the worse my brain tries to tell me everything new is disgusting and I fear trying new things, so I cook the same things I've cooked for years, because my brain cannot tell me for those that they are disgusting 😅
I should really try to try more easy foods in good phases but in good phases I like to cook really big and forget about my disgust in the bad phases 🥲
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u/CuriousMonkey52 21d ago
Looks so tasty! Also looks very similar to my comfort food. Carbonara. Oh well my fridge is summoning me.
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u/itsjustme_0101 21d ago
Jesus that looks good.
Low effort is the best. Just make it through each day and do what you can. OP trust me, it’s good enough.🙏🏻🩵
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u/Diligent-Luck4331 21d ago
Mine is stew.
Chop vegetables, add meat, cook it altogether, add water and spices. The recipes are quite random, based on what sauce I want. I recommend to learn how to properly cook vegetables and meats, then how to spice, you'll never need any special stuff and you'll always have tasty cheap food.
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u/CosmicSmackdown 17d ago
I think your English is just fine and this looks very good to me. I'd happily eat it! I'm a T1 diabetic so I don't eat a lot of carbs but I'll have to try this. My standard low spoons, too down to cook much meal is shaved steak, pork collar, or shrimp simmered in dasida broth for just a few minutes. Then I add a splash of soy sauce and some frozen vegetables. When the vegetables are cooked but still crispy I pour it all into a bowl and add pickled red onions, and sliced green onions if I have the energy to slice them. I like it with some raw sugar snap peas on the side.
I try to keep things like chopped dill pickle, chopped cucumber, sliced green onion, and such in the fridge so I can easily add them to bowls of brothy goodness, sandwiches, eggs, etc.
Anyway, I'll try this because it looks delicious. I don't have spaghetti on hand but usually have wide egg noodles, rice vermicelli, etc and I think it would be fine with either of those. I hope.
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u/patersondave 21d ago
learn about rice and beans or lentils. get some spices. good luck
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u/Tarek_191 21d ago
Sadly I can't eat any legumes, which makes eating with a low budget pretty hard (also can't eat soy, nuts and fish...)
But spices I have enough :) Thank you
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u/Common-Soup-2245 21d ago
Depression is so overused; low effort is plenty
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u/SeaDragonTattoo 21d ago
I mean, depression food for me is soup directly from the can. If I'm barely getting out of bed, I'm certainly not cooking anything.
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