"Who Knows What" Pasta Recipe! (~$2.00!)

My Latest Kitchen Creation...try at your own risk! ;-)

O.K.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best cook in the world.  However, on occasion, I'm able to whip something together that actually works out okay!  Tonight, we had a really tight schedule & were debating whether to just order out for pizza.  Delivered pizza sounded good but the ~$20+ price tag did not.  So, I decided to scrounge around and see what I might be able to come up with.

Since this dish simply evolved as I made it, I think I'll call it the "Who Knows What" Pasta Dish.  I did a quick tally of the cost of the ingredients.  After couponing & strategic shopping, the entire dish comes to less than $2.00 (about $0.24 per serving!)!  We all really enjoyed it (Well, except for our five year old who can be slow to warm up to new recipes.  In time, I think she'll grow to like it, too, though).  We gobbled it all up!

"Who Knows What" Pasta Dish:

Ingredients: (at least I think this is what I put in it ;-))...

• One can black beans (ALDI, $0.55)
• One can diced tomatoes (Copps, $0.25)
• One box Ronzoni Garden Delight Radiatore Pasta (Copps, FREE!)
• One Vidalia onion, medium, diced (ALDI, $0.49/2 lbs., so let's say $0.09)
• ~ 1/2 pound Chicken breast, diced (Copps, $1.88/lb. so let's say $0.94)
• ~ 2 tsp. McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning (Copps, $0.22 for entire bottle, so lets say $0.05)
• ~ 2 Tbsp. Canola oil (Hmmm...let's say somewhere around $0.05)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp. Shredded or parmesan cheese (optional)

Total cost (estimate):  less than $2.00! Makes about 8 servings...so about $0.24/serving! 

Directions: (at least I think this is how I did it ;-))...

1. Cook diced chicken breast in saute pan (use a little of the canola oil or oil spray) and sprinkle with a little of the "Montreal Chicken Seasoning", set aside.
2. Cook diced onion in saute pan (in about 1 Tbsp. of the canola oil), until translucent & a little browned.
3. Cook the pasta (we prefer our pasta to be "al dente"...this pasta took about 7 minutes of boiling to get to that point).
4. Drain the pasta in a colander & set aside.
5. Heat the black beans in the same pot that had been used for the pasta.  Add the translucent & browned diced onion.  Add the cooked chicken breast. Add the can of diced tomatoes (I drained a little bit of the juice off first).  Let simmer for a bit, stirring occasionally. 
6. Add a bit of salt & pepper (to taste)
7. Add a little more of the "Montreal Chicken Seasoning".
8. Fluff up the pasta that had been draining in a colander & place in serving bowl.
9. Pour the chicken/bean/tomato mixture over the top.
10. Add a tablespoon or two of shredded or parmesan cheese to the top, if desired.

Enjoy!  I'd bet there are several ways to vary this dish, too.  It would be great to hear your ideas!