Aubergine pasta

I rarely meal plan, and I am assured by the various money saving blogs and forums that meal planning will turn my financial life around. We also don't eat to any set pattern, the way my mam seemed to - there'd be a roast on Mondays, a Findus crispy pancake and beans on Tuesday, sausages for Wednesday etc. and the pattern never changed throughout my childhood. Instead I buy what looks nice and is cheap and then just keep track of what needs using up by when.

Today's ingredient of choice was a rather sad looking aubergine, bought when they were 29 p in Lidl last week.

 So, veggie pasta sauce was made with:

1 small onion - 5p
2 cloves garlic - 5p
1 stick celery - 1p (from a reduced price pack)
Half aubergine, diced- 15p
4 lumps frozen spinach - 15p
1 can tesco value chopped tomatoes - 31p
1 paprika flavour pot - 13p (from approved foods)
Splash  olive oil - 5p

200g gluten free pasta - 48p.

Obviously if you're not a stupid coeliac then you can use way cheaper pasta.

Anyway, soften the onion, garlic and celery in a little bit of oil. When they're soft, add the aubergine, spinach lumps, tomatoes and parika doodad. Cook for as long as it takes the pasta to cook.

Serve an appropriate sized portion, thinking you'll have got enough leftover for tomorrow lunch, then decide to scoff it all anyway.

Makes 2 greedy person portions at 69p each.