We all know that the two best ways to cook on a budget are to take advantage of sales and to stretch the meat portion of a dinner. And if you can use up a few leftovers while you're at it, it's a win-win-win situation!

How about pasta salad? Chances are that you can find a package of pasta on sale; just about anything except lasagna will work (and if you were really determined, you could break those lasagna noodles into pieces and still make it great!). Cook up the pasta and place in a large bowl. Scour the fridge and see if you can find a piece or two of leftover chicken breast…it's probably in there behind the yogurt. Chop up the cooked chicken and add it to the bowl.

Depending on what items are advertised on sale every week, you'll probably have a great selection of fresh items in the veggie bin. If you have carrots and celery, that'll be great; if broccoli and onions are on sale, go with them; bell peppers and tomatoes? Perfect! There are no rules. Just chop and add to the bowl.

Take a look at your healthy, fresh collection in the serving bowl; pretty amazing, isn't it? The final step is to add a dressing that enhances all the flavors and makes them sing in unison. Balsamic vinegar is a classy touch to any salad. If you have bottled balsamic dressing in the fridge, you're in business. If you'd like to make your own, it's super simple: in a small bowl combine about 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs olive oil, 1/2 tsp dried basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together and toss into the pasta salad.

That took about 10 minutes, not counting pasta-cooking time. My mom always used to call this kind of dish a "kitchen sink" salad, I guess because it could contain just about anything but the kitchen sink. Yet for me and my family, it's one of the most welcome dishes to sit on our table!

Approximate cost for 4 servings: $7.55 (that’s less than $2 a serving!)

Published 09/18/09