Cheeseburger Pasta

Cheeseburger Pasta
adapted from The New Cooking With 4 Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 tsp minced garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder - if using powder, add with soups)
1/3 cup minced onion
1 10.5 ounce can cheddar cheese soup
1 10.5 ounce can tomato bisque soup
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked shell pasta

Brown ground beef. Add onion and minced garlic and cook with ground beef until softened. Drain any fat remaining. Add soups, water, and pasta. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to medium. Cook 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring often.

Yummy All-Purpose Tomato Sauce

[adapted from Quick, Cheap & Easy Seasoned Tomato Sauce at Hillbilly Housewife.com


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely minced (or 2 tablespoons onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cloves minced garlic
12 oz tomato paste
18 oz filled with water (1 1/2 cans if using a 12 oz can, 3 cans if using a 6 oz can)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in medium sauce pan. Saute onion, minced garlic and garlic powder for no more than two minutes. If using onion powder rather than minced onion, saute for less time. Add tomato paste and 12 oz of water. Stir until tomato paste is smooth. Add remaining water. (If you like a thinner sauce, add more water.) Add remaining ingredients (basil, oregano, sugar, salt), stir through. Cover and simmer for no less than 10 minutes. You may have to add more water if you let sauce simmer for more than four hours.