Skip Marinara And Alfredo — Reach For This Rich $2 Canned Soup For Your Next Pasta Night

Pasta night can be as simple as you want; your favorite pasta shape paired with your jarred sauce of choice is really all it takes. But for something a little more creative, you might be surprised to learn that soup can make a great pasta sauce — and it's an excellent way to use up those shelf-stable boxed soups, too. Skip the jarred sauce altogether and use canned soup instead. You can grab a can of Campbell's tomato bisque soup at grocery stores like Kroger for just $2, pair it with a $2 box of pasta, and you suddenly have a $4 meal.

Campbell's tomato bisque is one of its condensed soups; to get it to the ideal soup or pasta sauce consistency, just add water or milk — or even add cream to turn it into a rich pasta sauce. For soup, you typically add a full can of liquid. If you want the sauce thicker for pasta, use less than a full can of liquid; whisk in a half of a can, and add more as it thickens if you need to. With that said, it will still have that classic Campbell's tomato soup flavor, but there are a bunch of ways you can enhance it and turn it into a dish more suitable for your favorite hearty pasta.

If you want to keep things as simple as possible, just the soup and pasta will work fine. But if you want a more unique flavor that mimics a basic pasta sauce recipe, and you aren't afraid to work in some simple additions, then it's worth it to do so. No chopping or dicing required; just some dried herbs and seasonings will work wonders. Start with dried oregano and garlic powder because both are common in Italian cooking and will give the sauce a more authentic tomato sauce flavor. If you have basil (fresh or dried), add that in as well. A splash of red wine will bring even deeper, bolder flavor to the tomato sauce, too.

Incorporate other enhancers like grated Parmesan, cracked black pepper, or crushed red pepper if you want a little spice. The bottom line is there's no need to break out the cutting board here; there are plenty of ingredients hiding in your refrigerator and pantry that will take this tomato bisque and turn it into your new go-to weeknight pasta sauce.