The Sweatshop of Love Blog

I always joke about eating like a poor person, but all healthy vegetarians eat like poor people. Unless it’s a special occasion, our meals usually cost between $1-2  a person.

One of my favorite poor person meals is Roasted Potatoes, Veggies, and Beans. It’s also a great pantry meal, when you haven’t gone grocery shopping in a month and there really isn’t anything left. It’s warm and filling and an excellent comfort meal. It’s 10am and I want some right now.

Ingredients (for 2)

Four baking potatoes cut into pieces

Two large carrots

One onion

2/3 cup prepared beans (black, northern, pinto, any!). If canned, drain and rinse. If dried, soak as directed and rinse.

Two cloves of garlic, diced or garlic pressed

Three tbsp oil, divided

Spices of your choice! I use: pepper, sea salt, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, rosemary, bbq seasoning, cumin

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet or 9 x 13 cake pan with cooking spray. Cut up your potatoes and toss them in a bowl in 2 tablespoons oil and seasonings.

2. Spread your seasoned and oiled potatoes in your pan and throw them in your hot oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cut up your onion and carrots and put them in the same bowl you used to season your potatoes. Add beans, garlic, remaining (1 tbsp) oil, and re-season.

4. After your potatoes have baked for 45 minutes, take the potatoes out for a hot second, add carrot mixture, stir to combine, and bake for another 20 minutes.

5. When it comes out the potatoes will be crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, the carrots will still be crisp, the beans will be warm and seasoned, and the onions sweet.

I squirt a little ketchup on mine because I love potatoes and ketchup! PT uses sriracha to spice it up a little. Either way, this dish is the perfect warm meal on a fall day.

And lets break this down:

4 Potatoes: 35 cents

2 Carrots: 15 cents

1 Onion: 10 cents

2/3 Cups Beans, Dried: 25 cents

Oil, Garlic, and Seasonings: Maybe 20 cents?

Meal Total: $1.05 and I’m being generous. I know I got that 10 pound bag of potatoes in my pantry on sale for $1.25, and I got the 5 pound bag of black beans for about $4 on sale. 1 pound of dried beans makes 5 cups. I’m not a mathematician, but that would be like, what? 13 cents for 2/3  cups of beans?

I’m making allowances for non sale items and we are still looking at a meal for two for $1.05! I love that.

Related Sweatshop Love:

• November 2, 2009 -- A Cupcake and Chris Kimball: A Match Made in Heaven
• December 15, 2009 -- Burn!
• October 14, 2009 -- What Is On My Needles (and in my tummy)
• September 22, 2009 -- A LOT of Food