My roommate's $3 chili trick from his grandma in Cleveland

He showed me how to add a spoonful of cocoa powder and a splash of cheap coffee to a basic bean and ground beef chili, which somehow makes it taste like it cooked for hours. We ate it for three days straight and the total pot cost was under eight bucks. What's your one weird, cheap ingredient that makes a meal feel fancy?

2 comments

2 Comments

lilyt9010d agoProlific Poster

Okay, that cocoa and coffee trick is actually genius, I'm stealing that. My weird cheap move is a can of cheap sardines in tomato sauce. Mash it into pasta with some garlic and red pepper flakes. It sounds gross and looks worse, but it gives this deep, salty fish flavor that feels like a fancy restaurant pasta, not a three dollar dinner. My boyfriend nearly called the cops the first time he saw me make it, but now he asks for it. What's the strangest thing you've convinced someone to eat?

davidr349d agoMost Upvoted

Sardines in pasta is a power move, honestly. That umami punch is hard to beat on a budget. The strangest thing I ever got someone to try was a peanut butter and pickle sandwich. Sounds like a crime, but the salty, sweet, sour combo just works. My friend fought me on it for weeks before finally caving. Now she eats them more than I do.