How To Make Canned Pasta Taste Almost Like Restaurant Fare

This makes a cheap meal of some quality.

Cut up a green bell pepper into large wedges. Do the same with about half of a small onion. Slice a few cloves of fresh garlic. Chop up a roma tomato.

Put the veggies in a pot, add a little olive oil, then add a little red wine. Then add mixed Italian seasoning. If you don't have an herb blend, it would consist mainly of basil and oregano. Sage, fennel seed and just a little mace are good, too.

Saute until veggies are semi-crisp. Don't overcook.

Add a can of cheap pasta. I recommend Chef Boyardee overstuffed Italian sausage ravioli, but any kind will work. Mix gently. Turn heat down on stove and wait for mixture to heat all the way through.

Serve with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and sprinkle with crushed red peppers if you like the heat.

Pour yourself a glass of red wine, put on some classical music and imagine you're in an expensive Italian restaurant. It almost works.