Did you know that families have pasta for dinner about 1.6 times per week? That is a lot of pasta, and my family most definitely contributes to the accuracy of that statistic.

Pasta is such a staple in our house, as well as in the houses of most everyone else, because it is extremely budget-friendly and there are so many different things that you can do with it. We typically tend to stay on a tight budget around here and at the same time, we are pretty picky eaters who very frequently grow tired of seeing the same thing grace our dinner plates. In most cases, we don’t typically have the same thing for dinner more than once every two or three weeks; but with pasta, even if we have it twice a week, which we frequently do, it’s a totally different meal and experience each time.

One of the easiest ways to reinvent a pasta dish that has become completely boring to you and to your family is to add to it. Adding fresh spices, vegetables and different types of meat to your base sauce can really spice up your dish and make all the difference.

I was recently sent a Le Creuset saucepan from Ragu which has made our experimenting with sauces an even more enjoyable experience all around, not to mention much easier than using our very old large pot that has been on its last legs for quite some time now. Seriously, I love this thing.

And not only because it matches my tea kettle.

Check out a new video from Ragu featuring some awesome moms talking about how they spice up their pasta dishes at home:

Here are a few choice pasta dishes to try from Ragu’s selection of recipes, including the dish that was mentioned during the end of the video above! Also, every dish below are all under $2 per serving. How amazing is that?

Baked Pasta Primavera Casserole Cost per recipe: $10.32 Cost per serving: $1.72 Get the recipe »

Better for You No Boiling Baked Ziti Cost per recipe: $11.34 Cost per serving: $1.42 Get the recipe »

Easy Skillet Ravioli Cost per recipe: $5.75 Cost per serving: $0.96 Get the recipe »

Fettuccine with Chunky Feta Tomato Sauce Cost per recipe: $7.80 Cost per serving: $1.30 Get the recipe »

How do you spice up your pasta dinner dishes?

This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Ragú® Mom’s the Word on Dinner Program. Visit www.facebook.com/ragusauce to join the conversation.

All pasta images via Ragu