American Flag Ravioli in Creamy Garden Sauce - $21.13 a serving

Makes 6 servings · italian · involved · USDA MyPlate Kitchen (public domain)
$126.79
basket total, in-store
$21.13
per serving (6 servings)
+$16.51
dearer than the $4.62 median dinner

Every non-staple ingredient matched to a real product on the shelf, priced on 2026-07-19 at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine (ZIP 45202). 2 pantry staples excluded. Prices change without notice - this is what we paid attention to on that date, not a quote.

The recipe saysWe foundPackageUsesCostsLeft over
1 cup whole-wheat flourKing Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, 100% Whole Grain, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Kosher · 5 lb$6.99120 g$0.37$6.62
1 cup 9-grain flour (or you can substitute all-purpose or semolina)King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, 100% Whole Grain, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Kosher · 5 lbSUBSTITUTE$6.99120 g$0.37$6.62
2 eggs, beatenVital Farms® Pasture-Raised XL Eggs · 12 ct$7.492$1.25$6.24
2 teaspoons olive oilSimple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · 16.9 fl oz$8.4910 ml$0.17$8.32
1/2 beet, peeled, halved, and quarteredOrganic Gold Grim Beet · eachSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED$2.691$2.69-
1/2 cup whole-wheat flourKing Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, 100% Whole Grain, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Kosher · 5 lb$6.9960 g$0.18$6.81
1/2 cup 9-grain flour (or you can substitute all-purpose or semolina)King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, 100% Whole Grain, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Kosher · 5 lbSUBSTITUTE$6.9960 g$0.18$6.81
1 egg, beatenVital Farms® Pasture-Raised XL Eggs · 12 ct$7.491$0.62$6.87
1 teaspoon olive oilSimple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · 16.9 fl oz$8.495 ml$0.08$8.41
1 tablespoon olive oilSimple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · 16.9 fl oz$8.4915 ml$0.25$8.24
2 garlic cloves, peeled and mincedKroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · 5 ct$2.492$1.00$1.49
8 tomatoes, seeded and choppedFresh On the Vine Red Tomatoes by the Bunch (4-5 tomatoes per bunch) · 1 lbx3 est.$2.498$5.27$2.20
1 squash, peeled and choppedButternut Squash · 1 lbSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED$1.491$1.49-
1 zucchini, peeled and choppedZucchini · 1 lb$1.791$0.79$1.00
Sprig of fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon driedSimple Truth Organic® Oregano · 0.5 oz$2.49-$2.49-
2 sprigs of thyme or ½ teaspoon driedSoli Organic™ Living Thyme · 1 ct$2.99-$2.99-
Sprig of rosemary or ¼ teaspoon driedSimple Truth Organic® Rosemary · 0.5 oz$2.49-$2.49-
1 tablespoon agaveSimple Truth Organic® 100% Raw Blue Agave Nectar Amber Syrup · 23.5 oz$5.9921 g$0.19$5.80
1/3 cup heavy creamKroger® Heavy Whipping Cream Pint · 1 pt$3.2980 ml$0.56$2.73
1 tablespoon olive oilSimple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · 16.9 fl oz$8.4915 ml$0.25$8.24
1/2 onion, peeled and dicedJumbo Yellow Onions · 1 lb$1.191$0.29$0.90
1 garlic clove, peeled and mincedKroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · 5 ct$2.491$0.50$1.99
2 cups shrimp, peeled, tails removed, finely choppedService Counter Large Peeled and Deveined Shrimp Raw 31/40 (sustainably sourced) · 1 lb$7.99450 g$7.93$0.06
1 tablespoon dried parsleySmart Way™ Parsley Flakes · 0.5 oz$1.25-$1.25-
1/4 cup ricotta cheeseGALBANI WHOLE MILK RICOTTA CHEESE · 15 oz$3.7960 g$0.53$3.26

olive oil drives this basket at $8.49, 7% of the total. The next biggest lines are olive oil ($8.49) and olive oil ($8.49). $92.60 of the basket - 73% - is package remainder: food you buy because stores sell packages and recipes call for amounts. It does not vanish, it sits in your kitchen for the next meal.

“I saw a cool way to put designs into pasta and thought I could try to make red stripes for the American Flag,” says Daniela. “My favorite parts of making this were when I made the nest in the flour to hold the ingredients. I loved mixing the beet dough and seeing the red color pop out! I also really liked to turn the pasta crank. My dad grinds all of our flour. We grow a lot of vegetables used to make the garden sauce for the ravioli.”

This recipe is credited to a partner program (The 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbook), so we don't reprint its directions - read them on the archived original.

The 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbook. MyPlate took its recipe pages offline in 2026 - the original lives on at the Internet Archive. More on this: What each protein actually costs per serving.
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