My sister relies on this incredibly cheap staple whenever groceries get too expensive. You only need 3 ingredients to make a surprisingly vibrant and buttery dinner that fills everybody up fast.

This slow cooker 3-ingredient sweet pea macaroni is the kind of meal I lean on when groceries feel too expensive and everyone still needs to leave the table full and happy. It’s built around the cheapest pantry staples I always seem to have: a box of elbow macaroni, a bag of frozen peas, and a stick of butter. Everything cooks together right in the slow cooker, and the starch from the pasta mixes with the melted butter to make a surprisingly rich, glossy sauce. The peas stay bright and sweet, so the whole dish looks more vibrant than you’d ever expect from such a simple, budget-friendly dinner.

Serve this sweet pea macaroni straight from the slow cooker while it’s still glossy and warm. I like to scoop it into bowls and add a little black pepper at the table, but it’s comforting all on its own. It pairs nicely with a simple green salad or sliced fresh veggies if you have them, and a piece of toast or garlic bread stretches it even further on tight-budget nights. For kids, I’ll sometimes offer a sprinkle of grated cheese on top, but it’s absolutely fine plain when the fridge is bare.

Servings: 4

12 oz (about 3 cups) dry elbow macaroni

Lightly grease the inside of your slow cooker crock if you like easier cleanup, then pour in the dry elbow macaroni.

Add the hot water and salt (if using) to the macaroni and stir so all the pasta is moistened and mostly submerged.

Scatter the chunks of butter evenly over the top of the macaroni so they can melt down into the pasta as it cooks.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes, then open the lid and give everything a good stir, scraping the bottom to be sure no macaroni is sticking.

Stir in the frozen sweet peas, making sure they’re tucked down into the hot pasta and buttery liquid so they can heat through evenly.

Cover again and continue cooking on HIGH for another 20–30 minutes, stirring once more halfway through, until the macaroni is tender, the peas are bright green and soft, and the butter has formed a glossy, lightly thickened sauce with the pasta starch.

Once everything is tender and coated in the buttery sauce, turn the slow cooker to WARM. Give it a final stir, taste, and adjust salt if needed.

Serve the sweet pea macaroni straight from the slow cooker while hot, spooning up plenty of the melted butter sauce with each portion.

If you’re cooking for picky eaters, you can start with fewer peas and stir in just a small handful at first, then add more to the adult bowls at the table. For a slightly lighter version, you can reduce the butter to 3/4 cup and add a splash of the starchy pasta water from the crock if you need a bit more moisture. When you’re not counting every penny, a handful of shredded cheddar or Parmesan stirred in at the end melts into the buttery sauce and makes it extra creamy. You can also swap the elbow macaroni for any small pasta shape you have on hand, like shells or ditalini—just keep an eye on the cooking time, as some shapes soften a bit faster. To stretch the meal, stir in a drained can of white beans with the peas for extra protein, or top each bowl with a fried or soft-boiled egg if you’ve got them in the fridge. A sprinkle of garlic powder, black pepper, or dried Italian herbs on individual servings is a nice way to dress it up without adding to the base ingredient list.