cheap, you say?
Chop an onion
gently fry in olive oil to sften
chuck in a fair amount of chopped smoked bacon bits
once browned, add a tin of plum tomatoes, not chopped
add 1/8 to 1/4 dried chilli flakes
lid on saucepan and simmer on lowest heat for 20 or 30 minutes – you wan the tomatoes to be sauce, not tomatoes
lid off stir and simmer for another 20 or so minutes – you want thick sauce
= basic spicy tomato sauce to be served with pasta
feel free to add other stuff, black pepper just before serving, sliced mozarella on top of pasta+sauce, cheap chianti when the lid comes off, garlic at frying stage, basil at lid off stage, meatballs at some stage, whatever.