It can be hard to find time to cook for yourself in college, but it is better for your health and your wallet! Cooking is something I really enjoy, and I’ve found some delicious and easy recipes that I want to share with you. Let me know if you make any of these or if you have any other easy recipes to share!
Crispy Oven Tacos
These tacos achieve the crunchiness of fried tacos without the messy frying. I take the smallest flour tortillas I can find and fill them with chipotle chicken and shredded cheese before brushing them with oil and cooking them in the oven at 425°F for about twenty minutes, flipping halfway through. I serve them with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
Crunchy Chicken Cheddar Wrap
Affectionately referred to as the CCCW, the crunchy chicken cheddar wrap is a staple at KU. I can’t find the jalapeño cheddar tortillas at the store, so I use regular flour tortillas. I cook frozen chicken nuggets or chicken strips in the oven and assemble the wrap with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, and ranch.Â
Pasta Bake
Pasta bake is great for extra busy weeks because you can easily make two pans and freeze one. Start by boiling pasta and browning your meat or meat substitute of choice in a pan. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and add the protein, jarred or homemade tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese to the pot. Stir and pour into a nine-by-thirteen-inch pan, top with more cheese, and bake at 350°F for forty minutes.
Butter Chicken
Easier than it may seem, butter chicken is one of my favorites! You can usually find jarred butter chicken sauce at the store, but you can also make it from scratch. I recommend Gordon Ramsay’s recipe because it tastes the closest to what I had in India. Cook your chicken and some basmati rice. Add the sauce to the chicken and serve it over the rice. You can also find pretty good naan at the store in the frozen bread aisle.Â
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
I like to use a copycat recipe for P.F. Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps. Brown your ground chicken with onion and garlic, then add hoisin, soy sauce, and ginger. Cook those together until warm and then serve on pieces of romaine lettuce. You can eat this recipe on its own or with white, brown, or fried rice.Â
Taco Soup
Perfect for cold or rainy days, but I still make this one when it’s hot outside because I like it so much! Brown ground beef or your protein of choice in a pot, and add onion and garlic. Then, add two cans of black beans, two cans of pinto beans, two cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, one can of fire-roasted corn, two small cans of diced green chilis, and two small cans of sliced black olives. You can top with sour cream and shredded cheese or serve with cornbread!