I moved into my first college apartment as a sophomore this year, and although the dining hall food was not terrific, it was at least easy to grab and required almost no effort. I didn’t realize how much time and effort cooking actually takes, especially for someone who doesn’t cook regularly (my parents really spoiled me). Between exams, classes, work schedules, clubs, and cooking and cleaning for yourself on top of that, it can be very easy to push food to the back burner and live off snacks and takeout. Takeout is expensive — not to mention unhealthy — and you can only eat crackers and hummus so many times. The last thing you want to do after a long day is make yourself food, and finding easy recipes can be difficult, especially for vegetarians and even more so for college students on a budget who may not have easy access to a grocery store. I, like many others on campus, do not own a car. So, here are my top five easy vegetarian meals.
My version of a vodka pasta (with no vodka)
Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta recipe went viral, and for good reason; it tastes amazing and it’s really easy to make, and the amazing thing about it is how customizable it is. Start off by boiling some pasta. Any type will do. I normally use chickpea pasta for extra protein, but feel free to use whatever is on hand.
Next, the sauce. The base is simple: just chop onions and some garlic and toss them in a pan with oil of your choice until golden brown. Here, feel free to add some vegetables for a more filling meal. My go to is always mushrooms and bell peppers, but you can choose what you want or nothing at all. Some spices, salt and pepper are a good place to start, but then you can put in whatever you desire, oregano and basil for the classic pasta taste or some garam masala and coriander powder if you want a little desi twist. After we get those aromatics in, we can add in the tomato, canned, paste, or even diced tomatoes work here. You’re gonna let that simmer, all the tomatoes become mushy.
At this point you can choose to blend the sauce in a blender if you want your sauce to be creamy. Next comes the cream, typically in this recipe a dollop of heavy cream is added and it tastes delicious, but, here me out, sometimes I sub out cream for cottage cheese. Now I know this take isn’t for everyone but I love cottage cheese, and if you don’t like the texture, a good way to get rid of it is to blend it. Now cottage cheese isn’t for everyone; you can stick to cream or you could leave your sauce where it is. Lastly, mix the sauce with your pasta, add some cheese if desired while it’s hot, and enjoy!
Vegetable soup
This is probably the easiest recipe you can make, and it is a very filling meal. The best thing about soup is that you can put whatever you want in it! Don’t like a certain vegetable? Leave it out. Only like a specific protein? Add it in. The easiest way to make soup is to first chop all your vegetables into bite-sized pieces — my favorites are mushrooms, spinach, corn, zucchini, onions, and bell peppers. Add all your vegetables and your choice of protein (my favorite vegetarian proteins are tofu and chickpeas) into a rice cooker. Add water; I usually eyeball it, and you can adjust the amount depending on how liquidy you want your soup.
Next come the spices. I recommend adding salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili flakes, but you could also add coriander powder or soy sauce for a different flavor profile. Although it’s not technically a spice, I highly recommend adding some tanginess, like tamarind or lime juice. Let all the ingredients boil together. You’ll know it’s done when the vegetables are fully cooked to your liking. If you like your soups creamier, add your cream of choice about five minutes before the vegetables and protein finish cooking. Boom — you have a delicious soup.
Vegetable curry
Making curry is very similar to making soup, but it requires a flavor base that soups typically don’t. Start by chopping your onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes. In a pot with oil, sauté the ginger and garlic over medium heat for about a minute, then add your onions and sauté until they are golden brown. Add your tomatoes next and cook until soft and mushy.
Add your spices — my favorites are red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, coriander powder, and cumin powder. For an extra desi taste, add garam masala. This mixture becomes your base, and from here you can turn it into any vegetable curry you want. My personal favorite combination is spinach, chickpeas, and sweet potato, but I also make versions with mushrooms and green peppers, or cauliflower and peas.
At this stage, add any vegetables or protein you like. Chop everything as finely as you want (smaller pieces cook faster), add water, and let it boil over medium heat until the vegetables are fully cooked. You can also add cream if you want a creamier curry. Serve over rice or with tortillas, and you have my easy curry recipe.
Salads
As a vegetarian, I often hear, “Oh, you must eat salads a lot,” and the truth is that I really don’t. I am not a huge salad fan, but salads can be an easy and healthy option. Over time, I have learned how to make salads enjoyable for me, and I have some tips.
Like all the recipes in this article, salads are extremely customizable. A salad base is usually lettuce, but any leafy green works — spinach, kale, arugula, whatever you like. Then come your chosen vegetables. Any of your favorites are fair game. I prefer more texture, so I use cucumbers, olives, beets, carrots, onions, and more. A good strategy is to rotate your favorite vegetables each week instead of using them all at once. My tip is to chop your vegetables as small as possible so your salad is bite sized and you get more flavor per bite.
I also add protein to keep myself full, often chickpeas (plain or air-fried), tofu (also plain or air-fried), or beans. To add crunch, I like sunflower seeds, nuts (walnuts or pecans), or classic croutons.
The best part about salad is the dressing, and while store-bought dressing is perfectly fine, here is my easy homemade one: olive oil, garlic powder, salt, oregano, onion powder, and pepper. Mix it together, and you have a simple three-minute dressing.
Bowls
Salads aren’t my go-to, but bowls? Bowls I can get behind. To me, there are two key differences between a bowl and a salad, and those differences really take bowls to the next level for me: the grain base and a creamier dressing. Following all of the tips from my salad section above, here are the things you can do to elevate your salad into a bowl. The first and most obvious upgrade is adding a grain, such as brown rice, white rice, quinoa, or even couscous. It gives you more fiber and keeps you full longer.
Another thing you can do in bowls — something not usually done in salads — is actually stir-fry your vegetables. I give bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions a quick toss in the pan with some oil and spices to add that extra layer of flavor. Other good vegetables I cook or air-fry with spices include corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and zucchini.
Once again, this is where you can customize your bowl as much as you want: choose which vegetables to add, which ones to cook, and which spices to include. When I cook or air fry my vegetables or proteins, I stick to my classics — garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. And now for the dressing, my favorite part. As I mentioned, I prefer my bowls to have a creamier dressing, like sour cream, guacamole, salsa, chipotle sauce, spicy mayo, or some combination of those. Assemble all of that together and boom — you have a delicious bowl.
Learning to cook as a college student has been a challenging but surprisingly rewarding experience. Although balancing academics, work, and life responsibilities can make cooking feel overwhelming, finding simple, flexible recipes has made eating well much easier. These meals have helped me feel more independent, healthier, and more in control of my routine. I hope these ideas make cooking less stressful and more enjoyable for anyone adjusting to life outside the dining hall.