Everyone knows how busy college students are. Between classes, homework, maybe even balancing a job in there, it gets difficult when you have to add in cooking dinner for yourself every night. To help take some of that weight off of your shoulders I’ve put together some links to some of my favorite cheap and easy recipes that all college students should try.
1. Adult grilled cheese
Everyone loves a good grilled cheese. Why not dress up the grilled cheese a little and add some of your favorite lunch meats or veggies too it too. My personal favorite “adult” grilled cheese is filled with bacon, tomato, and avocado. This dish can cost between $8-10 depending on what you decide to put in the sandwich.
2. Dressed up pasta
Pasta is an easy college kids go to. You can cook it in just about 10 minutes, and it fills you right up! To make plain pasta a little more exciting one of my favorite things to add is some sausage and broccoli. By adding these you get a good balance of veggies, carbs, and meat, plus it tastes delicious. This recipe can cost up to $10-15.
3. Southwest chicken skillet
This dish, which only takes about 30 mins, is a super easy alternative to going out and buying yourself a chicken burrito bowl at chipotle. It incorporates chicken, beans, rice, salsa, and cheese into one dish. The cost of this dish is just as good as it tastes, ranging from $5-10.
4. Pizza
Chances are as a college student you probably want to order pizza almost every night of the week, so why not change it up a bit and invite some friends over to do make your own pizza night. Everyone brings their own ingredients and helps you cook and clean up, which makes for an easy and fun dinner for everyone! The price of this meal can change depending on what ingredients you want to add to the pizza, but typically you can keep it between $10-15.
5. Tacos
Like pizza night, Taco Tuesdays are another fun night to get together and cook with your friends. Whether you use ground beef or chicken, the meal is guaranteed to be delicious and cheap! Again, have your friends bring at least one ingredient each, such as, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, salsa, and guacamole. This recipe can range between $5-10 dollars depending on your contribution.
The most important part about cooking as a college student is remembering to have fun with it and not looking at it as a chore, but a cool hobby! If cooking isn’t really for you, just remember, there’s always Ramen Noodles!