This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.
As a college student on a budget, it’s often difficult to get a quality meal without breaking the bank. Dining hall food, Greek meal plans, and fast-food restaurants sometimes just don’t cut it. But there is a way to have a delicious meal for less than $15 with the help of Trader Joe’s! Below is a recipe I made up on the spot, but you can feel free to substitute any of the ingredients for something that may suit your fancy a little more.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 package of garden vegetable, mushroom and asiago chicken sausage
- 1 container of white button mushrooms
- 1 package of whole-wheat pasta
- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
- 1 frusta, which is kind of like a mini pizza
Here’s what to do:
- Before you do anything, wash your hands. That’s the most important step of the whole cooking process, especially since everyone is getting sick lately. Also, turn the oven to 400 degrees to get ready for the frusta.
- Take the sausage links out of the wrapper, and place them on a pan drizzled with olive oil. Make sure the heat isn’t too high, or you’ll burn some of the sides! Cook them until all sides are brown. Once they’re ready, take them off the stove, and put them aside on a plate. If the oven is heated up, go ahead and slip the frusta in, and set the timer for 13 minutes.
- Slice the mushrooms, and put them in a pan with olive oil and butter. The mushroom pieces look big at first, but they shrink. Sprinkle some garlic salt on them and leave them there until they’re cooked. Put them aside in a bowl until the pasta is ready.
- Fill a pot halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the whole packet of pasta. Lower the heat, and cook the pasta until it’s al dente. Once you strain the pasta, put it back in the empty pot, and turn off the heat.
- Heat up the spaghetti sauce in a small pot, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn.
- Combine the pasta, sauce, sausage, and mushrooms in the pot. Don’t forget to take the frusta out of the oven! If you want, you can dip it into your leftover spaghetti sauce.
- Enjoy!
Once you’re finished licking your plate, I can guarantee you’ll have enough leftovers to last you at least two more days. With the help of Trader Joe’s and a little creativity, you can be on your way to a more budget-friendly, healthy cooking repertoire.