T he “broke college student” life is not just a fictional trope but very very real. One always seems to be tight on cash and getting take out every day or multiple times a week is uneconomical. You need to learn cheap recipes for college life. These will not only be easy on your pocket but also provide you with the nutrients you need while also being easy to make!
The college cafeteria has a fixed menu and at one point everything starts tasting the same. It simply fails to match up to the comfort of a homemade meal. One option is to get all your groceries but here’s where the budget issues come in. Not to mention, when you’re neck-deep in fast-approaching deadlines, you won’t have time to whip up full-course dinners for yourself. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for instant ramen.
Here are five easy-to-make and quick snacks that won’t break your bank and keep you well fed.
Note: All these recipes feed one to two people, adjust your ingredients accordingly!
Ingredients:
1 cup Store-bought elbow macaroni
⅓ cup All-purpose flour
⅓ cup Butter
1 cup Milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
Salt and pepper to taste.
How to make it:
Boil macaroni in a saucepan, drain it, pour a teaspoon of vegetable oil on it, and shake it to prevent the macaroni from sticking together
In another saucepan, melt butter and mix all-purpose flour to make a paste.
When the paste thickens add a cup of milk and mix it.
Add one cup of shredded cheese and mix until it melts.
Once the white sauce bubbles up, pour the boiled macaroni into the saucepan and fold it in the sauce until it is coated.
Ingredients:
1 jar of oil-packed tuna (6-7 ounces)
1 tbsp Minced onions
1 tbsp chopped capers
½ tbsp Mayonnaise
½ tsp Asian chili paste
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese
French bread
Salt and Pepper
How to make it:
Make the tuna salad: Drain the oil from the tuna jar and pull apart the tuna with a fork.
Mix in celery, capers, Asian chili paste, mayonnaise, and onions. Add some pieces of shredded or small pieces of pulled mozzarella cheese to your salad. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and oil spray.
Butter the french bread on both sides and bake them until they are golden brown on both sides.
Spread tuna salad generously on one side and add shredded cheddar cheese on top
Bake for 5-6 minutes until cheese melts and bubbles up,
Ingredients:
Slices of bread
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Butter
How to make it:
Spread butter on both slices of the slices of bread and grill them on a hot pan or grill until slightly golden.
Place shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top of one slice and cover with the other slice.
Cover the grill or pan with a concave lid for two minutes until the cheese melts then flip to the other side and cover again.
Remove when all the cheese has melted and the bread slices are golden brown.
Serve with tomato soup or ketchup.
Ingredients:
1 cup Store-bought spaghetti
2 tbsp Butter
3 cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper
Grated parmesan for garnish
How to make it:
Boil spaghetti in a saucepan and set it aside after running it under cold water and a teaspoon of vegetable oil
Melt two tbsp butter in a pan and add thinly sliced garlic gloves to it. Fry until they are slightly golden.
Add the spaghetti and lightly fold them in the butter garlic mixture until they are coated.
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with shredded parmesan.
Ingredients:
1 packet Tortilla chips
1 cup Small diced or shredded chicken or beef
½ cup Lettuce
½ cup Salsa (canned or homemade)
Sour cream as a dip
How to make it:
Line your dish or plate with tortilla chips a the bottom
Cover tortilla chips with chicken/beef, salsa, lettuce, and shredded cheese.
Microwave until the cheese has melted.
Serve with sour cream or mashed avocado.
These cheap recipes for college life will not just fill up your tummy, but also not leave a dent in your bank account. The best part, they’re incredibly easy to cook!
