Cooking your own meals while in college has several purposes. First of all, it is a great way to save a huge part of your budget because eating out and ordering deliveries is always pretty expensive. And secondly, it is a great way to stay fit and healthy too.
But, whenever it comes to cooking as a student, there are always a few issues that you can face:
- Some recipes are too tricky and require rare or expensive ingredients;
- Your dorm room may not be equipped with all the necessary tools;
- Some dishes may require special skills to make them.
Apart from this, there is always a problem with time. Students are incredibly busy. Of course, when they are in college, their studies come first, leaving nearly no time for things like cooking. Therefore, they often tend to give up on healthy eating and opt for fast food instead, just to have enough time to cope with their academic matters.
The good news is that students can always say, “please, write my term paper on WritePaper.com,” get prompt assistance with their current assignments from real pros, and save plenty of time for other things. And, with the recipes we will share with you here, you will be able to cook your own meals without wasting too much time. Here, we’ve collected the top seven dishes that are so easy to make that even a student can do this!
Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
Ramen noodles are quite popular among students. This product is cheap, and it only takes a few moments to make, though it can’t be called very nutritious. But, we have a great idea of how to turn regular ramen noodles into a delicious, more nutritious, yet very easy-to-make dish. And it’s budget-friendly too!
To cook ramen noodle stir fry, you will need a pack of ramen noodles and some extras of your choice. The extras can be anything you can find in a fridge or nearest store, including sausages, meat, ground meat, seafood, eggs, greens, etc. When ready, prepare your ramen and while it is getting soft and tender, fry your meat or other extras in a frying pan. When ramen is ready, put it into a frying pan, season with your favorite herbs, and stir. In the end, you can also add your favorite sauce to make it taste even better.
Mac ‘N’ Cheese in a Mug
Another simple, cheap, and quick recipe students will love is mac ‘n’ cheese in a mug. This dish is delicious and, what’s even more important, it is dorm-friendly because all you will need is a mug and a microwave.
You will need ½ cup of elbow macaroni, ½ cup of water, ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 3 tbsps of milk, as well as some salt, pepper, and other seasonings of your choice. To make it, put your macaroni in a mug, add water and salt. Microwave it for 2-3 minutes and stir. Then, add milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and your favorite seasonings, microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir again.
Bowties With Broccoli
If you want a nutritious, healthy, and extremely cheap dinner, this recipe is just perfect. It only takes a few pretty budget-friendly ingredients, and it only requires a bit of time to cook.
For this dish, grab some bow tie pasta, broccoli florets, and a bit of butter. To prepare this dish, boil the pasta and, in the meantime, melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan and fry your broccoli. When bowties are ready, add them to a frying pan too and fry for a few extra minutes together with the broccoli florets. If you have some parmesan, be sure to add it too to make your dinner even more delicious.
Burrito Bowl
Burrito bowls are extremely popular these days. And there are a few reasons for that. First of all, they include a variety of ingredients, which makes them pretty nutritious. At the same time, all the ingredients are very affordable. And this dish doesn’t require much cooking, so it is a very satisfying and fast meal, everything a busy student needs.
In a traditional recipe, to make a burrito bowl, you will need rice, rotisserie chicken (you can use store-bought), roasted veggies, crushed tortilla chips, avocado, tomato, pickled red onion, corn, carnitas, and sour cream. Needless to say, you can replace the ingredients to your taste. To make this dish, you basically need to put all the ingredients in a bowl. And the best part is that you can actually freeze your burrito bowls to eat them later!
Pizza Melt
Want to eat some pizza but don’t want to spend money on deliveries? The next recipe is a pocket-friendly alternative for students. It is cheap, easy to cook, and doesn’t take much time.
For delicious pizza melts, you will need some sturdy bread, pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. If you wish, you can also use additional ingredients, including olives, red onion, ham, bacon, mushrooms, and whatever else you like. To cook this dish, take a slice of bread, put pizza sauce and other ingredients on it, and cover with another slice of bread. Then fry on medium-low heat until your bread turns brown on both sides and cheese melts inside. Just that easy!
Sheet Pan Kielbasa Potatoes and Green Beans
Even if you live in a dorm, you can live and eat lavishly. Get a sheet pan and an oven, we strongly recommend trying this recipe. It only requires a few simple ingredients, doesn’t cost too much, and it also requires little hands-on time. So, it is a perfect lazy dinner for a student.
The ingredients you’ll need include kielbasa (or any other type of smoked sausage), potatoes, green beans (or other veggies to your taste), some seasonings, and some sauce (if you wish). To cook this dish, peel the potatoes first. Next, chop your potatoes and sausages, and put everything in a sheet pan, adding your veggies on top of other ingredients. When ready, sprinkle everything with salt, pepper, and other seasonings to your taste and pour a bit of oil or sauce on top. Then roast in an oven until ready.
Curried Chickpeas With Spinach
Lastly, students can try one more recipe for a delicious, super-fast, vegan, and healthy dinner. Curried chickpeas with spinach always taste great and are also very pocket-friendly.
You will need olive oil, yellow onion, garlic, ginger (fresh or powder), curry powder, spinach (fresh or frozen), tomato sauce, and a few cans of chickpeas.
To cook this dish, mince the garlic, dice the onion, and grate the ginger. Next, put some olive oil in a large skillet and saute the garlic, onion, and ginger for several minutes. Then, add the curry powder, spinach, and a bit of water and continue to saute. Finally, add the chickpeas, sauce, and spices of your choice and heat for another 5 minutes.
The Bottom Line
The dishes we shared with you in this article are perfect for students. First of all, they are easy to make, so you can handle them even without special skills. Secondly, you won’t need any special equipment to cook them. And lastly, these recipes don’t take much time. A perfect combination for a busy student!
So, if you have always wanted to start cooking your own meals in college, be sure to try the dishes you’ve learned about here!
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