College life is busy and expensive to cope with, and for many college students, it’s usually their first time living separately from their parents or guardians.
One of the major problems that such college students undergo apart from feeling lonely is the problem of cooking, making affordable meals that can suit your pocket, and also less time-consuming.
This can be challenging if it is the first time you have to do it.
Having said this, there is a great need for college students to know some of the affordable meals ideas that they can substitute for while managing their cash, and also each meal idea that you can prepare quickly between classes after late-night study sessions.
So in this article, I will list the 10 affordable meal ideas for college students that you can prepare without breaking your bank with simple recipes that use few ingredients that can make cooking easy for you.
10 Affordable Meal Ideas For College Students
Making affordable meals is actually easier that it sounds.
These affordable meal ideas that will be listed below are perfect for college students living on a budget who don’t have much time to cook due to lectures such as:
1. Chicken Breasts And Veggies
Chicken breasts are a great, low fat source of protein, but can be expensive atimes.
Method Of Preparation
Buy breast or tender frozen in bulk for a big savings, then roast them, poach them or pan fry them in just a little bit of oil.
Steam some basic veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, cook up a little rice.
Get back to that bulk aisle for white rice to speed things up and you’ll have a fast, healthy and affordable meal in no time.
Price: $1.50 per serving
Duration: 30 minutes
2. Scrambled Eggs And Toast
Eggs are affordable, delicious and, in moderation, healthy.
Method Of Preparation
Poach two and throw them on some toast, or scramble some with veggies for a quick breakfast.
You can even throw the mix into your burrito for a Mexican-style morning meal that capitalizes on leftovers.
Eggs can also be dropped into boiling water to help dress up that Ramen or any other soup, particularly those based on chicken stock.
You can stir fried into cooked rice as a base for fried rice.
Price: $0.78 per serving
Duration: 5 minutes
3. Frozen Meals
Frozen dinners are nice on lazy days or during all-day study sessions.
The costs can add up when compared with buying fresh or bulk ingredients and many frozen dinners contain a lot of salt and fat.
It is advisable for you to shop wisely to avoid the Freshman Fifteen.
Look for dinners that are healthy or designed for weight loss, and check the fat, carbohydrate and calorie content which are termed “bad” against the fiber and protein content.
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4. Burritos
Have you ever thought of doing something creative with leaf over beans and rice mixed together?
Mix both of the leftover food together on a tortilla with some cheese for a quick and easy burrito.
Add salsa for a little Mexican flavor and consider grabbing some fresh veggies and chicken or beef to round it out.
5. Deli Sandwiches
Do you love having more than cheese in between your bread?
Stock your cupboard with healthy condiments (think dill pickles and mustard), then get creative.
Meat eaters will find sliced turkey, ham, pastrami and more in the deli aisle and vegetarians can just load up with their favorite raw veggies.
Cheese is a great source of additional protein for either sandwich.
Tuna is another classic sandwich option.
Whip up a can with a little mayo and some celery and red onion and you’ll have a delicious and versatile tuna salad that can go on bread, crackers or straight into your mouth.
6. Grilled Cheese And Tomato Soup
All you need is a can of soup, a loaf of bread and a bit of butter and cheese.
Great for sick or rainy days, this simple classic is both hearty and light on the wallet.
Price: $1.89 per serving
Duration: 10 minutes
7. Ramen Noodles
Ramen noodles are one of the most delicious,affordable meals as a base for many different dishes.
While trying to prepare ramen noodles, try adding a few vegetables such as carrots or snap peas, throwing in some extra protein in the form of chicken or shrimp and finishing it off with a dash of toasted sesame oil or lightly cook the noodles, then stir fry them with peanut butter, coconut milk and veggies for a Thai flavor.
You will find that there is a lot of unhealthy sodium in the original recipe, but if you leave out the seasoning package and get creative with your own flavors.
Price: $0.25-$0.45 per serving
Duration: 2 minutes
8. Beans And Rice
Beans and brown rice provide essential proteins, and the meal is an easy and cheap way to make a lot of leftovers.
Method Of Preparation
Cook up your beans with some onions and garlic for extra flavor and throw in some sausage if your diet and budget allow.
Just remember that dehydrated beans need to be soaked overnight before you start and brown rice typically takes about 45 minutes to cook.
9. Spaghetti
Spaghetti noodles and jarred pasta sauce are both cheap and easy to make and options for sprucing up the sauce are as endless as your imagination.
Method Of Preparation
Consider adding onions, garlic, bell peppers and ground beef or turkey when next you want to prepare spaghetti.
Sprinkle a little parmesan on top if your budget allows you to get it cheaper if you look for a small wedge of fresh parmesan in the deli area of your local grocery store.
10. Stir-Fry
Stir-frying is fantastic because just like Ramen noodles, it can be as healthy and diverse as you’d like.
Method Of Preparation
Heat up a little bit of oil (use olive oil spray to keep the fat content down) in a skillet or wok and just toss in a few of your favorite veggies with some fresh ginger and garlic.
Meat eaters may want to start with some sliced chicken or beef, then add bottled sauce to the whole mix.
If this method doesn’t sound great to you, you can save up some money and get creative by making your own sauce.
Combine soy sauce, chicken stock and our favorite sources of flavor, such as crushed red pepper or more ginger and garlic.
Mix in a tablespoon or two of cornstarch, pour it over your stir fry and simmer until it thickens.
Serve the mixture over rice or noodles and get ready for some delicious leftovers.
Some other affordable meal ideas that you can prepare which includes:
- Mac And Cheese
Mac and cheese is a classic meal that is Prepared with ease which makes it outstanding in taste.
It is one of the affordable and simple meals ideas for busy College Students
Method Of Preparations
To prepare this meal, you will only need a pot, milk, noodles, and butter.
After my preparation, you can serve.
It’s important to note that you can rehearse.
- Baked Ravioli
Throw frozen ravioli in a pan and top it with pasta sauce and cheese for a fast, cheap meal.
This meal may also leave you with leftovers you can eat throughout the week.
Price: $1 per serving
Duration: 40 minutes
- Tortilla Wraps
Keep tortillas on hand to roll up quick wraps with deli meat, veggies, or other ingredients.
Warm or cold wraps are a creative alternative to the standard sandwich.
Price: $.20 per tortilla, filling prices may vary
Duration: 5 minutes or less
- Baked Potatoes
A baked potato is a nutritious, cheap, and easy meal that requires a single dish.
Method Of Preparation
Just poke a few holes in a potato and put it in the microwave for 12 minutes, or in the oven for 45 minutes.
Once it’s cooked, top it with cheese, sour cream, meats, or other toppings.
Price: $.78 per pound of white potatoes, plus toppings
Duration: 12 minutes to one hour
- Homemade Pizza
Make your own pizza using a premade crust or pita.
Add your favorite toppings, or get creative with leftover veggies and sauces you have on hand.
Baking pizza at home is a quicker and potentially healthier alternative to ordering out for one.
Price: $5.57 per pizza, plus extra for veggies and toppings besides cheese
Duration: 15 minutes
Conclusion
Having said this, you can see that going to college means more independence, but part of that independence means learning to cook for yourself.
While the dining hall is a nice option, it won’t last forever and let’s be honest.
We know the last thing you want to do is make a full-blown meal after a long day of studying or getting tired of eating the same food.
But with these 10 affordable meals ideas for college students listed above. You have something new to learn.
I guess you will give it a trial and learn better.
Wouldn’t you!
Leave your comments in the comment section below….
Best of luck!
