Jaime- these were my go-tos in college (mind you it was a few years ago)
1) if still on a meal plan - Some will condemn this as theft but its up to you- bring baggie and bring back things like raw veggies, nuts, bread & cheese from the salad bar - this will save you TONS of $ ( also grated parm & those plastic honey packets)
2) Parsely Pesto - Parsley is cheap- Parsely + Stolen Parm + Garlic+ Nuts = Cheap Pesto awesome on pasta, tofu, chicken thighs, cheese sandwiches and my specialty was Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto & Tuna everyone loved it and it cost like $5 to feed 4 -5 people.
3) Eggs - put an egg on it- brown rice + purloined veggies top with fried egg& some hot sauce.
4) Garlic - you can bring home onions from the salad bar but not garlic- buy it use it it makes your food taste good.
5) Chicken thighs are in expensive and delicious
6) Tacos - Corn Tortillas, heat them up on the stove till they blacken a bit and soften then put anything you can think of in them- like grilled toifu & raw cabbage
7) buy a big can of olive oil when you have some extra cash-
8) is there an Asian market nearby? they are usually pretty inexpensive and have great sauces & noodles + frozen dumplings _ Crumbled firm tofu + Kale + Black Bean sauce + over soba noodles is delicious.
9) Use old bread to make migas (breadcrumbs sauteed in olive oil with lots of garlic & paprika, topped with fried egg serve with a big piles of bitter greens with lemon and anchovy)
10) Buy grains and things in bulk if you can-Quinoa with sauteed Mushrooms baked with a bit of plain yogurt , caramelized onions , garlic & smoked paprika is cheap and total comfort food-
I entered "college" into the search box, and here were some discussions that came up about this subject in the past:https://food52.com/hotline/27883-what-are-some-cheap-healthy-options-for-meals-to-make-in-college/answers
Jamie, there'S a whole sub-genre of cookbooks for people newly on their own with limited space, equipment & knowledge, wNting to cook easy, inexpensive & nutritious meals. College kids, the newmy living on their own the itty bitty kitchen etc. Search Amazon, other favorite booksellers and/ or library for these, pick one or two you like abd slowly clbuild a repertoire. Meanwhile, you''ll also come across entertaining stories about later-famous chefs and food writers subsisting on sludge, or other favorite one pot dishes. M.F.K. Fisher, Nigel Slater, Laurie Colwin, Elizabeth David & more.
Lentils and rice. Lots of dal and soup recipes on this site. Chickpeas, ditto. Greens are pretty cheap and healthy. Omelets, tortillas, frittatas. Spaghetti. Noodles w cottage cheese and scallions. Vegetable soups. Tell us more about yourself.
7 Comments
1) if still on a meal plan - Some will condemn this as theft but its up to you- bring baggie and bring back things like raw veggies, nuts, bread & cheese from the salad bar - this will save you TONS of $ ( also grated parm & those plastic honey packets)
2) Parsely Pesto - Parsley is cheap- Parsely + Stolen Parm + Garlic+ Nuts = Cheap Pesto awesome on pasta, tofu, chicken thighs, cheese sandwiches and my specialty was Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto & Tuna everyone loved it and it cost like $5 to feed 4 -5 people.
3) Eggs - put an egg on it- brown rice + purloined veggies top with fried egg& some hot sauce.
4) Garlic - you can bring home onions from the salad bar but not garlic- buy it use it it makes your food taste good.
5) Chicken thighs are in expensive and delicious
6) Tacos - Corn Tortillas, heat them up on the stove till they blacken a bit and soften then put anything you can think of in them- like grilled toifu & raw cabbage
7) buy a big can of olive oil when you have some extra cash-
8) is there an Asian market nearby? they are usually pretty inexpensive and have great sauces & noodles + frozen dumplings _ Crumbled firm tofu + Kale + Black Bean sauce + over soba noodles is delicious.
9) Use old bread to make migas (breadcrumbs sauteed in olive oil with lots of garlic & paprika, topped with fried egg serve with a big piles of bitter greens with lemon and anchovy)
10) Buy grains and things in bulk if you can-Quinoa with sauteed Mushrooms baked with a bit of plain yogurt , caramelized onions , garlic & smoked paprika is cheap and total comfort food-