Cheap Meals for College Students

Serve stir-fried meat and vegetables over rice for a cheap meal.

Rather than turning to a package of ramen noodles with their powdered sauce mix, college students can turn to other cheap meal ideas for a more balanced diet. The best student meals take less than a half hour to prepare and contain inexpensive types of vegetables, protein and grains.

Stir Fry with Rice

Rice is one of the cheapest foods for college students, at about $1 per pound of dry rice. Make a stir-fry to serve with the rice by cooking a store-brand bag of frozen mixed vegetables with soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. Strips of beef, chicken or tofu add protein to the meal. For a less expensive protein, fry an egg, chop it up and add it to the cooked vegetables.

Bean Soup

College students on the go can make a slow cooker bean soup during the day to enjoy as a hearty dinner after classes are done. Dry beans are much less expensive than meat and provide similar nutritional benefits because they are high in protein. Make a soup by combining a few types of beans, a can or two of tomatoes, chopped carrots, chopped onion, water and spices. Make a heartier soup by adding barley. Refrigerate leftover soup and reheat a bowl in the microwave for a quick lunch or dinner.

Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup

Canned condensed tomato soup is very inexpensive, especially considering that each can typically contains two servings of soup. Serve the soup with a grilled cheese sandwich or two to make a comforting and filling lunch. Rather than paying extra for pre-sliced cheese, college students should purchase a block of cheese and slice it themselves to save money.

Pasta

Dry pasta and cans or jars of tomato-based sauce are inexpensive and can be prepared within 20 minutes. Include more protein in the meal by adding some ground beef to the sauce. To cut the cost of ground beef, purchase it in a large package, which is typically less expensive per pound than a smaller one. Cook all of the beef at once to save time and divide it into plastic freezer bags with one serving each. Thaw a bag in the fridge the day before it will be needed.

References

• Minnesota State University Mankato: Beyond Mac & Cheese
• University of New Hampshire: Good Eats