Top 10 Easy Recipes for College Students!
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Easy Healthy College Recipes for College Students!
Welcome to my lens offering free easy recipes for college students. Here are the top 10 easy college recipes (in my humble opinion) for college students, so don't waste money and become unhealthy eating takeaways and instead learn to cook!
This lens has some of the best easy recipes for college students as well as tips to make simple easy meals for students. All of the recipes here are simple and easy to cook and both cheap and healthy so you have no excuses for burning the student loan overnight! I'm constantly updating and improving things so keep checking back for more healthy easy college recipes.
What Be Cookin Below...
Not just easy college recipes!
- Essential College Student Cooking Kit
- The Best Money Saving Tip...
- 1) Chilli con Carne Recipe
- 2) Shepherd's Pie Recipe
- 3) Thai Green Curry Recipe
- Easy College Recipes on eBay
- 4) Homemade Burger Recipe
- 5) Simple Spaghetti Bolognaise Recipe
- 6) Super Easy Student Pasta Sauce
- 7) Toad in the Hole Recipe
- 8) Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe
- 9) Easy Omelette Recipe
- 10) Simple Risotto Recipe
- Fridge and Store Cupboard Essentials
- Other Great Recipes Lenses
Essential College Student Cooking Kit
The tools you need to get the job done...
Utensils:Spatula
Wooden Spoon
Large Knife
Small Paring Knife
Large Wok (this can be used as an alternative to a frying pan)
Large hob pot
Large Frying Pan
Deep oven dish (preferably ceramic)
Shallow over tray
Tin opener
The Best Money Saving Tip...
Cooking for your mates to save you money!
Cooking meals from scratch and following these free easy recipes for college students is a great way to save money, but the best tip I can give you is to arrange a cooking rota with your friends, this way you gain from economies of scale (bulk buying) and you only have to cook once a week or so! I also found that the kitchen stays a lot cleaner this way!Heres some ground rules and tips to make sure it works properly:
1) You cook an evening meal for everyone involved
2) Whoever cooks cleans everything up, all plates, pots and kitchen sides
3) Set a minimum spend or some sort of agreement to make sure you all cook to a similar standard
4) The more people, the cheaper and less often you will have to cook
1) Chilli con Carne Recipe
An easy college recipe for college students!
This was one of the first easy recipes I learnt to cook and can be mastered in just a few attempts! Its healthy, cheap and tasty and makes the ultimate student food. You can make a large batch of this and then store in the fridge for days or freeze for weeks.Ingredients:
Ground/minced beef 500g
1 Large onion chopped
2-3 Cloves of Garlic
1-2 Tins of chopped tomatoes 400g
Squeeze of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of chilli powder (or to taste)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
dash of Worcester sauce
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
1 Chopped red pepper
1 tin of drained kidney beans 400g
1) Fry the onion in a hot pan with oil until nearly brown then add chopped garlic
2) Add the mince and stir until brown - drain any excess fat if desired
3) Add all dried spices and seasoning then reduce heat and add chopped tomatoes
4) Stir well and add tomato puree and worcester sauce then leave to simmer for about an hour (less if your in a rush)
5) Add the chopped red pepper and continue to simmer for 5 mins, then add the tin of drained kidney beans and cook for a further 5 mins. If the chilli become to dry at any point just add a bit of water.
Serve with rice, jacket potatoes or pasta!
2) Shepherd's Pie Recipe
A Great Comforting Student Meal
A real easy recipes for college students1 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 tbsp butter
1 Onions, chopped
2 Carrots, diced
1 stick of Celery, chopped
2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
675g minced lamb, (or beef for a cottage pie)
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch black pepper
For the topping:
900g Potatoes, cooked in their skins
60g Butter
150ml Milk
1 pinch Nutmeg, freshly grated
1. Take a large, deep frying pan and heat half the fat in it. Add the vegetables, and fry gently, until patched with brown. Scoop them out onto a plate.
2. Raise the heat under the pan and add half the mince. Pat it down flat and leave to fry without disturbing for several minutes until the underneath has browned properly. Then break it all up, turning it over. Repeat the browning process, and then lift the mince out of the pan with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining mince.
3. Drain off the excess fat and return the mince and vegetables to pan. Sprinkle over flour and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the herbs (tie bay leaf and thyme in a bundle for easy retrieval at the end of the cooking time), enough water to cover, the tomato ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Simmer for about 45 minutes - adding a little more water if it is drying out. By the time it is cooked, the mince should be succulent and thickened. Adjust seasoning, then tip into a pie dish and leave to cool.
5. When the mince is cooking, heat the oven to 220C/gas 7 and bake the potatoes in the oven until tender. Turn the heat down to about 190C/gas 5.
6. Scoop the potato flesh out of the skins, and mash with 45g of the measured butter and enough hot milk to give a mash which is fairly soft, but still hold its shape.
7. Dollop the mashed potato over the mince, then spread down lightly in an even layer. Use the prongs of a fork to make patterns on the surface. Dot with the remaining butter.
8. Bake for around 30 minutes until the top is browned and the juices from the meat are bubbling up round the edge.
3) Thai Green Curry Recipe
An Easy College Recipe for College Students to create an Authentic Thai Dish!
Having been to Thailand, this has to be one of my favourite dishes! The photo is an authentic Thai green curry2 Chicken breasts
1 can coconut milk, or low fat coconut milk
1 Onion
1 Aubergine
1 Chopped green chilli
Thai Green Curry Paste
1) To make the curry, cook the paste in a large non-stick wok or large frying pan over a low heat, for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into strips and add to the pan with the chopped onion. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until no longer pink. Add the aubergine chopped.
2) Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Scatter over the chilli and serve
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Easy College Recipes on eBay
More Great Recipes for College Students
4) Homemade Burger Recipe
Easy food to impress your mates with!
450g lean minced beef
1 Egg
1 small onion,finely grated
½ tsp English mustard
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
25g butter
8 burger buns
8 lettuce leaves
1) Combine the beef, beaten egg, onion, mustard and seasoning together. Shape into burgers which are about 1cm thick.
2) Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, fry 4 burgers at a time over
a high heat for 1 minute each side.
3) Reduce the heat and cook for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally. Keep
warm whilst frying the remaining burgers. Serve the burgers in a bun lined with lettuce.
5) Simple Spaghetti Bolognaise Recipe
A Classic College Recipe - Simplified
I have tried to make this dish as simple as possible, as you get better you can add more ingredients - try cooking on a lower heat for longer if you have the time.500g beef mince
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup beef stock
clove of garlic
Carrots, mushroom and celery (optional)
1 tsp dried mixed or Italian-style herbs
Squirt of tomato paste
1 x 425g passatta or chopped tomatoes
Heat oil in a heavy-based pan and add onion, stirring over a moderate heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add mince, stirring constantly until well browned.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through (if using chopped tomatoes this will take a bit longer.
Serve with your favourite spaghetti, bread and salad.
6) Super Easy Student Pasta Sauce
A super easy recipe that can easily be improved with practice - you'll never have to buy a jar again!

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g can of chopped tomatoes
Fresh basil or dried Italian herbs to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
1) Simply cut onion and garlic into small pieces and fry until browned in olive oil - pretty much any pan will do (Flatter pans speed up the process if your in a rush!)
2) Reduce heat and add chopped tomatoes then simmer
3) When it starts looking like a sauce (usually about 4-5 few mins) add salt pepper and herbs, stir and taste
4) Adjust seasoning to taste if necessary and serve over cooked pasta. Done.
This can easily be made more elaborate by adding things like chilli, parmesan, fresh herbs, more or less garlic, peppers, red wine, balsamic vinegar, anything you like really! Slow the cooking time down to improve the flavour even more.
You can use this as a base sauce for lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise , meatballs or anything you wish and it tastes so much better than jar sauces (not to mention cheaper!)
7) Toad in the Hole Recipe
Easy College Recipe for a group of mates!
The perfect Toad in the hole recipe:Serves 4
8 Quality Large Pork Sausages
110g (4oz) Plain White Flour
1 Table spoon of Wholegrain Mustard
300ml (½ pint) Milk
2 Small Eggs
½ tsp Salt
1) Place the flour in a bowl, then make a well in the centre and break in the egg,
then mix in half the milk using a spoon, continue until smooth then add the remaining milk and a table spoon of mustard.
Meanwhile - preheat the oven to 230°C; 450°F: Gas 8 and leave the dish in the oven empty to heat.
2) Beat or whisk the mixture until fully combined and the surface is covered with tiny bubbles. Allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes, whisk again before use.
3) Fry the sausages in a pan to lightly colour and remove excess fat, reserve the fat. Alternatively, add the sausages to the hot pan with oil/fat in the oven for a few minutes to save on washing up!
4) Place the fat in a small dish tin adding a little oil, if needed, to bring the amount of fat up to about 4 tbsp. Heat the fat until smoking hot then pour in the batter. Add the sausage chunks to the dish and place into the hot oven.
5) Bake for about 5-10 minutes at 230°C; 450°F: Gas 8, then reduce to 200°C; 400°F: Gas 6 and bake 20 to 30 minutes or until the batter around the sausages has risen and is a deep golden brown.
Serve immediately with vegetables and a nice onion gravy.
Reccommended College Student Reading!
Full of Great Easy College Recipes for College Students
8) Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe
A quick college recipe
A super quickIngredients
2 chicken breasts cut into strips
Dash of Oil
1 garlic cloves
2 carrots, peeled
½ onion
½ red pepper
½ yellow pepper
½ green pepper
200g bean sprouts
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
Sesame seeds, toasted
Egg noodles
1) Cook noodles in a pan of water until soft
2) Slice all you vegetables and chicken in preperation while noodles are cooking
3) Add the chopped onion into a hot wok with the oil, then shortly after add garlic
4) Add all the sliced chicken and brown
5) Add remaining vegetables
6) Add cooked noodles when chicken is cooked (check a large piece is cooked through!)
7) Add soy sauce and oyster sauce (add more or less to taste)
Serve and enjoy!
You can vary this recipe easily with different vegetables and meats depending on what you have in the cupboard. Give it a go, its hard to get a really bad tasting combo!
9) Easy Omelette Recipe
A super quick college recipe!
Everyone should know how to cook an omelette and heres how!Ingredients
3 Eggs
Salt and Pepper
Butter
Grated cheese (optional)
Mixed herbs (optional)
1) Mix the eggs in any sort of bowl or jug you like (a pint glass works well!) with salt, pepper and herbs if desired.
2) Heat the butter (or oil) in a reasonably large frying pan.
3) Pour in the egg mixture slowly and swirl the pan a little to even it out.
4) After 30 seconds or so the top should firm up, at this point add grated cheese if you like.
5) Continue cooking a little until the cheese begins to melt, then fold the omelette in half with a bendy spatula
6) If its nice and cooked on the bottom already then serve, otherwise, continue cooking on each side a little more!
Sometimes I make an omelette with loads of onions, chopped sausages and vegetables in. If you do this then you probably wont be able to fold it so instead, pop the pan under a grill to finish the top off after its cooked underneath!
10) Simple Risotto Recipe
A simplified college risotto recipe!
Ingredients1 onion
6 rashers streaky bacon , chopped
300g risotto rice
1l hot vegetable stock
100g frozen peas
1) Chop the onion and bacon and fry in a pan of oil till nearly browned
2) Add the rice and brown slightly
3) Slowly add some of the stock so it just covers the rice, then reduce the heat to a simmer
4) Keep adding the stock when it become dry a little at a time (this is important, otherwise the risotto will become stodgy!). After about 15 mins the rice will be nearly done...
5) So add the peas and cook a minute or so then serve, cover with parmigiana if you have it!
Easy to change as well, try different vegetables or adding cooked chicken towards the end.
Your Student Food Tips!
Easy Recipes For College Students
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KateConn
Jan 30, 2012 @ 6:40 pm | delete
- I love that you have an omelet on here! I have a similar recipe for some easy marinara sauce but I added some chopped clams to really make it look/taste fancy. I love how versatile an easy pasta sauce recipe can be!
http://www.squidoo.com/easy-to-follow-recipes
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Timothy
Dec 21, 2011 @ 9:47 pm | delete
- IL put these into a plastic binder. So i can eat well, when i study game design next year.
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Dec 9, 2011 @ 5:02 am | delete
- just what I needed :)
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redleafloans
Oct 14, 2011 @ 3:59 pm | delete
- Everything looks really good. Now I'm hungry.
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DelightfulDanielle
Sep 23, 2011 @ 4:42 pm | delete
- OH this lens made me hungry! Great recipes :) Great lens :)
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amara
Sep 22, 2011 @ 12:09 am | delete
- shepards pie! great one, its been way too long!
if your interested in some more our blog has some healthy options see www.hungryandpoor.tumlr.com
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gleken Aug 21, 2011 @ 6:14 am | delete
- Really like these recipes
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gonzalezdenise Aug 17, 2011 @ 2:20 pm | delete
- great recipes.
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RecipePublishing
Aug 14, 2011 @ 7:27 pm | delete
- Great ideas.
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bames24
Aug 1, 2011 @ 11:52 pm | delete
- I love the Chili con Carne... :)
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RecipePublishing
Jul 22, 2011 @ 8:50 am | delete
- I liked the risotto recipe it was tasty.
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bensen32
Jul 14, 2011 @ 6:57 pm | delete
- Nice lens, not to difficult of recipes if you have any clue how to cook.
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lindarandall
Feb 27, 2011 @ 7:16 pm | delete
- connecting you to blog roll student cooking, decor, university homework help, blessings by squid angel ;)
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Dissenter
Feb 15, 2011 @ 6:55 pm | delete
- these aren't easy college student recipes, they're just recipes...
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RinchenChodron
Dec 27, 2010 @ 12:09 pm | delete
- Great lens. What is Aubergine? Where do you buy it? Is it a vegetable or what? Thanks
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Visitor
Jan 11, 2011 @ 8:17 pm | delete
- Aubergine is eggplant -- it's a large purple vegetable that you can get at any grocery store. It's delicious.
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miriamjimenez Dec 13, 2010 @ 7:38 pm | delete
- Varieties of healthy food. Great lens.
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ZazzleEnchante
Nov 6, 2010 @ 1:24 am | delete
- Great lens! Varied & healthy selection of recipes, accompanied with great pics and videos! Blessed by a SquidAngel!
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brittyJK
Nov 5, 2010 @ 5:59 pm | delete
- Nice lens.
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Enigmaa8 Nov 5, 2010 @ 9:08 am | delete
- healthy food plus healthy wallet I like. Makes perfect sense to make your own food its simple and can be made in minutes with not much effort at all. great to see its being encouraged.
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Amarant
Oct 18, 2010 @ 5:06 am | delete
- Where was this lens on my student years? :) I could have used some of this info!
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BSinDebt Aug 31, 2010 @ 1:35 pm | delete
- Great idea for a lens! Eating on the cheap doesn't mean you're stuck shoveling Ramen and EZ Mac into your pie hole for 4 years.
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samuraispiros
May 27, 2010 @ 12:56 pm | delete
- great recipies, I just hope the thai green curry tastes a lot beeter than it looks
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MissPuppy
Feb 14, 2010 @ 9:26 pm | delete
- Looks like a great easy meal lens. Good job.
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Heather426
Nov 3, 2009 @ 2:18 pm | delete
- Great! Lensrolling to my Quick Gourmet lens.5*
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stargazer00
Nov 1, 2009 @ 7:01 pm | delete
- Looks much better than what I ate when in college!
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ChapelHillFiddler
Oct 24, 2009 @ 4:12 pm | delete
- Super job. I'm lensrolling you to my cooking for one lens Thanks!
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Ramkitten
Oct 22, 2009 @ 4:59 pm | delete
- I graduated from college ... um, hm ... 19 years ago? (How can that be?) But these recipes sure look good to me! I think I might just pretend I'm a college student again and make that Toad in a Hole recipe. We've had some pork sausage in the freezer for a while now, and I didn't really know what to do with it. Now I do! Thanks.
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Stazjia
Oct 22, 2009 @ 4:47 pm | delete
- Good choice of recipes for students - simple to cook and relatively inexpensive. Blessed by an Angel.
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MsMommyJobs
Oct 9, 2009 @ 1:13 pm | delete
- It looks great. These are good ideas for students who like to enterntain their friends too!
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JohnsInk
Oct 9, 2009 @ 9:26 am | delete
- Great lens, you dont have to be a young student to enjoy these recipes.
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Laddoo Oct 9, 2009 @ 8:06 am | delete
- I must admit - a very yummy lens!! made me hungry! 5* and fave!
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nickupton
Oct 9, 2009 @ 5:13 am | delete
- Go shopping a little before the store shuts and buy all the stuff that is being reduced to save money.
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kitty222
Oct 8, 2009 @ 6:11 pm | delete
- Good Lens; I faved it. Maybe I should show this to my brother, who's a college student; about all he knows how to make is this vegetable goop that looks unappetizing, though he swears it tastes all right. Have you considered publishing these recipes in a cookbook?
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divacratus
Sep 26, 2009 @ 7:29 am | delete
- Yummy! Totally hungry for some college recipes now!
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BecomingaVegetarian
Sep 23, 2009 @ 6:24 pm | delete
- Nice tips, great easy to follow recipe for the omelet. Don't forget Beans on Toast or Jacket potatoes as well they are very versatile, cheap, easy, healthy and quick to prepare!
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bethd821 Sep 5, 2009 @ 7:43 pm | delete
- Great lens. Made me hungry.
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jwblackwell
Aug 27, 2009 @ 11:20 am | in reply to ajgodinho | delete
- thanks for the support! Im having a bit of trouble directing any significant traffic to this page but im doing OK on others, any top tips?
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ajgodinho Aug 26, 2009 @ 11:28 pm | delete
- You've done an excellent job with this lens - I'm always encouraged to see young people like you choose healthy lifestyles and promote it! Welcome to Squidoo and keep up the great work! Let me know if there is any way I can help!
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thesuccess
Aug 24, 2009 @ 12:23 pm | delete
- Good idea, I lived on chips & muesli (remember to rename your guestbook title to say "Your student food tips")
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Student recipes from Google
More easy recipes for college students
Fridge and Store Cupboard Essentials
Dont leave home without...
2. Tinned Tomatoes - can be used to make sauces and soups
3. Tinned Tuna or Salmon - great with pasta, jacket potatoes or salads. They're also high in protein and omega 3
4. Cheddar cheese - great source of calcium and it's delicious with almost anything
5. Dried herbs and spices -chilli and mixed herbs are a must-have!
6. Eggs - ideal protein food. If you've only got two eggs and a lump of cheese in the fridge you can always make a delicious omlette.
7. Pasta, Rice and Couscous - cheap and tasty and can be eaten cold the next day!
8. Stock cubes - great for curries, stews and soups
9. Oats - mix with some milk and honey as a great filling meal to start the day, especially during the winter months.
10. Fruit Juice - opt for the concentrated ones which are much cheaper than the fresh, chilled kind. Great way to stockup on your five a day.
Other Great Recipes Lenses
Check out these for more recipe ideas!
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