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5 easy and cheap recipes to sustain broke college kids

As UT classes returned to in-person this fall, students have struggled readjusting to living by themselves. One of the difficulties of living alone is cooking for yourself. Between classes and organizations, many students do not have the means to cook meals everyday. 

Here are five easy and cheap recipes to sustain college kids living alone:

FRIED RICE

Ingredients:

  1. Rice – 2 cups
  2. Mixed vegetables – 1 pre-frozen grocery store packet
  3. Eggs – 2 whole
  4. Garlic – 5 cloves minced
  5. Lemon – ½ squeezed
  6. Salt, pepper, butter – to taste
  7. Choice of protein – 2 cups shredded
  8. Soy sauce – to taste

How to make it:

  1. Boil your rice in water or use a rice cooker and prepare rice until cooked but not soft – about 20 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a pan and toss in minced garlic, lemon, pepper, salt, vegetables and protein (if you want), and toss until protein is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are soft (poke fork through protein and vegetables to see if it’s cooked) – about 10 minutes.
  3. Whisk two eggs and scramble over vegetables and protein.
  4. Add rice, add some more salt and let it cook for five minutes before adding in soy sauce.
  5. Enjoy!

ALFREDO PASTA

Ingredients:

  1. Choice of pasta – 2 cups
  2. Heavy cream – 2 cups
  3. Grated parmesan cheese – 3 cups
  4. Garlic – 6 cloves minced
  5. Basil – a handful chopped
  6. Butter – 1 cup
  7. Salt & pepper – to taste
  8. Choice of protein (optional)

How to make it:

  1. Boil pasta with salt, water and a spoonful of olive oil for 15 minutes.
  2. When the pasta is almost done boiling, heat a pan with butter until it melts. Add in garlic until fragrant.
  3. Put in all the heavy cream and stir for five minutes..
  4. Put in parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper and stir until the sauce is thick and smooth.
  5. Add in pasta and protein if you choose and cook for five more minutes.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients: 

  1. Tomatoes – 6, split in half
  2. Garlic – 1 whole knob, cut in half
  3. Onion – 1 whole, cut into cubes
  4. Salt & pepper – to taste
  5. Olive oil – to taste
  6. Chilli peppers – 2 whole
  7. Heavy cream – ½ cup

How to make it:

  1. Cut the tomatoes in half and put in a big pot or baking pan. Add garlic and onion in the pan and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. 
  2. Cook for 40 minutes.
  3. When tomatoes and garlic are fragrant, put in a blender and blend until smooth.
  4. Add cream and blend again.
  5. Heat it up in the microwave and serve fresh with bread.

STIR FRY

Ingredients:

  1. Mixed vegetables – 1 pre-frozen grocery store packet
  2. Garlic – 5 cloves minced
  3. Lime – ½ squeezed
  4. Soy sauce – ½ cup
  5. Honey – 3 tablespoons
  6. Salt & pepper – to taste
  7. Protein of choice – optional
  8. White rice – optional

How to make it:

  1. Heat a pan with olive oil and butter if you have it. Add garlic and saute until soft and fragrant.
  2. Add in vegetables and protein if you want and cook until almost crispy (about 10 minutes).
  3. Mix together lime, honey and soy sauce. Add to the vegetables and let it cook for five more minutes until the sauce coats the vegetables. 
  4. Serve with white rice or leftover rice and enjoy!

LOADED OMELETTE & SKILLET ROASTED POTATOES

Ingredients;

Loaded Omelette – 

  1. Eggs – 3 whole
  2. Vegetables of choice – eyeball it
  3. Protein of choice – 1 cup
  4. Salt & pepper – to taste
  5. Cheese – optional

Roasted Potatoes – 

  1. Red potatoes – 5 whole
  2. Garlic – 1 whole, minced
  3. Onion – ½ diced
  4. Lime – ½ squeezed
  5. Honey – 1 teaspoon
  6. Salt & pepper – to taste

How to make it:

Omelette – 

  1. Whisk egg with salt and pepper. Heat a pan with minimal oil and pour in the egg mixture. Let it cook until almost crispy.
  2. Add in vegetables, protein and cheese on one half of the omelette and fold the other half over. Let everything cook for 10 more minutes.

Roasted Potatoes – 

  1. Cut potatoes into medium sized pieces. Put pieces in a bowl with water and salt. Microwave the potatoes for seven to eight minutes until soft. 
  2. Heat oil in a pan and saute onions and garlic. Add in potatoes, seasoned with lime, honey, salt and pepper. Stir for 10 more minutes until dark brown. 
  3. Serve with omelette and enjoy! 

All of the recipes above require minimal cooking skills and can be made in less than an hour. Most of the ingredients overlap as well, so one trip to H-E-B can sustain a college student for at least three weeks, or at least until they discover another easy recipe. 

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