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Most students don’t have a lot of cash to spend on food, but that doesn’t mean you have to go hungry. With the right recipes and some kitchen savvy, you can eat great even on a student’s budget. Here we’ll share 100 tasty recipes that you can make on the cheap. Along with saving money on meals, budget-savvy students can also save big on a college education by attending inexpensive online colleges.

Breakfast

Get a good start to your day with these cheap-o breakfasts.

1. Hash browns: Hash browns are cheap and easy to make, and cheaper than a trip to IHOP.
2. Puff pastry chicken and bacon: You can make bacon and chicken in puff pastry using this recipe.
3. Microwave scrambled eggs: Make scrambled eggs in the microwave with this recipe.
4. Breakfast burritos: You can make these burritos ahead for a quick microwave breakfast.
5. Onion quiche: This quiche makes a delicious, incredibly cheap breakfast.
6. Omelet in a bag: Boil eggs and some handy ingredients for this simple, cheap omelet.
7. Frittata: Add eggs to cheese, vegetables, and herbs you have handy in your fridge to make a frittata.

Ramen

A college staple gets dressed up in these recipes.

1. Antipasto ramen salad: With ramen, pepperoni, black olives, onion, and Italian dressing, you’ll find yourself with a great ramen salad.
2. Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Ramen: This dish makes a delicious stir fry from ramen.
3. Chinese style ramen with veggies: Make your ramen a little bit healthier with some vegetables added in.
4. Ramen noodle alfredo: Turn your ramen noodles Italian with this recipe.
5. Beef & Broccoli Ramen: Add some meat and veggies to your ramen to make this dish.
6. Spring ramen salad: Take a fresh approach to ramen with recipe.
7. Hamburger ramen: Ground beef with ramen makes for a great meal.
8. Chicken hollandaise ramen: Add chicken and hollandaise to your ramen for this meal.
9. Egg drop noodle soup: You’ll combine ramen, eggs, and flour to make this tasty soup.
10. Lo mein ramen: Follow this recipe for ramen lo mein style.
11. Creamy veggies and ramen: Add celery soup and vegetables to ramen, and you’ll have a great meal.
12. Pasta ramen salad: Use ramen as the base to make this delicious pasta salad.

Sandwiches

Use these recipes to step up your sandwiches.

1. Hot Dog Egg Sandwich: Get a good portion of protein and flavor from this sandwich.
2. Egg Salad Sandwich: Cook up some hard boiled eggs for a cheap, tasty sandwich that’s really versatile.
3. Monte Cristo Sandwich: This sandwich is a delicious hybrid of grilled ham, cheese, and french toast.
4. Grilled chicken and apple sandwich: This hot sandwich is healthy, affordable, and delicious.
5. Canned salmon sandwich: Add celery, horseradish, and swiss cheese for a delicious, healthy meal from a can.
6. Turkey, chutney and avocado grilled sandwich: This sandwich is an exotic, cheap treat.
7. Grilled Cheese Sandwich: The classic college staple, grilled cheese sandwiches pack a lot of flavor for very little cost.

One Pot

These simple recipes can be pulled off in one pot.

1. Creamy cauliflower soup: This vegetable soup is cheap, easy, and surprisingly tasty.
2. Cheap chili: Use chopped beef, tomatoes, and more for this cheap chili.
3. Butternut Squash Soup: Take advantage of cheap winter vegetables with this soup.
4. Slow cooker BBQ chicken: Combine cut up chicken with your favorite barbeque sauce for this recipe.
5. Crockpot lemon chicken: Get inexpensive cuts of chicken and make this lemony meal for lots of flavor without lots of money.
6. Minestrone soup: Eat this classic soup for a healthy, cheap meal.
7. Cheeseburger soup: This soup is hearty enough to be a meal.
8. Slightly Italian crockpot chicken recipe: With chicken, artichoke, onions, and spices, you’ll get an Italian chicken meal in a slow cooker.
9. Cranberry pot roast: Beef roast and cranberries offer a lot of flavor in this crockpot meal.
10. Crockpot potato soup: Make this soup from chicken broth and potatoes.
11. Corn, Bacon, and Potato Chowder: This hearty chowder is great for winter eating.
12. Chilled avocado soup: Check out this recipe for a healthy, refreshing treat.
13. Slow cooker pulled pork: Make pork shoulder in the crock pot using this recipe.
14. Middle East Chicken Soup: This ethnic chicken soup is a cheap, tasty, treat.
15. Bean soup: In this bean soup recipe, you’ll find lots of protein for just a little money.

Salads

Use these healthy recipes to make cheap, delicious salads.

1. Caesar salad: Combine romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing for a classic salad.
2. Simple spinach salad: In this tasty salad you’ll find sweet pears and spinach.
3. Bowtie Pasta Salad: Throw together some pasta, tomatoes, and other vegetables for this salad.
4. Cucumber salad: This salad is fresh, delicious, and cheap.
5. Caprese salad: This caprese salad is simple and delicious.
6. Chicken Caesar salad: Eat this recipe as a salad, or put it into a wrap for a healthy, cheap treat.
7. Simple green salad: Here you’ll find a simple, inexpensive salad with great flavor.
8. Pecan mandarin orange salad: Get a bright and sweet salad from this recipe.
9. Cucumber salad with sour cream: This salad is cheap and refreshing.
10. Salmon orzo salad: With salmon filets, or even canned salmon, you can put together this salad treat.

Casserole

You’ll find delicious casseroles in these recipes.

1. O’Brien Casserole: Use O’Brien potatoes, beans, lean meat, and some veggies for a great potato casserole.
2. Baked Tuna Chow Mein Microwave Casserole: Pop this tuna casserole in the microwave for a quick meal.
3. Easy cheap casserole: This casserole combines easy, affordable ingredients.
4. Penne Pasta Casserole: Make this tasty pasta casserole for $3 or less.
5. Meatloaf: ground beef combined with ketchup, onions, and more makes a great meal for less than a dollar per serving.
6. Four Bean Casserole: This casserole is popular at potlucks and with barbequed meals.
7. Tuna casserole: With canned tuna, you can make a healthy, delicious tuna casserole on the cheap.

Pizza & Pasta

Get your grains with these recipes.

1. Microwave Mexican pizza: Use tortillas, cheese, salsa, and sour cream for this pizza.
2. Bagel pizza: Use this recipe to make pizza on a bagel.
3. Spaghetti: Pick up multigrain pasta with tomato sauce and mushroom for a big meal without a big budget.
4. Feast of Pasta: Create this casserole with pasta, onions, and other simple ingredients.
5. Shrimp with ricotta sauce on pasta: Upgrade your pasta dish with this recipe.
6. Easy calzones: Use cheese, vegetables, and pepperoni in these easy calzones.
7. Olio e Aglio Pasta: This side dish combines angel hair with oil and garlic.
8. Pasta salad: Combine your favorite pasta with salad dressing, and olives, vegetables, or herbs you have handy.
9. Pasta and Ricotta Cheese: This pasta favorite is a crowd pleaser.

Entrees

These recipes offer affordable main dishes.

1. Baked potato: Often served as sides, a baked potato can be the main dish-just add lean meat, beans, or chili.
2. Mexican hot dogs: This twist on hot dogs is extra delicious.
3. Chili: With beef, tomatoes, and beans, you can make a delicious chili.
4. Tuna patties: Put tuna, egg, relish, crumbs, salad dressing, and other simple ingredients together to create yummy tuna patties.
5. Cheap beef stroganoff: This recipe offers a cheap version of beef stroganoff.
6. Vegetarian chili: Use soy protein, tomatoes, and beans for a protein and fiber packed chili without any meat.
7. Eggplant parmesan: Eggplant parmesan makes a cheap and delicious vegetarian meal.
8. Vegetarian sweet and sour tofu: If you’re looking for a great vegetarian meal on the cheap, check out this recipe.
9. Parmesan chicken: With breadcrumbs, parmesan, and chicken, you can make this very tasty main dish.
10. BBQ chicken: Slather chicken with barbeque sauce, pop it in the oven, and enjoy.
11. Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken: Make some delicious chicken in a slow cooker with this recipe.
12. Salmon patties: Use canned salmon, bread crumbs, and other simple ingredients for this healthy, cheap dish.
13. Meatballs and orzo: Make these easy meatballs instead of using store bought frozen ones.

Sides

Use these recipes to complement your entrees on the cheap.

1. Buttered baby carrots: Sweet, tender carrots make up this side dish.
2. Roasted asparagus: Follow this simple recipe for a healthy, cheap vegetable side.
3. Spicy mac: Make macaroni and cheese with Taco Bell hot sauce.
4. Garlic toast: Use this recipe for delicious garlic bread that will please any taste.
5. Microwave macaroni and cheese: Make your own homemade mac and cheese in the microwave.
6. Pesto stuffed cherry tomatoes: Pesto, ricotta, and tomatoes come together for this delicious side that’s great for potlucks.
7. Scalloped potatoes: These scalloped potatoes are easy and creamy.
8. Bean and rice salad: This salad is delicious and cheap.
9. Green beans amandine: With this recipe, you can omit almonds for even more money savings.
10. Onion scones: In these simple scones, you’ll find lots of flavor.
11. Potato croquettes: These croquettes are a great way to use your leftover mashed potatoes.
12. Twice-baked potatoes (microwave): Make this cheap potato classic in the microwave for easy cooking.
13. Broccoli and cauliflower salad: This salad is cheap and packed full of nutrients.

Desserts

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these affordable dessert recipes.

1. Chocolate chip cookies: Create cookies with chocolate chips, M&Ms, nuts, or even pretzels with this recipe.
2. 1 step brownies: Turn a chocolate box cake into simple, cheap brownies using this recipe.
3. Balsamic strawberries with marscapone cheese: A few delicious ingredients make for a tasty, cheap treat.
4. Cheap and quick cookies: This recipe will show you how to turn cake into cookies.
5. Lemonade pie: Simple ingredients go into this delicious, cheap pie.
6. Easy baked apples: Apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and raisins come together in this microwave recipe.
7. Super easy microwave peanut butter fudge: Only two simple ingredients to into this peanut butter fudge.

I love you

Ooooh, these sound delicious! Thanks! *_*

If you want another one, you can always make gyoza! I stretch it out more by putting them in cheap soups!

What you need: egg wrappers - 1lb ground chicken - 2 cabbage leaves - 2 eggs - soy sauce packet or two - sesame seed oil - mirin - salt - pepper - green onions - parsley - “nature’s seasoning” (a cheap all-season thing in the spice aisle, get the low-salt one), a spoonful of crisco for the pan TOTAL: ~$9-10 to feed quite a few people

egg wrappers are the round kind, usually in a stack of like 100 in asian food shops (so you might not be able to get them cheaply unless there’s an asian market nearby; here, there’s like 20 of those in a 15-min drive). white or yellow doesn’t matter. I like the yellow ones. They’re around $4/stack, frozen. Let them defrost for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Use 1lb-1.5lbs ground chicken or the cheapest, leanest meat you can get. DO NOT use fatty 80/20 meats because the juice when it cooks will pop your wrappers open. Turkey is way too expensive here, ~7/lb, but chicken is typically only ~$2/lb. 

Salt, pepper, + soy sauce packets I get for free eating elsewhere. SAVE ALL YOUR SAUCE PACKETS IN THE FRIDGE, EXCEPT SALT/PEPPER. You can cook with them! Ketchup + BBQ will save your ass!

MIX: Chicken, salt, pepper, 1tbsp sesame seed oil, 1tbsp mirin, 1 egg, 2 cabbage leaves very finely minced, 1-2tbsp soy sauce, 1-2 strands finely chopped green onions (save the bottom 3-4″! You can regrow them endlessly!), some chopped parsely (or ~1/8c dried), and a teaspoon or so of Nature’s Seasoning. 

Crack 2nd egg into tiny bowl + scramble. Get out a cutting board or some kind of smooth, flat surface to work on that is sterile. Get out a big plate, too, and a wet paper towel. Put ~1/2tbsp-1tbsp filling in the middle of each wrapper. Wipe edges with scrambled egg + seal shut. Make sure there are no air pockets when shutting them because those will pop open and spill your gyoza when you cook!

Make like 20 of these + cover with the damp paper towel on the plate. You need to keep them from drying out while you make the others or they will be a crunchy, gross mess. I’m good at multitasking, so I usually have one batch frying while I make the next batch. 

Pan Frying: A spoonful of Crisco heated in the bottom of my cast-iron is usually enough. You don’t want them swimming in oil; just enough to make them not stick. I haven’t had as much success with liquid oils. I think I have ~8″ pan; I get about 6-8 gyoza safely without overcrowding. Cook them until golden brown on the bottom, then get a little less than 1/4c of water and your lid. Dump the water over them and GET THAT LID ON so you don’t get steam burns. I’m used to working in a kitchen; you probably aren’t. Turn down the heat and let them cook.

Steaming: Get your steamer baskets. Instead of Crisco, use an extra 1-2 leaves of cabbage and set them on top so they don’t stick to the basket. 

Either way, I cut one open in a few minutes to see if it’s done. Since i have really expensive Belgique pans, my food cooks at half the temps my friends cook at, and things cook quickly. My friends have low-end Walmart pans that need high temps for much longer. You figure out what you need as you go. That’s the real art of cooking! >D (That “how much spice? Shout to the wind! Feel with your heart!” that’s real OK)

You will be cooking for awhile if you do them all today. That’s a LOT of filling. I like them fresh, but reheated is fine. 

If you do them steamed, you can throw them in a soup later.

Make your own chicken stock + broth or get the boxes buy one, get one free. I wait for sales. Mix that with water, fresh parsley if you’re growing any (I’m broke; I get expensive herbs + veg by growing it in pots in my apartment), a little more pepper etc. Boil it. Throw in two scrambled eggs, a little at a time. It should spread out like strings. Turn the temp way down to a simmer. Chop in more green onion if you can, or if you have any veg that tastes good with gyoza, toss it AFTER the egg. Otherwise the egg clumps on stuff. Then toss in your gyoza, already cooked. 

BAM you just stretched out your food for longer. And you can take the soup to work and stuff and microwave it; the noodles won’t dry out if they are in soup.