Quick & Easy Recipes for Students

Australia Nov 4, 2019

Moving out for college? You are in for some real fun and adventure. College life leaves no room for disappointment. Get ready to finally do most of the things off your bucket list at college. Once you find the right college and student home for you, there’s no looking back. It is all fun and games until it is dinner time. While you should not stop yourself from having ultimate fun, it is equally essential to consume a healthy and balanced diet. All you need to do is to master a few healthy recipes to make during college. Keep reading to explore some super easy recipes for students:

1. Chicken Fajitas

Who does not love fajitas? And who knew that making them would be so easy, right? This perfect and easy student meal idea can be prepared by the lazy ones as well! All you will need to make mouth-watering fajitas is:

  • 1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 c. lime juice
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • Tortillas, for serving

Just follow these simple steps and you will master some easy student meals in no time!

In a large bowl, whisk together 1⁄2 cup oil, lime juice, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then add to a bowl and toss to coat. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

When ready to cook, heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until it becomes golden-brown and cooked properly, 8 minutes per side. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice the chicken into strips. This recipe is one of the easy recipes for college students.

Add bell peppers and onion to skillet and cook until soft for about 5 minutes. Add chicken and toss until combined. Serve with tortillas.

(Vegetarians can simply replace the chicken with tofu for equally yummy fajitas!)

Chicken Fajitas

2. Calzones

INGREDIENTS:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 3/4 lb. pizza dough
  • All-purpose flour, for surface
  • 1 c. pizza sauce
  • 1 c. ricotta
  • 1/2 c. pepperoni
  • 1 c. shredded mozzarella
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
  • Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 500° and grease two large baking sheets with some cooking spray. Divide pizza dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough out into an 8″ circle, about ¼” thick. Spread the pizza sauce in the middle of the dough, then dot with ricotta and top with pepperoni and mozzarella.

Gently fold the dough in half, dampen seams with water and pinch together, then crimp edges all around. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Brush tops with oil and sprinkle with salt. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, slit tops in 2 to 3 spots to create steam vents. Bake until the tops are golden and the filling starts to bubble. This will take about 20 minutes. Keep brushing with more oil halfway through. Let it cool down for nearly 5 minutes before cutting open.

Calzones

3. Baked Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS:

  • Cooking spray
  • 16 oz. spaghetti
  • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 c. basil, chopped
  • 1 c. shredded mozzarella
  • 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a medium baking dish with cooking spray. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in some garlic and cook until fragrant. Enjoy the smell for about a minute and turn it off because you don’t want to burn it.

 Add ground beef, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, and cook until no longer pink. This will about 8 minutes. Drain the fat in a bowl lined with paper towels and return to pan. Pour in crushed some nicely chopped tomatoes and basil and simmer until slightly reduced by about 10 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Toss with spaghetti, then transfer to a baking dish and top with mozzarella and Parmesan. The cheesier, the better? Right? Bake until cheese is melted and pasta is warmed through, about 20 minutes. It is a great dinner recipe for college students.

Garnish with parsley and serve. Choose a sauce of your choice and you are good to go!

Homemade spaghetti

4. Cheesy Beef Ground Tacos

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 (15-oz.) can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp. taco seasoning
  • kosher salt
  • 2 c. shredded cheddar or pepper jack
  • 8 Small flour tortillas
  • Sliced green onions, for serving
  • Sour cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion until soft, 6 minutes. Add beef and cook until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes, then add tomatoes, black beans, and taco seasoning and season with salt. Stir until combined. Add cheese and stir until completely melted. Fill the mixture into flour tortillas and fold. Garnish with green onions and serve with sour cream.

Quick student meals can take you a long way.

Homemade beef tacos

5.  Chicken and Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 4 tsp. sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 tsp. sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 c. low-sodium chicken broth
  • 8 oz. egg noodles

DIRECTIONS:

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and bay leaf and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour in broth.

Cover and cook on low, 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Discard herbs and bay leaf. Return chicken to slow cooker and add egg noodles.

Cook on low, covered, until al dente, 20 to 30 minutes. Isn’t this a mouth-watering student meal idea?

Healthy chicken and noodle soup

6. Shepherd’s Pie

INGREDIENTS:

For Potatoes:

  • 1 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 tbsp. melted butter
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • 1/4 c. sour cream
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For Beef Mixture: 

  • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 c. frozen peas
  • 1 c. frozen corn
  • 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Make mashed potatoes: In a large pot, cover potatoes with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until totally soft, 16 to 18 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

Use a potato masher to mash potatoes until smooth. Add some melted butter, milk, and sour cream. Mash together until fully incorporated, then season with salt and pepper. Set it aside for a while.

Make beef mixture: In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add some onion, carrots, garlic, and thyme and cook until fragrant and softened 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 5 minutes more. Drain fat.

Stir in frozen peas and corn and cook until warmed through and keep going for 3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the meat with flour and stir to evenly distribute. Cook for 1 more minute and add chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and let mixture thickens slightly 5 minutes.

Top beef mixture with an even layer of mashed potatoes and bake until there is very little liquid visible and mashed potatoes are golden about 20 minutes. Broil if desired.

Garnish with parsley before serving.

Shepherd's Pie recipe

There you have it! This is the perfect compilation of easy quick and easy recipes for college students. Now that you will have these simple recipes mastered, you can also move on to try your hand at some fancy ones! Healthy college recipes bring you one step closer to a healthy lifestyle. Cook for the cute friend from class or just have a solo date in your student accommodation.

Student Accommodation in US, UK, AUS & IRE

Speaking of student accommodation, have you found yourself one yet? If not, Unilodgers is eagerly waiting to serve you! 

Unilodgers is the world’s leading platform to book student accommodation and serves over 2 million students from over 195 countries every year. We provide students exclusive offers on student housing options and make it easy to book the accommodation that’s the best fit for you.

 Also Read:

 

Tags