Whether you are sick of the cafeteria food, or you live off campus and need an easy dinner, I have reviewed a few delicious recipes that fit perfectly with a college budget!

I’ll be honest: I am no Martha Stewart in the kitchen.  My skills top at cracking an egg without getting shell in the dish, and perfecting mac and cheese without any measuring tools.  Sure, I can follow a recipe, but it better be detailed and highly patient.  Living off campus has allowed me to explore these cooking skills a little more and once I was bored with the microwave ramen dinners, I began to explore the web for other eye-enticing meals.  The recipes I found fit both my budget (#collegelife) and skill-level.  Although they may not have come out as pretty as the picture, they were equally delicious.

Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats

This recipe was my most recent endeavor.  I am thrilled to say it only took me a $12.95 trip to Aldi’s to gather all the ingredients (with leftovers remaining).  Overall, this recipe was both quick and easy.  The only painful part was the preparation: cutting the onions led to some tears and short breaks.  After mixing all the prepared ingredients in one pan (easy clean), I popped it in the oven for about an hour and then enjoy it!

This recipe makes about 8 servings and some ingredients are optional:  I skipped the cheese and added pinto beans.  If your zucchini’s are a bit on the smaller side, I recommend shortening the oven time.  You can find the recipe here:

Chicken Fajita Salad

This recipe is perfect for a grab-n-go meal!  I have always loved salads, and they are so easy to take with you to class or work with no heating necessary.   The salad only calls for 4 main ingredients, with the recommended spices and dressing ingredients.  With most of the spices already on hand, I only had an expense of around $14.50 with leftover chicken, peppers, and avocados to spare.  One thing I especially loved was how easy it was to get everything ready.  It only took ten minutes to cook the chicken, peppers and onions in one pan, and mixing the rest was quick and simple.  I was able to get this ready in between class and work, with a thirty-minute time gap.

Depending on the type of ingredients you choose to buy, the expense can of course change.  My mom got me hooked on organic, which can run a little pricier.  You can find this recipe here:

Beefy Macaroni & Cheese

I don’t know anyone without a weak spot for Italian, let alone cheese.  This meal is both cheap, easy, and makes a ton of food perfect for week-long leftovers.  The main prep is cooking the beef and boiling the noodles.  After that, combining everything to melt only takes a few minutes, and is as easy as spreading it in a casserole dish and baking for a half an hour.

This recipe has been an easy go-to for me since junior year, and only costs about $8 – the lady from this site spent only $6.  You can find the recipe here.

Lemon Pepper Fish

Anything lemon usually gets my attention.  If you are the same way, then you have to try this lemon pepper fish!  Choose any of your favorite white fish (I love tilapia), season, and let it marinate either for an hour or overnight.  My friend taught me to leave lemon slices on the fish when baking.  When you go to eat, the pulp will melt right onto your fish giving it that extra lemon kick!

You can usually find fish on sale, so wait for that and stock up!  One meal usually ends up to only $3.  This recipe also comes with ingredients for a side of lemon butter rice.  Find the recipe here.

One Pot Garlic Butter Chicken w/ Green Beans & Potatoes

I love one-pot meals.  Nothing is better than throwing everything in one dish, letting it cook, and it coming out amazing – not to mention less to clean.  This recipe calls for no labor, but cutting potatoes and opening a bag of frozen green beans.  Talk about easy!  What makes this dish especially delicious is its recommended Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken Campbell’s Oven Sauce.  Soak your veggies and chicken, let it bake for 40 or so minutes, and it is ready for you to enjoy.

Be adventurous and even come up with your own sauce to replace Campbell’s.  Sometimes I will just use salt and pepper with some lemon slices.  Again, wait for chicken to go on sale for the most price-efficient.  After spending $15 for ingredients, I had plenty of leftovers.  You can find this recipe here.

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Be sure to check out Pinterest and other sites for great recipes.  These are only a few that I’ve tried and they have worked out great for me (and my cooking skills)!  Be sure to share your own recipes below in our comment section!