6 More of the Best Cheap College Foods

After reading The 6 Best Cheap College Foods by Phil Dotree I felt like I had made my way down memory lane and back into those good old dorm days. I have 3 roommates and we all love to cook as much as we loved to eat. Unfortunately we went to a college that had some of the worst food at any college cafeteria. After loosing 15 pounds form shear hunger we all decided to start cooking a few affordable meals in the dorm room. You will be surprised what you can do with a microwave and a small little countertop oven.

1. Cheesy Potato Fingers

Ok, this my favorite recipe for cheap college foods on my list. Start with a bang I say. All you need is some potatoes, as many as you would like, some shredded cheddar cheese, and some of that cheese flavored shake and bake. I recently went to the store and was alarmed to see that you can't find this stuff anymore. So, I do not know if it has been removed from the market or is only in some of the stores. You can substitute that cheese packet from your mac and cheese box though if you want. If not, simply salt and pepper your potatoes to taste and skip this power cheese step.

Now, wash your baking potatoes thoroughly. Cut them into cubes or long strips; your choice. We always made cubes. Put the potato cubes in a plastic bag with a little vegetable oil. Now, shake them with your powdered cheese in a plastic bag until they are covered. Now, dump them out onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake them at 450 degrees for about 35 to 45 minutes. You will see them get nice, brown and soft. Now, take them out and liberally sprinkle some shredded cheese over the potatoes. Stick them back into the oven until the cheese melts. Take them out and serve with a tall glass of Coke!

2. Bagels and Cream Cheese

I love this as a simple, little, and filling meal in the dorm room. Bagels and cream cheese is so cheap. I like to toast the bagel, add the cream cheese, and then ad some strawberry jam if possible. This is quick to fix and so cheap.

3. Onion Rice with Vegetables

Ok, this is a great meal that can be made in your little convection oven or even in a pot on the stove. Simply measure out the amount of rice you want to cook. Add the appropriate amount of water. Pour in a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix. Now, dump in your favorite vegetables. I like to add peas, carrots and brokenly. Now, you can place this all in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. You could also make this on the stove to follow the direction on you bag of rice. Just add thawed frozen vegetates during the last three minutes of cooking.

4. Nachos

Nachos are so simple and easy to make. Now a days you can find all of the ingredients prepared and ready to use in the grocery store. I used to have to cook the ground beef with some taco seasoning though. So, all you need is some pre made taco meat (or even that pre made BBQ shredded chicken, some tortilla chips, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, black olives, and shredded cheese. Now, this may cost you about $15, but you can make about four meals out of these nachos. This is a great late night snack when you are studying all night.

Make a layer of chips. Then add some taco meat. Add on the tomatoes, onions olive, and jalapenos. Now, top with your shredded cheese. Place this under the broiler in your little oven. You could also microwave this for a minute or two. Once the cheese has melted your dinner is ready.

Now, you can substitute out canned chili for the taco meat. You could also use some pre made diced chicken from the grocery store. Those rotisserie chickens are great or even some of those deli sliced chicken strips. Tofu would also work well for any vegetarians. I also like to add black beans to these nachos, which is a great substitution for the more expensive meat.