Trying to eat something appetizing that’s not just instant ramen or another sad frozen dinner? As a college student on a tight schedule and even tighter budget, finding a delicious, satisfying meal that doesn’t break the bank or take hours to prepare can feel impossible sometimes, especially if you’re one of the lucky ones that gets to live with food allergies such as myself. But what if we told you there’s a recipe that’s quick, super budget-friendly, naturally gluten and dairy free, and is easily tweaked for any other food sensitivities? Get ready to transform your dorm-room dining with this incredible Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice Bowl recipe by Laura on delish.com—it’s the perfect weeknight meal that proves you don’t need a culinary degree (or a huge wallet) to eat well!

Cost Breakdown

Recipe Making Process

Your first step when cooking should always be to gather your ingredients and supplies. “Mise en place” is a French culinary term that means everything in its place. This is important when cooking, especially in college, to make sure you have all the ingredients you will need. For this recipe, you will need chicken breasts, basmati rice, black beans, corn, mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes, a bundle of cilantro, limes, an avocado, taco seasoning, as well as an assortment of spices. Once those ingredients are gathered, you are ready to get started!

First, start by making the cilantro lime rice. You can use a rice cooker or a medium saucepan. To use the saucepan, add 1 3/4 cup of water, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice. Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let that simmer until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, usually about 17 minutes. After starting the rice, you can chop the limes, avocados and tomatoes and store them somewhere cold to top the bowl at the end.

While the rice is cooking, or beforehand, prepare the aioli. Start by finely chopping the cilantro. Once chopped, set aside 1/2 cup for the cilantro lime rice, and add 2 Tbsp to a medium bowl. Mince the jalapeno, measure 1 Tbsp, and add to the bowl. Next, juice the limes. Measure and set aside 2 Tbsp for the rice, and add 1 1/2 tsp to the aioli. Lastly, add 1/8th tsp of garlic powder, 2 tsp of water, and 1/4 cup of mayo. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Next, prepare the chicken. Start by cutting off any fatty parts, and slice the breast lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips. Then cut the strips into 1/2 inch cubes.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and season with seasonings of your choice. Taco seasoning, or a combination of paprika, garlic powder, and pepper are great options! Cook through, turning occasionally until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the chicken is cooking, finish the rice by adding the previously set aside 1/2 cup cilantro, and 2 Tbsp Lime juice. Add 1 tsp of olive oil and salt. Fluff with a fork, and stir to combine. Keep warm.

Once chicken is finished cooking, remove to a plate.

Return the skillet to medium and add the corn. Cook corn, tossing occasionally until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape onto a plate.

Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and taco seasoning. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until spices are toasted and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the black beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Once all the ingredients are cooked, it’s time to assemble the bowl.

Fill a shallow bowl with rice. Top with corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, and chicken. Drizzle each bowl with aioli and garnish with cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Chicken & Rice Bowl

Author: Food Literacy Students Cooking Method:Boiling Cuisine:Mexican Courses:Dinner Lunch, Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 35 minutesTotal time: 50 minutesServings:4 servingsEstimated Cost:18.12 $Calories:906 kcal Best Season:Summer, Fall

Ingredients

Cilantro Rice

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp olive oil

Cilantro-Lime Aioli

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp jalapeno, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Bowl

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups chicken breast, cooked and cut into strips or cubes
• 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
• 1 1/2 tsp taco seasoning
• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

Instructions

1. Make rice: In a medium saucepan, combine the 1 1/2 cups rice with 1 ¾ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 17 minutes.
2. Remove rice from the heat and let cool slightly. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, and 1 tsp olive oil.
3. Meanwhile, make aioli: In a medium bowl, whisk 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 2 Tbsp cilantro, 1 Tbsp mined jalapeno, 1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice, 1/8 tsp garlic power and 2 teaspoons of water. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cube chicken. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, add chicken and season with the seasonings of your choice, we found cumin or the extra taco seasoning is really yummy! Cook through, turning occasionally until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove to a plate.
5. Return the skillet to medium and add the corn. Cook corn, tossing occasionally until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape onto a plate.
6. Add remaining tbsp of olive oil to skillet and 1 1/2 tsp taco seasoning. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until spices are toasted and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the black beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
7. Fill a shallow bowl with rice. Top with corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, and chicken. Drizzle each bowl with aioli and garnish with cilantro.

Video

Notes

• We found you may need a tbsp more lime juice in the rice.
  Don’t forget to taste as you cook! Make it your own and have fun!

Keywords:Allergy-friendly, budget-friendly, college student, nutritious, quick dinners

Garlic parmesan pasta includes a bunch of ingredients that you either have in your cupboards or can get for cheap. It’s an easy crowd-pleaser that can be thrown together minutes before a party (or, if you want, you can have it all to yourself). Regardless of the setting, get ready to enjoy this delectable dish!

Cost Breakdown

Recipe Making Process

Chicken is used in all types of restaurants, from the priciest eateries to the McDonald’s down the street. It’s a meat that can be easily found for cheap, but, if prepared properly, can seem like a real accomplishment to cook. This dish follows that basic idea: it’s cheap, but it feels like a higher-end treat.

That said, while making this dish, there were a few things we did to bring down the cost, such as substituting heavy cream with half and half. We also used store-brand olive oil and pre-grated Parmesan. Budgeting your life away truly bites, but this dish has enough of that homey goodness to mentally transport you from the doom of the dorms to your parents’ dinner table. However, there might be a couple of techniques your parents may or may not have tried their hand at while cooking at home. One of the techniques used in this recipe involves a chicken breast that is either butterflied or beaten. Butterflying is what it sounds like: you cut a chicken so that it looks like a butterfly.

Before you butterfly it, you need to remove the tendons and any surface fat from the chicken. This will help improve the texture, the quality of the meat, and can make cutting easier. Once that’s done, you place the breast down on a flat surface and cut it parallel to the floor so it resembles a book (as shown in the video below). However, like a butterfly or a book, it needs to have the middle section intact, so you should not cut it all the way through. After cutting, you can open it up and cook it as-is. This helps the chicken breast cook all the way through while retaining its natural shape.

You could also simply beat it down. The preferred way to do it is with a meat tenderizer, but you could use a variety of blunt objects, from the food-safe rolling pin or (heaven forbid) the heaviest book you can find.

Recipe Steps:

• 1. Gather and prepare all of your ingredients, and grab your pan. That’s right, you only need one pan for this recipe! Just make sure it will be deep enough to cook your noodles in as well.

• 2. In a small bowl, mix together the Italian seasoning, paprika, salt & pepper. Pat the chicken dry and then rub both sides with the seasoning mixture.

• 3. Bring a large pan to medium heat. Once hot, add avocado oil. Then, add seasoned chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. It’s best to check this with a thermometer, while also checking to see if the chicken is firm and white all the way through. Remove chicken from the pan and set it aside to rest.

• 4. Reduce heat to medium-low and add more avocado oil and butter. Then, add onion and season it with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until it begins to get tender and translucent.
• 5. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 minute longer.

• 6. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Allow the broth to come to a light boil.

• 7. Then, add the dry pasta and stir to make sure that the pasta is submerged in the broth.
• 8. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al-dente.
• 9. Turn off the heat and add in the parmesan, heavy cream and parsley. Stir until the parmesan is melted and the sauce is warm and thickened slightly. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

• 10. Slice the cooked chicken into strips and add it into the pan along with the pasta. Toss to combine. Then, serve & enjoy!

• This recipe doesn’t have any vegetable sides, but broccoli would pair very well with this. It provides a bit of a bite while complimenting well with the creamy sauce. It could also go with a variety of other vegetables, but this is my personal go-to when making things like this.

Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Author: Food Literacy Students Cooking Method:Sautéing Boiling Cuisine:American Italian Courses:Lunch, Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 40 minutesTotal time:1 hour 50 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Fall

Description

Incredibly easy, very delicious, and fun to make! Only needs one pan and can be thrown together in just a few minutes.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 tbsp avocado oil (can be substituted with olive oil)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, butterflied or beaten down to about ½” thickness
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste

Pasta

• 1 tbsp avocado oil (can be substituted with olive oil)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ jumbo yellow onion, diced (roughly 1 cup)
• 4-6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz dry penne pasta
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese *
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the Italian seasoning, paprika, salt & pepper. Pat the chicken dry and then rub both sides with the seasoning mixture.
2. Bring a large pan to medium heat. Once hot, add avocado oil. Then, add seasoned chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove chicken from the pan and set it aside to rest.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add more avocado oil and butter. Then, add onion and season it with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until it begins to get tender and translucent.
4. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 minute longer.
5. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Allow the broth to come to a light boil.
6. Add the dry pasta and stir to make sure that the pasta is submerged in the broth.
7. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al-dente.
8. Turn off the heat and add in the parmesan, heavy cream and parsley. Stir until the parmesan is melted and the sauce is warm and thickened slightly. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
9. Slice the cooked chicken into strips and add it into the pan along with the pasta. Toss to combine. Then, serve & enjoy!

Notes

• Alternatives to Ingredients:
• 1. If all you have is a small or medium onion, use the entire onion. Regardless, the entire portion should be roughly the size of your fist.
• 2. For the chicken broth, you can also use chicken bouillon and prepare according to the package instructions.
• 3. You can substitute heavy cream for half and half, which is a bit cheaper and has fewer calories.
• 4. If you’ve got dried parsley, you can use it in place of the fresh stuff! Just use two teaspoons– cutting it down from the original two tablespoons.
• 5. You can use normal, gluten free or protein pasta in order to make it fit your dietary needs.
• 6. You can use pre-minced garlic in order to save time and energy. One medium-sized clove equals roughly 1/2 teaspoon, so aim for 3 tsp (or 1 tbsp) garlic.
• 7. As mentioned in the recipe, the avocado oil can be substituted with olive oil, which brings down the cost considerably.

Keywords:chicken, pasta, quick dinners, quick lunches

Cost Breakdown

Sheet pan meals are the perfect meal for a busy college student! This only uses a few dishes so you won’t be the roommate leaving a bunch of dishes in the sink. The hardest thing you will do is setting a timer and making sure you are adding ingredients at the right time.

While shopping for this recipe at your nearest grocery store you can mix and match different ingredients that suit your tastes and budget. You can pick between regular or sweet potatoes, and try different types of protein like turkey, chicken, or beef — even mix in different veggies to spice it up! Anything can work for this recipe, even the weird ingredients hiding in the back of your fridge.

Recipe Making Process

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, then chop your ingredients. Slice your sausage into coins, potatoes into quarters and broccoli into even sized florets.

Step 2:

Mix up your spices and glaze. Mix potatoes with half of the glaze and spread onto a sheet pan. Roast for 15 minutes.

While that is cooking, put the rest of the glaze on the broccoli.

Step 3:

Put the sausage coins onto the pan and cook for another 10 minutes.

Then add broccoli onto the pan and cook for another 15 minutes.

Step 4:

Once your final timer has gone off, use a fork to test a potato wedge to ensure tenderness. Once it is to your liking you can take it out of the oven and enjoy your nutritious meal and still have the brain power to ace those midterms!

Easy Sheet Pan Meal

Author: Food Literacy Students Cooking Method:Roasting Cuisine:American Courses:Dinner Lunch

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 40 minutesTotal time: 50 minutesCooking Temp:450 FServings:4 servingsEstimated Cost:12.00 $Calories:521 kcal Best Season:Summer, Fall

Description

This easy roasted sheet pan meal inspired by Kaylyn’s Kitchen is loaded with veggies and protein, and quick for anyone to make!

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes, cut into medium sized cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pkg. (4-5 links) pre-cooked chicken, turkey, or pork sausage (about 14-16oz. sausage)
• 1 lbs broccoli, trimmed and cut apart to make about 3/4 pound broccoli pieces
• salt and additional fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Slice sausage in coins, potatoes into wedges, and broccoli into even sized
   florets
3. Mix together glaze from oil, vinegar, and spices. coat the potatoes in half of the glaze and spread onto pan. Roast potatoes for 15 minutes.
4. After potatoes have roasted add sausage onto pan and bake for 10 more minutes.
   Coat the broccoli in the rest of the glaze
5. Add broccoli to pan after sausage has roasted and roast for 15 minutes.
6. After the final timer has gone off, take out of the oven and serve.

Keywords:budget-friendly, inexpensive, nutritious, quick dinners, sheet pan, simple, vegetable meal

Cost Breakdown

Recipe Making Process

Step 1:

Gather all your ingredients as seen in the image below. Once all ingredients are gathered, measure out what you need and chop the onion. Gathering and preparing all your ingredients is called mise en place and it will make your cooking process smooth and efficient. 

Image Disclaimer: The ingredients shown are equivalent to the recipe halved.

Chopping an onion can be a fairly easy process. Start by slicing off the top of the onion. Then, cut the onion in half lengthwise and remove the outer skin. Next, you will make horizontal cuts into the half onion. You can then start your vertical cuts. If you need more help on chopping an onion this video is a great resource! Cut until you reach the root of the onion and then set aside your chopped onion. The whole onion half can be used as a topping if desired. Now, roll up your sleeves cause it is time to cook! 

To start, use either a food processor or a knife and cutting board. If you are low on funds and don’t have access to a food processor, a knife will do the same thing. With a knife, you will take your chopped onion and mince it. Once the onion is minced, set it aside and do the same to your garlic, chipotle, and beans. Do not mince the beans completely, but rather leave them partially chopped. Leaving the beans partially chopped allows for an interest factor in the texture.

If you do have a food processor in your kitchen, the previous steps become more simple. Add the onion, garlic, and chipotle to the bowl. Pulse until the ingredients are minced. Once the ingredients are minced add in the beans and pulse until the beans are partially chopped. 

Step 2:

Once you are done chopping or pulsing the ingredients, place them in a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, seasonings, and egg. Mix all ingredients together until they are well combined. To modify this recipe to be vegan, substitute 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of warm water. Let the flax seed mixture sit until it achieves a gel-like consistency. Add this to the burger mix.

Step 3-4:

Once you have a well combined mixture, take a cookie scoop, or ¼ cup measuring cup and portion out the mixture. You should get around 8-12 patties, but you can make them larger or smaller based on your needs. To cook your patties you can either bake, grill, or pan-cook (sauté) them. All methods are done in a similar manner, so use the method that you feel most comfortable with. For beginner cooks, baking will most likely be easiest. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and bake the patties for 5 minutes on each side.

If you desire to grill your burgers, place the burgers down and cook for 5 minutes on each side. This method of cooking adds a different flavor. If you desire to pan-cook or sauté your burgers, warm a lightly oiled pan to medium-high heat. Once again, cook the burgers for 5 minutes on each side. This method provides a nice flavor and the oil helps caramelize the outside of the burgers.

Step 5:

When the burgers are cooked, serve immediately on a bun with your favorite ingredients. This is where you can substitute based on your budget. If it is summertime and the produce is inexpensive, use what you like most. If it is winter and there is less fresh produce, using cheaper produce like bell peppers, avocados, and cucumbers are affordable options. You can also find a cheaper green option like coleslaw mix, which tends to stay under $2 in the winter. In our video the following toppings were used: tomato, lettuce, pickles, sautéed onions, ketchup, mustard, and a lightly toasted bun.

Meal Prep:

This recipe is meal prep friendly. Start by freezing uncooked patties on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet for 4-6 hours or until frozen solid. They can then be moved to an airtight container or resealable bag. These burgers will last for 2-3 months. When ready to eat, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave (immediate use after this option). Follow the cooking instructions for the desired method and you are ready to enjoy your no-stress burger.

Tips:

The eggs or flax seed mixture are binding agents for the burgers. To keep your burgers together, ensuring the presence of the eggs or flax seed mixture is critical. Having your ingredients minced also contributes to better binding of ingredients. Making sure oil is in the pan or on the grill when sautéing or grilling will also help keep the burgers together. This will also aid in preventing the burger from sticking to the cooking surface and tearing.

Too hot? That is okay because the spice level can be easily changed. The chipotle peppers are optional and can be omitted if this is the case. These burgers give you the freedom to customize your burger to your taste preferences. If you want jalapeños in there, great! If not, great! This recipe provides opportunities to get creative in your culinary skills. Good luck and enjoy!

Nutrient Content:

Black Bean Burger

Author: Nutrition 1240 Group 1 Cooking Method:Baking Grilling Sautéing Cuisine:American Courses:Lunch, Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 10 minutesTotal time: 25 minutesCooking Temp:400 FServings:12 servingsEstimated Cost:7.71 Per 12 BurgersCalories:177 kcal Best Season:Available

Description

Black Bean Burgers are easy, delicious, and budget-friendly. They make delicious dinners, especially for your vegetarian and vegan friends! This recipe makes meal prepping so easy as well. The Black Bean Burger has been designed to be nutrient-packed, convenient, and easily modifiable to your taste preferences.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Large Red Onion
• 1-2 Whole Chipotle Peppers in adobo sauce (optional)
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 2 (15 oz cans) Black Beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Large Eggs

Instructions

1. Place onion, chipotle, and garlic into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add in black beans and pulse until the black beans are partially chopped, leaving some whole or partial beans. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the bread crumbs, cumin, salt, pepper and eggs until well combined.
3. Divide up the mixture to form 8 to 12 patties
4. When ready to cook choose one of the following options:
   Skillet: heat a lightly oiled skillet to medium high heat. Cook for 5 minutes on each side.
   Baked: Bake in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes each side.
   Grilled: Cook on an outdoor grill for 5 minutes each side.
5. Serve hot on a bun with desired toppings.

Video

Notes

• Look ahead and choose your desired cooking method before starting. If you choose baking, preheat your oven to 400F first.

Keywords:Vegetarian, Easy to Make Vegan, Fast, Meal Prep, Inexpensive