Whether you are living in the dorms or in an off-campus apartment this year, learning to cook and maintaining a nutritious diet is challenging.
Scrolling Pinterest to find easy meals you can make with the fewest number of kitchen tools and ingredients is daunting, and the search isn’t any easier while toggling schoolwork and a budget too.
Here are two simple and affordable recipes any student can make.
Aldi is ranked as the most affordable food retailer in America. For all ingredients mentioned, I will be referencing Aldi’s pricing as of September 2023.
Naan Bread Pizza (Simple)
Using naan bread for crust is one way to elevate the very simple homemade pizza.
I used garlic naan. It comes in a pack of four ($4.29) and each piece is the perfect serving size. I coat the naan with a little bit of melted butter and garlic powder and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes while I prepare the toppings.
These do-it-yourself pizzas are great because you can really customize them in whatever way you’d like. It is super easy to make this meal vegetarian.
I used traditional red pizza sauce ($1.29 a jar), pepperoni ($2.49 a bag), ground sausage ($2.29 for 1 pound) and shredded mozzarella cheese ($3.69 a bag). Each of these toppings will last you more than a few pizzas and can be used for other meal recipes, too.
After topping your pizza, bake at 400 degrees again until it’s cooked to your liking. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes.
Cozy Chicken Pot-Pie (Something a little more advanced)
I started this chicken potpie with two, 12.5-ounce cans of chunk chicken breast ($2.95 each). Open each can, drain and empty into a medium sized mixing bowl. Take two forks and shred up the chicken.
Open one 10.5 ounce can of condensed cream of chicken soup ($1.26) and pour into the mixing bowl. Stir until the chicken and soup are combined. Next, open a bag of frozen mixed veggies ($0.95) and fold into the mixture.
Season the chicken potpie filling to your liking. I chose to stick with the simple salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. You could mix in about half-a-cup of shredded cheese too if you’d like. I would recommend a mild cheddar, but the chicken potpie is just as good without it.
For cooking, I separated the filling into two, 6.5-inch diameter pie pans. You can find disposable aluminum pans at any grocery store. I got a pack of three for $1.25 at Dollar Tree. Cooking in individual pans makes serving super easy, but cooking in a casserole dish you already have at home will work just fine too.
Open an 8-pack can of biscuits ($1.75) and cut each individual one into quarters. I covered them with a little bit of melted butter and transferred the biscuits to a baking sheet. If you prefer crescent rolls, those work too.
With your oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, cook the biscuits and the pie filling separately for seven minutes. Afterward, take the biscuits and put them on top off the pans of pie filling. The biscuits act as an easy, delicious pie crust. Bake until the biscuits look gold and finished, around 8-10 minutes.
After the biscuit piecrust is finished baking, the chicken potpies are ready to serve and eat!
