On The Cheap:
10 Meals for Under 10 Bucks
By Eric Horvath
You’ve probably heard of ‘spending past your means.” Well,
that’s a tough thing to do in college, when your means are
about 10 bucks and some pocket lint. Forget dining out. When
we prepare meals, its usually bulk amounts of something
outrageously unhealthy. College Living thought we’d ask
around to the people we’ve counted on to feed us (past and
present), and people as broke as us for advice on cheap, tasty
meals that won’t drain the wallet.
Mom:
“Are you serious, Bacon?” My mom sounded exasperated, even
calling me by my nickname which, for this story, seems
appropriate. “I fed a family of eight on ten dollars!
Probably the best meal for cheap, though, is tuna casserole,”
she said. So, here’s my Mom’s Tuna Casserole, cost: $9.75
Mom’s Tuna Casserole
1extra wide egg noodles
2 cans Albacore tuna in water, drained
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
8 oz. Velveeta cheese
4 oz. jar of chopped pimientos, drained
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil egg noodles according to package directions, drain and
stir all ingredients in a large pot until cheese has melted.
Stir in egg noodles and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Lunch Truck Guy
“I always envied the sandwich,” gushes Lou, my lunch truck
philosopher. Lou has been feeding me off-and-on since I
started college. Off and on because I’ve moved schools, but
always stopped back to say hello. “Now, everybody is
anti-bread. Its all about wraps. So, my suggestion is just
take your favorite sandwich and roll it up in a tortilla!”
Thanks Lou…I will.
Lou’s “Anti-Bread” Wrap
4 oz. sliced turkey
Shredded lettuce
Grape/cherry tomatoes
Avocado
Ranch dressing
Assemble however you’d like and roll up. The key to the
savings here is buying fresh, cheap produce. Keep a keen eye
out for farmer’s markets near you, as they have the best of
both worlds.
Lunch Lady
Remember, as a child, how creepy they seemed? Scooping
mashed potatoes and cake, both of which looked the same, onto
your plate. Well, lunch ladies fed us throughout our years in
elementary and most of high school with minimal funding, so
they know a thing or two about meals on a tight budget. I
asked Faye, a lunch lady from my hometown, for her favorite
cheap eats.
Faye’s Egg Salad (cost: $9.97)
8 eggs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 red onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring
water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand
in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water,
cool, peel and chop.
In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, dill,
paprika, onion and salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork or
wooden spoon.
Serve on bread as a sandwich.
Supermarket Employee
Actually, a butcher. We have regular conversations about,
well, meat. His meal suggestion was right in his wheelhouse,
too. “Chili,” he said. “Make sure you get beef, pork and
veal, though. That’s the key.”
Bill’s Tri-Meat Chili
1.5lbs meatloaf mix (find it in the butcher’s case)
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 large can of whole (or crushed) tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 large red onion
1 packet of chili mix
Brown meat in saucepan over medium heat. Dice onions and
garlic. In a large pot, add cooked meat, tomatoes, beans and
onions and garlic. Let cook for 10-15 minutes, add chili mix
and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add corn or other
ingredients if desired. Freeze leftovers.
My buddy Dan
Truthfully, I’ve basically just stopped by Dan’s apartment
between classes and raided his fridge. This normally wouldn’t
qualify him for such a list, but I always noticed taco soup.
Dan has a great recipe for this already cheap meal that is
sure to feed you well past dinner tonight:
Dan’s Taco Soup
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
2 large yellow onions, diced and cooked with ground beef
7 cups water
1 can 15 oz. can of corn kernels
2 - 3 cups potatoes, diced
7 oz. can of diced green chilies
1 package of taco seasoning
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 4 oz. can of sliced black olives
In a large pot, combine water, corn and potatoes. Bring to a
boil and simmer about 20 minutes. Add green chilies, taco
seasoning, tomatoes and cooked beef and onion mixture. Simmer
15 minutes. Add cheese soup and olives. Simmer 5 minutes. Eat!
Pizza Guy
Not the delivery guy, but the maker. Pat, a pizza maker
(full disclosure: I worked for him, too.) has the inside dish
on how to prepare the quintessential college meal. While you
could get pizza for cheaper than making yourself, this is a
healthier alternative and still pretty cost effective.
Pat’s Pizza
1 ball whole wheat pizza dough (any self-respecting pizza shop
should sell it)
1 can pizza sauce
10 oz shredded mozzarella
6 oz sliced, fresh mushrooms
Flour
Place aluminum foil over oven grate and preheat oven to 375
degrees.
Place pizza dough in flour and sprinkle flour on a clean
cutting board or other dry surface.
Roll out dough on that surface (with hands or rolling pin) to
desired width. If using your hands, be sure not to touch the
middle of the dough, only the sides. Let the dough stretch
itself out.
Place stretched dough on aluminum foil and add ingredients.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until crust of golden brown.
Fellow College Student
Actually, Dan’s roommate Aaron. Aaron knows our plight like
no other, though. I’ve seen Aaron get by on only a bag of
potatoes, for almost a MONTH! Like a squirrel (or is it a
bear?) he stores food (though not in his cheeks) for later
enjoyment. Aaron supplied me with a recipe that makes use of
an ingredient I’m sure we all have handy, while bringing it up
a few notches.
Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
2 packs of Ramen noodles (any flavor)
1 green pepper
1 onion
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
Stir fry seasoning
Sauté green onion and pepper while you soak noodles in water.
Add eggs and scramble in the same pan, though keeping the egg
somewhat separate.
Add noodles and seasoning.
Elsewhere:
Our area doesn’t have a monopoly on college students with
knowledge of good, cheap recipes. We checked out what
collegians in other parts of the country had in mind in terms
of affordable vittles.
Rachel’s Cheeseburger Pie (Portland, Or.)
1lb hamburger meat
2 tbsp flour
Ketchup
Mustard
American cheese
Tomato sauce
Pre-made biscuit batter
Brown hamburger meat with flour and layer on bottom of a
casserole dish, with tomato sauce, ketchup and mustard.
Top with cheese and batter, and bake for 10-15 minutes. Slide
and dig in!
Creamy Pork Chops and Rice (Rebecca, Minnesota State)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup skim milk
½ envelope of dry onion soup mix
¾ cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups frozen, cooked broccoli, thawed
4 lean pork chops, thawed
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Stir together soup, milk and dry onion soup in an 8x8 baking dish
Mix in rice and broccoli
Arrange pork chops in mixture and season
Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes
Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes
Tomato and Basil Pasta Bake (Jake, Orlando, Fl.)
2 cups wheat-blend rotini pasta
2 cups tomato basil pasta sauce
2 cups thawed, frozen broccoli
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup skim shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cook pasta and drain
In a medium bowl, combine pasta, sauce, vegetables and seasoning.
Add pasta mixture to a medium casserole dish and sprinkle
cheese on top
Bake 15-20 minutes
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