Surviving College Life

More College Cooking on the Cheap: Chefs & Soups

May 20th, 2008 Jamie

My food options were few my freshman year-mostly because (a) I was broke and (b) I didn’t have a car. That meant breakfast, lunch, and dinner were either the cafeteria or something microwavable I could buy on campus (so, macaroni or soup in a cup).

Once my roommates and I got into a place with a (teeny) kitchen, cooking became much more possible-plus I knew some people with cars who were into cooking cheaply, too. So grab your Costco card or head on over to your local 99 cent store and get ready to cook up some good meals that won’t cost you much.

Fresh Recipes for Less

Looking for new, cheap recipes? Check out these great foodie blogs for ideas that can have you eating well for a few bucks (or less!):

• The 99 Cent Chef: Looking for something a little high-class? Check out the 99 Cent Chef’s blog-he cooks with ingredients mostly found at his local dollar store, and whips up some really yummy looking food! Plus he includes photos & videos to help you navigate your way through the kitchen.
• Cheap, Healthy, Good: Packed with recipes, links, and cost-reducing-cooking-up-a-storm recipes, Cheap, Healthy, Good is a great resource for new “chefs”-plus it will make your mom happy that you’re finally eating something that doesn’t involve cheese powder.
• Cheap Eats: I’ve pointed you to this blog before-and for good reason. With sassy and humorous writing plus a good handle on finding sales and cheap-cooking secrets, Cheap Eats is just a fun read. : )

Cheap Soup & Bread/Sandwich Combos

Bonus! I love the soup & bread/sandwich combo because it’s usually pretty filling (and that means cheap!). Here are some ideas for easy meals you can put together pretty inexpensively:

• Tomato soup (canned stuff is cheap & pretty good) & grilled cheese
• Chicken soup (canned is fine) & dinner rolls (again, pretty cheap at the grocery store)
• Broccoli cheddar soup & pop-overs (these cost only about 20 cents each!)
• Clam chowder & biscuits

Soup is a great, cheap filler. In fact, you can use it in a lot of other recipes, too. For example, last night I made an enchilada casserole with tomato soup (want the recipe? It’s yummy!), and I love using cream of celery or cream of mushroom baked over rice and chicken–it’s filling, cheap, and easy to make.

So next time you’re in the grocery store, head over to the soup aisle and see what strikes your fancy. Most of them are pretty inexpensive (especially condensed soups) and lots of them have fun recipes on the back.

photo: Yummy Soup by squidonius

Related Posts

• Fast Food: Easy Snacks + Meals for College
• Cheap & Easy College Recipes: Toaster Oven Desserts
• Fast, Easy, Cheap: Breakfast Recipes for College
• Fast, Easy Meals & Snacks on a College Budget
• Cheap & Easy College Recipes: Honey Glazed Chicken Stir Fry

Entry Filed under: food & recipes