FOOD Meal Suggestions for Eating Fast, Easy to Prepare, Cheap and HEALTHY

Laugh if you want to but I got a lot of mileage out of SPAM when I was in college and as a newly wed. (grin)


SPAM RECIPES

Apple, Bean and Ham Casserole

1 or 2 cans of SPAM turkey
3 cans (15 ounces each) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, diced (or equivalent in dried, chopped onion)
1 medium Granny Smith apple, diced (or equivalent in dehydrated apple pieces)
3 tablespoons dark molasses
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or equivalent in dried)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut turkey ham into 1-inch cubes. Combine ham, beans, onion, apple, molasses, brown sugar, mustard and allspice in a 3-quart casserole; mix well. Cover; bake 45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with green onions before serving, if desired.


Baked Spam and Noodles

8 oz Broad egg noodles
1 cn Spam luncheon meat - (12 oz); diced
2 tb Butter or margarine softened
1/2 c Milk
1 Egg
1/8 ts Freshly-ground black pepper

Break up noodles slightly. Cook according to package directions; drain. Combine hot noodles, Spam, and butter in greased 1 1/2-quart casserole; stir to melt butter and mix well. Beat together milk, egg, and pepper; pour evenly over top. Bake in 375 degree oven 40 minutes.


Baked Spam and Tortellini Casserole

1 Jar spaghetti sauce (10 oz. )
1 cn Spam (12 oz. )
1 pk Cheese tortellini, from box - prepared
1/2 c Onions, chopped (or use equivalent)
1 c Mozzarella cheese, shredded (or use your cheese substitute of choice)
1 c Mushrooms, sliced (optional) - from can

Heat over to 375 degrees F. In 2 1/2 quart casserole combine all ingredient except cheese, mix gently. Bake covered, stirring halfway through baking, 50 to 60 minutes or until tortellini are tender. During last 5 minutes of baking, uncover and top with cheese. Serves 6.


Barbecue Sandwiches

1 cn Spam luncheon meat; (12 oz)
1 sm Onion; cut in rings
3 tb Barbeque sauce
6 Hamburger buns; split - or home baked buns

Slice Spam into 6 slices (3- by 1/4-inch). In skillet, over medium heat, cook meat and onion until onion is tender. Layer meat, onion, and barbeque sauce on bun bottoms. Cover with bun top.
This recipe yields 6 servings.


Canned Meat Patties

2 C Prepared Mashed Potatos
Rehydrate to equal 1/2 C minced onion (or 1 Tbsp. dry)
1 1lb. canned Ham, 2 cans Corned Beef, or Spam (YAY!)
Mix to equal 1 egg
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Grind meat, (meat grinder, potato masher or 2 forks) and add onion, potatos, egg, and seasoning. Shape into 12 patties, and fry in hot oil.


Coconut Beer Batter Spam with Raspberry Horse

2 3/4 c Flour
2 tb Oil
2 Eggs
3/4 c Cold water
2 c Beer, flat
3/4 ts Salt
Dash pepper
1 1/2 ts Garlic powder
12 oz (1 can) Spam or Spam Lite
2 c Shredded coconut

Raspberry Sauce:
1 c Raspberry sauce or jelly
3 tb Horseradish sauce

Open beer and leave at room temperature over night. Chill beer and then add water, oil and eggs. Mix just enough to break the egg yokes. In separate bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to liquid ingredients, while stirring slowly. Add coconut and stir slowly. Prepare deep fryer as directed by manufacturer. When oil is ready, dip one inch wide strips of Spam in beer batter and deep fry until they float to the surface.
To make raspberry sauce, combine raspberry syrup or jelly with horseradish sauce in small bowl. Dip in raspberry sauce and enjoy.


Corn Patch Spam Bake

2 1/2 c Egg noodles (4 oz.)
1 cn Drained whole kernel corn
1 cn Cream of vegetable soup (10 3/4 oz )
3/4 c Milk
1 ts Salt
3/4 cn Spam, cut into 1 squares (12 oz.)

Cook egg noodles in 2 quarts salted boiling water for 10 minutes; drain and pour into deep 9 inch casserole. Mix in rest of ingredients. Top with grated sharp cheese. Spread with paprika. Place triangles of Spam around edge. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.


Corny Spam Pancakes

1 1/2 c Pancake mix
1 c Milk (from powdered or canned milk)
1 cn (8 oz.) Cream-style corn
1 Egg (or egg substitute of your choice)
1 tb Cooking oil
1 cn Spam luncheon meat - (7 oz) finely chopped

In medium bowl, combine pancake mix, milk, corn, egg, and oil. Stir in Spam. Using 1/3 cup for each pancake, pour batter on greased griddle and bake over medium heat until browned on bottom. Turn and brown other side. Serve with maple or buttered pancake syrup or honey.


Crunchy Spam Sticks

1 cn Spam luncheon meat; (12 oz)
1 Egg (or egg substitute of your choice)
2 tb Milk (from canned or powder)
3 tb All-purpose flour
1/4 ts Freshly-ground black pepper
1 c Instant mashed potato flakes
Ketchup

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice Spam into 8 pieces; cut each slice in half lengthwise. Beat together egg and milk. Combine flour and black pepper. Coat each Spam slice with flour mixture. Dip in milk mixture. Roll in potato flakes. Place on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Serve with ketchup.


Double Spam Bake

1 pk Active dry yeast
1/2 c Warm milk (120-130'f.)
1/2 c Warm water (120-130'f.)
3 tb Butter or margarine,softened - or substitute of choice
2 tb Sugar
1 tb Dried parsley flakes
1/2 ts Salt
1/8 ts Garlic powder
1 Egg - or substitute of choice
2 3/4 c Flour
2 c Shredded cheddar cheese - or equivalent in freeze dried cheese or canned cheese
1 cn Spam luncheon meat, cut into strips
1 c Shredded mozzarella cheese - or equivalent in freese dried or canned cheese
2 tb Grated parmesan or romano cheese

In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk and water. Add butter, sugar, parsley flakes, salt, garlic powder, egg, and 1 1/2 cup flour. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour and Cheddar cheese until smooth. Cover; let rice in warm place until double, about 40 minutes. (The dough may be refrigerated 2-24 hours before baking.) Heat oven to 350'F. Spread dough in well greased 12" pizza pan or 13x9" baking pan. Arrange SPAM on top of dough, pressing down slightly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over SPAM. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.


Easy Pizza Burgers

1 cn Spam, ground (12 oz.)
1 lg Can hormel chili without beans
2 c American cheese, shredded - use Velvetta or similar store brand. Does not need refrigeration until opened
1/2 c Onion, chopped - or equivalent in dried chopped onion

Mix all ingredients together. Spread on open-faced hamburger bun. Place on cookie sheet and broil in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are brown. Serves 4.


SPAM Nachos

1(12-ounce) can SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed
1(10 1/2-ounce) bag Tortilia Chips
1(15-ounce) can Refried Beans
1(16-ounce) jar Salsa
1(8-ounce) package shredded Mexican pasteurized processed cheese

Heat oven to 425o F. Place chips on baking sheet. Sprinkle SPAM over chips. In bowl, combine refried beans and salsa; pour over chips. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Makes 10 appetizer servings


Maui SPAM Muffins

4 English muffins, split and toasted
Butter or margarine
Prepared mustard
1 (7-ounce) can SPAM Luncheon Meat, thinly sliced
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can pineapple slices, drained
2 teaspoons water
1 small green pepper, cut into 8 rings
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

Heat oven to 375o F. Spread muffins with butter and mustard. Overlap SPAM slices on each muffin half. Place a pineapple slice and a green pepper ring on each muffin. Combine brown sugar & water; spoon over sandwiches. Place muffins on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 8.


SPAM Fried Rice

2 eggs, beaten
1 (12-ounce) can SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed
¼ cup chopped green onion
¼ cup finely chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons oil, divided
2 cups cooked rice
3 tablespoons soy sauce

In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add eggs. Cook, stirring, to desired doneness. Remove from skillet. In same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Cook SPAM, mushrooms, and green onion 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in rice and egg. Sprinkle with soy sauce. Heat thoroughly. Serves 4 to 6.

Easy Spam Pot Pie

3 tb Margarine - or equivalent substitute
1/2 c Chopped onion - or equivalent dried chopped onion
1/4 c Flour
1/2 ts Salt
1/8 ts Pepper
1/4 ts Cajun seasoning
2 c Ham base broth - made from ham-based bouillon cubes
1/4 c Evaporated milk
1/4 ts Butter flavoring
1 or 2 cans of mixed veggies
2 c Diced spam
1 batch of drop biscuits

Melt margarine in skillet. Saute onion 8-10 minutes. Blend in flour and seasonings. Cook slightly. Stir in ham broth, milk and flavoring. While it cooks and thickens, add mixed vegetables and Spam. Heat to boiling. Pour into casserole. Put drop biscuits on top. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Serves 8.


Elegant Potato Spam Casserole

1 cn Condensed cream of potato soup (10 3/4 oz)
1/4 c Grated Parmesan cheese, -divided
2 tb Sherry - optional
4 c Hot, prepared mashed potatoes
Vegetable cooking spray
1 cn Spam Luncheon Meat, cut into small pieces (12 oz)
1/4 ts Paprika

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine soup, 2 tablespoons cheese, and sherry; stir until smooth. Spoon mashed potatoes into 1 1/2 quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle Spam on top of potatoes. Spread soup mixture over Spam. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and paprika over soup mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.


Foil Dinners

1 can (12 ounces) luncheon meat
1 can (15 ounces) sliced new potatoes, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) baby carrots, drained
2 tablespoons dried onion
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 cup ginger ale

Slice meat into 4 slices and each slice into 4 pieces. Place 4 pieces in the center of a 12-inch square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Divide potatoes, carrots and dried onion evenly between each square of foil. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, mustard, celery seed and ginger ale. Spoon over meat and vegetables. Fold foil into packets and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375o for 30 minutes.


Hawaiian Spam Sandwich

1 cn Spam luncheon meat - (12 oz); cut 8 slices
1 cn Pineapple rings - (8 oz) drained
4 sl American cheese - use Velvetta or spoon out canned cheese
4 Hamburger buns; split, toasted - or homemade bread rolls

Brown Spam slices in skillet. Place 2 Spam slices on each bottom half of hamburger bun. Top with pineapple ring and cheese slice. Cover sandwich with top half of bun. This recipe yields 4 servings.


Hearty Bean Soup

2 c Dried pinto beans; soaked overnight
1 cn Spam luncheon meat - (12 oz); cut 1/2" cubes
1 qt Water
2 cn Tomato juice -; (13 oz ea)
2 cn Chicken stock -; (14 1/2 oz)
1 md Onion; chopped
3 Garlic cloves; minced
1/4 c Brown sugar -; (firmly packed)
2 tb Chili powder
3 Bay leaves
1 ts Oregano
1 ts Cumin
1 ts Thyme

In 4-quart saucepan add all ingredients; stir to blend. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until soup is thickened (3 to 4 hours). Remove bay leaves.


Honey Glazed Baked Spam

1 cn Spam
whole cloves
1/3 c Brown sugar
1/2 ts Vinegar
1 ts Prepared mustard
1 ts Water


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place Spam in baking pan. Score top and dot with whole cloves. Combine brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and water. (If desired, double these ingredients, and/or add more mustard to taste.) Glaze ham with brown sugar mixture. Bake for 35 minutes, basting periodically with brown sugar mixture.


Luncheon Meat Rice Dinner

2/3 c Long-grain white rice; uncooked
1/2 c Onions; chopped - or equivalent in dried chopped onion
1 1/3 c Water
1/2 ts Salt
2 c green peas - from can
12 oz Spam Lite luncheon meat; cubed
10 3/4 oz Low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 c Skim milk - from canned or dry
1/2 ts Poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 10 x 6 x 2" pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a saucepan, combine rice, onions, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until rice is done. Remove from heat and let stand covered for ten minutes. Add peas, meat cubes, soup, milk, and poultry seasoning. Mix well. Spread into prepared pan. Cover and bake for 40 minutes.


Oven Barbecued Spam

1 cn Spam (12 oz.)
2 tb Water
1 tb Finely chopped onion
1 cn Hunt's tomato sauce
2 tb Brown sugar
1/4 ts Worcestershire sauce


Cut Spam lengthwise not quite through in 8 slices. Place in greased baking dish. Combine Hunt's tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, onion and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over meat. Bake in moderate 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with sauce.


Pineapple Spam Loaf

1 cn Spam luncheon meat (12 oz.)
1 cn Pineapple slices (8 oz.)
1/4 c Brown sugar
1/4 ts Dry mustard

Cut 4 slices, almost but not quite all the way through Spam loaf. Cut pineapple slices in half and place one half slice in each of the slits in the Spam. Place in shallow casserole. Combine brown sugar and dry mustard with 4 tablespoons pineapple juice, spoon over Spam. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Baste occasionally. Yield: 4 servings


Quick Spam La King

1 cn Spam, cut into strips (12 oz.)
1/4 c Margarine, or less - or equivalent substitute
1/4 c Onion, chopped
1 cn Cream of mushroom soup
1/2 Soup can milk
2 tb Red pepper, chopped
4 mushrooms, finely chopped
6 Waffles or Biscuits - note: in an emergency prep situation, biscuits may be easier to come up with, though I have seen the prepackaged waffles that do not require refrigeration (like a loaf of bread), but you could also make your own. Cut Spam into bite size pieces or strips. Heat skillet and add margarine. When margarine is hot, add strips of Spam and onion. Cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Add soup, milk, and peppers. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Bake waffles. Serve over waffles. Serves 6.


Rack of Spam

1 cn Spam
1 cn Pineapple chunks
maraschino cherrie

Butterfly the loaf of Spam by slicing it into thin sections without cutting all the way through. Bend open the Spam slices and stick pieces of pineapple in between them. For garnish, top with some peanut butter and a few Maraschino cherries. Place in the microwave for about 4 minutes.


Southwest Corn Muffins

1 c Yellow corn meal
1 c Flour
1 tb Baking powder
2 tb Sugar
1 Egg
1 c Milk
1 c Creamed corn
1 cn SpamLite (12 oz) diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cn Diced mild green chiles (4 oz)
1/2 c Jalapeno cheese, grated
1/2 c Diced red bell pepper

Combine dry ingredients in bowl and mix well. Beat egg and milk together; add corn. Mix well. Add bell pepper, green chiles and cheese to dry ingredients, then add SpamLite that you have browned and drained on paper towels. Stir until just mixed. Pour into greased pans. Bake at 400 for 30 mins or until toothpick in center comes out clean. NOTE: This makes 6 very large muffins, 12 regular muffins or 24 very small muffins. You can also use an 8-inch square pan for the above batter. Serve with a nice green salad.


Spam and Gravy On Biscuit

1 cn Refrigerated large buttermilk biscuits
1 cn Spam (12 oz.)
1/4 c Onion, chopped
2 tb Butter or margarine
2 tb Black pepper
2 c Milk

Prepare biscuit according to package directions. In a large skillet over medium-heat, saute Spam and onion in butter until Spam is lightly browned. Stir in flour and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thickened. Serve over hot biscuit. Serves 8.


Sandwich Filling

1 cn Spam -- ground
Onion
Green pepper
1 sm Jar Cheez Whiz
English muffins

Grind Spam with onion and green pepper. Add Cheez Whiz, put on English muffin and put under broiler.


Spam Spring Chili

Vegetable cooking spray
4 Garlic cloves; minced
2 Green bell peppers; cut into strips
1 c Sliced green onions
3 cn diced green chilies -; (4 oz ea)
2 Jalapeño peppers; minced - depends on how much "heat" you want in your chili
2 ts Dried whole oregano
2 ts Ground cumin
2 cn Canellini beans or kidney beans -; (15 oz each)
2 cn Condensed chicken broth (10 3/4 oz ea); undiluted
1 cn Spam luncheon meat - (12 oz); cubed

In large saucepan coated with cooking spray, saute garlic over medium heat 1 minute. Add green pepper, green onion, chilies, jalapeños, oregano, and cumin; saute 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in Spam. Simmer 2 minutes. This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.


Spam Wellington

2 cn Spam luncheon meat -; (12 oz ea)
biscuit dough
1/2 c Brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Spam, as close together as possible on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover Spam with biscuit dough. Pinch edges of dough together with fingertips so that Spam is not exposed. Bake for 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.
Variation: I've also seen honey mustard or other mustards used to lightly coat the spam in stead of the brown sugar.


Spammus

2 Cans garbanzo beans
3/4 c Tahini (sesame butter)
3 Cloves garlic
1/2 c Lemon juice
1 Can of Spam
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Use on and off method until a fine paste is formed. Serve as a dip with chips, flour tortillas, fry bread, etc.


Sweet and Sour Spam

1/3 c Brown sugar
3 tb Cornstarch
3 tb Vinegar
2 tb Catsup
2 tb Soy sauce
1 sm Onion, chopped
1 Green pepper, chopped
1 cn Spam, diced (12 oz.)
1 cn Pineapple chunks, reserve juice (20

Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in 10 inch skillet. Add enough water to pineapple juice to measure 2 1/4 cups. Stir juice mixture, vinegar, catsup and soy sauce into skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in pineapple chunks, onion and green pepper and diced Spam. Reduce heat and simmer until heated. Serve over rice.


Sweet Potato and Spam Casserole

1 cn Spam (12 oz.)
1 cn Sweet potatoes, drained (18 oz.)
1 cn Fruit cocktail or mixed fruits (8 oz)
1 ts Corn starch
2 tb Brown sugar
2 tb Margarine

Arrange sweet potatoes in shallow casserole dish. Make 5 cuts partially through loaf of Spam and place loaf in dish. Drain fruit, saving juice. Combine corn starch and brown sugar. Stir into juice and add margarine. Heat to boiling; stir in fruit and simmer 5 minutes. Spoon over slit loaf and sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, basting with juice during baking. Yield: 4 servings

"Refrigerator Nachos"

You can put just about anything on a white corn nacho chip. Not those MSG Doritos, but the real Restaurant Style white corn chips.

Lay a piece of foil on the toaster over pan, if you have spray or margarine or anything, grease the sheet.

Start with a base of you chips, lay them out in a flat strata, then a dusting of whatever cheese you have to help everything stick to the chips. Then go for a bean, doesn't matter too much what kind, anything but a green bean will do, leftover refrieds, pinto, can of chili, even black eyed peas. After that just toss on whatever leftover meat you might have, hamburger, chicken, chopped up hotdogs, leftover protein of almost any sort will work. Than pour on some tomato paste or leftover salsa, even ketchup. If you have any peppers, even those shake on hots will work, a pack of Pizza Hut pepper seeds, whatever, top it off with the last of the cheese. You can poke chips in randomly anytime during the process to add more volume. Bake for a about 15 minutes on med, pull em out and use a spatula to square out plate size portions.

You can do this with TONs of different fridge leftovers, a tortilla chip and some creativity will make a very satisfying meal with all of the basic food groups.

Someone mentioned canned tuna ...

Tuna Tortellini

Ingredients: (for 1–2 people)
1 can (16 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cans (3.5 oz. each) water-packed chunk white tuna (canned chicken or turkey would work just as well I would think)
1 c. tortellini
Oregano and pepper to taste

Boil tortellini in 2 c. water in a saucepan and once softened, drain off the water. Add can of tomato sauce with spices, and simmer until sauce starts to bubble. Add tuna and let it heat for a few minutes until sauce resumes bubbling. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Yum! Yields 2 servings of about 425 calories each. Beware, ½ c. of noodles will NOT look like a very big portion, but the protein from the tuna and the texture of the tortellini will be quite satisfying.


Crunchy Tuna Casserole

1 (3 oz.) can chow mein noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (6.5 oz.) can tuna, drained
¾ c. chopped cashews
equivalent in ¼ c. chopped onion
1 small can of chopped olives, drained
dash of pepper

Note 1: you may also add 1/3 cup chopped celery if you have it, or rehydrated chopped celery.
Note 2: It doesn’t matter whether you use green or black olives. Use your own personal preference (or even leave them out if you don’t live olives).

Reserve ¾ cup chow mein noodles. Combine remaining noodles and remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly with ¼ cups water. Spoon into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with reserved noodles. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Yields 4 servings.


Quick Tuna Supper

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 (6.5 oz.) can of tuna
1 sm. Can of mushroom stems and pieces
1 sm. Can of peas
2 to 3 oz. Of grated cheese (or canned cheese)
2 c. baking mix (e.g., Bisquick)
milk (from canned or powdered)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a casserole, mixing well. Mix baking mix with enough milk in bowl to make a soft double. Roll to size of casserole on floured surface. Place over tuna filling. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.


Tuna Pizza Quiche

3 (7 oz.) cans tuna, drained, flaked
½ t. oregano
2 c. shredded cheese (or equivalent in canned cheese)
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 (10.25 oz.) cans pizza sauce
2 baked pie shells

Note 1: you may also add ½ cup chopped green peppers if you have them or use rehydrated chopped green peppers.
Note 2: You may use prepared pie shells from frozen crusts or you can make your own using pie crust mixes or your own recipe. Either way, have them prepared and baked (not raw) for filling.

Combine tuna and oregano (and peppers if you have them), mixing well. Mix in cheeses together in a separate bowl. Layer tuna mixture, pizza sauce, and cheeses alternatiely in pie shells until all ingredients are used, ending with cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 or 30 minutes or until set.


Tuna Risotto

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 cups arborio rice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (14 oz.) cans ready to serve chicken broth
2 cups canned spinach
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
12 oz. can solid white tuna, drained
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large skillet and add rice and garlic. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until rice is coated. Add wine, pepper, and 1 can chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to mdium and cook mixture for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed. Add 1/4 of the remaining broth at a time, stirring rice until liquid is absorbed. Add spinach, lemon peel and tuna. Cook and stir gently until spinach is wilted. Stir in butter until melted along with 1/2 cup cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.


Tuna Pizza

1 Boboli pizza crust
15 oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. can solid pack white tuna, drained
1 jar roasted red pepper, drained, chopped
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In medium bowl, combine beans, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mash beans, leaving some texture in the mixture. Spread bean mixture over crust. Top with tuna, red peppers, and tomatoes. Sprinkle cheese over all and serve.


Tuna Tortellini

1 lb. refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
2 cups frozen baby peas
12 oz. can tuna in olive oil

Cook the tortellini in boiling salted water until tender, adding the peas for the last minute of cooking. Drain. Return to pot and add the tuna in its oil, along with salt and pepper to taste. Heat through, stirring gently. You can sprinkle this with Parmesan cheese, but that makes four ingredients! Serves 4


Tuna Alfredo

3 cups mafalda (mini lasagna) or mostaccioli noodles
1/2 cup basil pesto
10 oz. container refrigerated cheese alfredo sauce
12 oz. can solid white tuna, drained and chunked
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions, drain well. Meanwhile, combine pesto and Alfredo sauce and mix to combine. Add cooked pasta and tuna and mix gently. Pour into 2 quart glass baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is hot. Serves 6


Tuna Bisque

10 oz. can condensed cream of asparagus soup
10 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2-1/2 cups milk
1 cup evaporated milk
6 oz. can tuna, drained
1/3 cup dry sherry or apple juice
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves

In large saucepan, combine all ingredients except tuna and sherry. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Add tuna and sherry; heat through. 6 servings


Tuna Spaghetti

1 can (6 oz) Tuna, drained
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 T. finely chopped fresh parsley (or equivalent in dried)
3 T. finely chopped fresh oregano (or equivalent in dried)
pinch dried crushed hot red pepper
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
¾ lb spaghetti
2 tsp. flour
1 Tbsp. water
parmesan cheese, grated

In heavy frypan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, parsley and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tuna, dried red pepper, salt and pepper. Meanwhile cook spaghetti in large amount of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and return to the pot. Combine flour and water and stir well. Add a little hot tuna sauce to the flour mixture. Return to sauce and simmer for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add tuna sauce to pasta and toss. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with parmesan cheese.


Creamy Tuna Mac N’ Cheese

3 c. cold water
¼ c. chopped onion
1 boxed mac n’ cheese dinner
1 can sweet peas
1/3 c. sour cream
¼ c. milk
¼ c. margarine or butter
1 (6.5 oz.) can tuna, drained, flaked
½ c. shredded cheese

In 3-quart saucepan, combine water, onion, and macaroni from mac n’ cheese dinner; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in peas. Cover, simmer an additional 3 minutes or until macaroni is tender, drain. Add sour cream, milk, margarine and cheese sauce mix from macaroni and cheese dinner to cooked macaroni and peas; mix well. Stir in tuna. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: approximately 4 (1.25 cups) servings.


Tortillas Atun (Tuna Tortillas)

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 can (10 oz.) tuna, drained and flaked
1 c. shredded cheese
1 (2.8 oz.) can french fried onions
6 flour tortillas
1 med. Tomato, chopped

Place soup and milk in a bowl and stir. Let stand while preparing other ingredients. In another bowl, mix tuna, cheese and ½ can of french fried onions. Stir in ¾ cup soup mixture. Soften tortillas by dipping each one into hot vegetable oil for a few seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Prepare enchiladas by adding equal amounts of tuna mixture to each tortilla. Roll each tortilla and place seam side down in lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Stir tomatoes into remaining soup mixture and pour over the top of the enchiladas. Bake covered in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions and bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes longer or until cheese bubbles. Serves 4 to 6.


Tuna Mandarin Roll-ups

1 large can (12 ounce) solid white albacore tuna in water, drained
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
1 can (11 ounce) mandarin orange segments, drained
1/3 cup finely chopped celery or chopped, rinsed and drained canned water chestnuts
4 small flour tortillas
2 cups loosely packed torn lettuce or baby spinach leaves

Break up the tuna in amedium bowl. Mix in the mayonnaise and curry powder with a fork. Stir in the oranges and celery. Spread 1/2 cup tuna mixture onto each tortilla to within 1 inch of the edge; top with 1/2 cup lettuce. Roll up and serve immediately.

Goldfish Casserole

1 or 2 cans of mixed vegetables
2 cans (about 6 oz. each) tuna in water, drained
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup OR Cream of Mushroom Soup OR Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup milk (from canned or powder)
1 cup Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish® Snack Crackers (or could use any cheddar cracker crushed up)

MIX vegetables, tuna, rice, soup and milk in bowl. Spoon into 1 1/2-qt. microwave-safe casserole. COVER and microwave on HIGH 6 min. Stir. Cover and microwave on HIGH 6- to 8-min. more or until rice is tender. Stir and sprinkle with crackers. IF your microwave is down - or you don’t have one - just heat through and then top with the crackers. Same difference.

Some extremely easy and quck things college kids on the go can eat:


Pancakes or frozen waffles with syrup (or for a healthier option, top the pancakes or waffles with whatever fruit is cheap and in season). A package of 24 frozen pancakes can be had at WalMart for about $2.50 or so, and take only a minute or two to warm up in the microwave.


Quick grits. Important: don't get those Instant Grits in an envelope! They are terrible! They give grits a bad name, especially among Yankees who weren't raised with grits on the breakfast table.

Get quick grits. They only take five minutes to cook up, and the only skill you have to have too cook them is the ability to boil water, so even Forrest Gump could cook them up. The directions are on the package. Add some imitation bacon bits as you are cooking them to give them an even better flavor.

True southerners are divided almost exactly in half in how they prefer to eat their grits, once they are cooked up.


The ones who eat them the RIGHT WAY (my way, of course) eat them while hot, with just salt and a pat or two of melted, real butter on them

The ones who eat them the WRONG WAY (the way my wife eats them) eat them with a bit of butter and salt, but also sugar. Some folks even add milk to them (thank heavens my wife doesn't do THAT! I think that adding milk to grits might be justifiable grounds for divorce here in the south.)


Other quick and cheap breakfasts for folks on the go:

Whole wheat toast with light butter and maybe some peanut butter, or jelly, or even peanut butter and sliced banana on top.

Canned biscuits, baked in the oven, with butter on them, or served with some canned or powdered milk gravy on top.

Fried or scrambled egg. Eggs are cheap and nutritious, and almost everybody has time to scramble an egg or two for breakfast in the morning. A breakfast sausage patty is easy to fix, not too expensive, and can really add class to an egg breakfast.

Toad In The Hole

(Sausages in Yorkshire Pudding)

brown 8 pork sausages in a oven proof dish at around 200c
whisk together 225g of plain flour, 4 eggs, 250 ml of milk, pinch of salt & pepper until you have a smooth batter
take the dish from the oven and gently ladle the batter around the sausages, (don't wash your sausages all the way to one end )
return to the oven for 35mins ish, until light golden brown but still fluffy,
serve with onion gravy and veg and / or potatoes,

Barry, I'm a grits fan as is everyone in my house. My mother in law wouldn't touch them however because that was all she had to eat for weeks on end during the Depression (my hubby was a whoops late baby).

For those that won't eat grits, cream of wheat would be a good choice. You can do roughly the same thing with cream of wheat (aka farina) up to and including allowing leftover to congeal and then frying it up afterwards like slices of meat loaf.

Another thing that was popular when I was in college though the name leaves something to be desired:

La Cucaracha

1 (12 oz.) pkg chorizo sausage, sliced and chopped
1 (16 oz.) box Velveeta like processed cheese, cubed
1 (15 oz.) can stewed tomatoes

Saute chorizo, cook and drain. Melt cheese with the tomatoes, stirring constantly over medium heat (or use a double boiler) until smooth and well mixed. Combine the chorizo with the cheese mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Serve with flatbread, tortillas, chips, etc.

And of course the old tried and true Ramen ...

RAMEN NOODLE RECIPES

Asian Beef & Noodles

1¨C1/4 pounds ground beef (pantry alternative would be canned, dried, TVP, etc.)
2 packages (3 ounces each) Oriental-flavored ramen noodles, separated
2 cups frozen oriental vegetable mixture
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons green onion, cut in 1¡å pieces (or equal measure of dried, chopped chives)
1 medium onion, chopped (or equal measure of dried, chopped onion)
1 tablespoon garlic, minced (or equal measure of dried, minced garlic)
1 teaspoon soy sauce

In skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and onions after beef has been browning 5 minutes. Remove beef with slotted spoon; season with seasoning packet from noodles. Place noodles in skillet. Add vegetable mixture, 2 cups water or beef broth, soy sauce, ginger and seasoning packet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer several minutes or until noodles are done. Add beef to skillet once more, cook 1¨C2 additional minutes.

American Chop Suey Variation: Instead of ramen noodles and flavoring packet, substitute leftover or pre-cooked pasta and one beef bouillon cube. Omit ginger and soy sauce. Add one 8¨C12 oz can diced tomatoes, tomato soup, or tomato sauce to skillet after beef has browned; continue as above. Serve wth microwave-melted cheese, or sprinkle with grated parmesan.


Ham A La Ramen

1–2 packages Ramen (oriental noodle soup)
1/2 cup dried peas
parmesan cheese
1 5 ounce can of ham
red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook the Ramen noodles (without flavor pack) along with the dried peas. Drain cooked noodles. Top with ham. Add parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to taste.


Orange Chicken Ramen

one pack of ramen (don’t use the flavoring packet)
1/2 can white chicken (4 oz. can)
cheddar cheese spread
chili garlic sauce
honey
1 small orange (may substitute canned OJ)

Microwave ramen for 2 minutes and drain. Stir in cheddar cheese spread. Add small amount of chili garlic sauce. Add honey and chicken and juice from one orange.


Scout Tetrazini

1 can of turkey, tuna, or chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
2 pkgs of ramen noodles

Heat soup and water, stirring until blended. Bring to a boil and add the noodles, stirring continuously to separate (about 3 minutes). Add one of the two flavor packets from the noodles and canned meat of your choice. Heat until warmed through. Serves 2 to 5, depending on appetites.


Poorman’s Beef Stew

2 packages beef ramen noodles
1 can of sliced mushrooms
dried minced onion
chopped garlic or garlic powder
1 can roast beef or deli roast beef if available
steak sauce

Cook the noodles as directed, adding the mushrooms. Next add a half teaspoon of onion and a teaspoon of steak sauce (depending on taste). Let simmer, then add beef and garlic. Toss to warm through.


Ramen Supper

1 Package Ramen Noodles
2 Cans of canned chicken
1 cup canned peas (optional)
1 cup canned carrots (optional)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried tarragon - crushed

In a skillet, arrange the pasta, chicken, peas, carrots and chicken broth and sprinkle tarragon on top. Bring to boil, reduce heat - cover and simmer for 15 minutes.


Stir Fry Noodles and Rice

1 package Ramen noodles (chicken)
1 cup plain white rice
1 can tomatoes (any kind)
1 can veggie of choice
1 can chicken (noodle if preferred) soup
1 can chicken
1/2 tsp. garlic pepper
1/2 tsp. chili pepper
1/2 tsp. Creole pepper (optional)
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 or 2 T oil

Drain water in tomatoes, chicken and veggie of choice. Use to cook the rice and noodles in a fairly good sized sauce pot with the tomatoes and spices. Make sure you have enough liquid for the rice and noodles. While rice/noodles are cooking, brown the chicken a little bit on a skillet. (so far, this should take no more than 10 minutes, however check the noodle and rice packaging for appropriate cooking times, and go with the longer time of the two. Remove the bay leaf when the water is pretty well absorbed. Put the rice/noodle/tomato mix on the chicken, and pour the veggies in. Heat every thing up well.


Tang Tang Noodles

2 tbsp. peanut oil
2 tbsp. green onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced (or equal measure of dried, minced garlic)
1/2 tsp. chili flakes
1/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
8 oz. Oriental Ramen type noodles, cooked

Saute the garlic and onions in the peanut oil for 2 minutes. Add the chili flakes and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the peanut butter and continue stirring until it is completely melted. Add the soy sauce, stock, and vinegar; stir until thick and bubbly. Toss the sauce into the noodles and coat evenly. Serve warm. Garnish with more minced green onions, if you wish. Makes 4 servings.


Turkey Tetrazini

3 cups water
3 servings dry mushroom soup mix
1 can turkey (5 oz)
1 pkg Ramen oriental noodles

Mix water and soup mix until smooth. Add turkey and noodles. (Don’t use the sauce mix from the Ramen package. You can leave that at home.) Cook 2 minutes and serve.


Black Bean and Ramen Salad

1 package ramen noodles
1 1/2 cups black beans, or other cooked beans
1 red and yellow bell pepper, cut in strips
1/4 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Remove flavor packet from ramen noodles. Partially break noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Combine noodles with beans, peppers, onion, and cilantro. Combine vinegar, oil, and mustard with flavor packet from noodles. Shake well. Pour over salad and toss to mix. 4 Servings

place two slices of sliced ham into each section of a muffin pan, crack an egg into egg one, pinch of salt & pepper and a dash of tabasco, place in a hot oven until the egg is done to your liking

serve on toast or with chips (fries)

More pasta ....

Asian Spaghetti

3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
1/2 pound spaghetti, uncooked
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 scallion or green onion, trimmed and thinly sliced (or substitue dried chopped onion)

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil on high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and spaghetti. Boil according to package directions until al dente. Drain. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon Oil in small skillet on medium heat. Add sesame seeds. Sauté 2 minutes, or until brown. Toss spaghetti with soy sauce, sesame seeds and scallion. Serve immediately.


Tomato, Bacon, and Onion Fettucine

4 oz. uncooked fettucine
2 to 3 T. real bacon bits
1/4 c. chopped onion (or equivalent in dried chopped onion)
1 small to medium can of chopped tomato, drained
1/2 t. dried basil

Cook fettucine to desired doneness according to package directions. Cook onion in a little oil or butter until crisp-tender. Add bacon bits to onion along with tomato and basil. Cook just until heated. Immediately toss with cooked fettucine. Yields about 4 side dishes or 2 main dish servings. Note: You make also use fresh chopped tomato in place of the canned tomato if you have it available and/or 2 T. fresh chopped basil in place of the 1/2 t. of dried basil.


Easy Pasta Mix-Up

For each serving of cooked pasta (spaghetti, fettucine, elbow, bowtie, etc.) throw in 1 T. of olive oil and the following mix.

1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
2 T. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
2 T. bacon bits
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

The mix can be pre-made and stored in ziploc-type snack bags for keeping or sharing. Just include directions on adding it to one serving of cooked pasta.


Ginger Noodles with Sesame Egg Strips

5 egg whites (fresh or powdered)
6 teaspoons teriyaki sauce, divided
3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds,* divided
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
6 ounces Chinese rice noodles or vermicelli, cooked and well drained
1/3 cup sliced green onions

*To toast sesame seeds, spread seeds in small skillet. Shake skillet over medium heat 2 minutes or until seeds begin to pop and turn golden. Beat together egg whites, 2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil; heat until hot. Pour egg mixture into skillet; cook 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until bottom of omelet is set. Turn omelet over; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slide out onto plate; cool and cut into 1/2-inch strips. Add broth, ginger and remaining 4 teaspoons teriyaki sauce to skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium. Add noodles; heat through. Add omelet strips and onions; heat through. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sesame seeds.


Fettuccine with Bacon-Tomato Sauce

4 slices bacon, chopped
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jar (1 pound 10 ounces) Pasta Sauce
2 tablespoons whipping or heavy cream (fresh or canned)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 box (12 ounces) fettuccine, cooked and drained

In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon until crisp; reserve drippings. Add onions and garlic to reserved drippings (or cooking oil if you started with real bacon bits) and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender. Stir in Pasta Sauce, cream, red pepper flakes and black pepper; heat through. To serve, toss sauce with hot fettuccine. Sprinkle, if desired, with grated Parmesan cheese.


Chicken Caesar Tetrazzini

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (from canned)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup Caesar Salad Dressing
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and combine with chicken, broth, dressing and mushrooms in a large mixing bowl. Place mixture in a 2-quart casserole. Mix together cheese and bread crumbs; sprinkle over spaghetti mixture. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly.


Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Cream Sauce

1 jar (1 pound 10 ounces) Chunky Pasta Sauce
2/3 cup whipping or heavy cream (fresh or canned)
1 package (15 ounces) cheese tortellini, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In 2-quart saucepan, simmer Chunky Pasta Sauce and whipping cream over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until heated through. Toss hot tortellini with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish, if desired, with chopped fresh basil.


Bacon-Tuna Parmesano

1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 package (4.8 ounces) PASTA RONI® Parmesano
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
1 can (6-1/8 ounces) white tuna in water, drained, flaked
4 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Microwave Directions: In round 3-quart microwavable glass casserole, combine 1-2/3 cups water, milk and margarine. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 4 to 5 minutes or until boiling. Stir in pasta, Special Seasonings, frozen peas, tuna, bacon and onions. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 9 to 10 minutes or until peas are tender, stirring after 3 minutes. Cover; let stand 3 to 4 minutes. Sauce will thicken upon standing. Stir before serving.


Basque Country-Style Spaghetti

1/2 pound thin spaghetti
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, chopped (or equivalent in dried garlic)
20 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (I used canned shrimp, and you could actually substitute canned crab meat as well)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large saucepan bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until tender, but still firm (8 to 10 minutes). Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add garlic, cooking until golden; discard garlic pieces. Add shrimp, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley to skillet and cook 1 to 3 minutes until shrimp turn pink. Remove saucepan from heat. Drain spaghetti and add to saucepan. Add Parmesan cheese. Place in a warmed serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.


Black Bean Pasta

2 cups Small Shell Pasta, uncooked
1 med Onion, chopped (or equivalent in dried, chopped onion)
1 teas Minced Garlic (or 1/2 teas Garlic Powder)
1 TBSP Cooking Oil
1–15oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1–16oz can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 cup Picante Sauce
1 teas Chili Powder
1 teas Italian Seasoning (or 1 teas Oregano)

Cook pasta according to package. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients (except pasta). Heat through, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10–15 minutes. Serve over pasta. Garnish. Serves 4


Chicken Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can nacho cheese soup (or cheddar cheese soup)
1 can tomato soup
1 can white chicken (like in a tuna can)

Cook and drain spaghetti and return to large pot. If water is scarce, save the water. Add canned ingredients, warm and serve.


Chili Pasta

18 ounces medium shells, elbow macaroni or other medium pasta shape, uncooked
1 sm onion, peeled and finely diced (or equivalent in dried onion)
1 (12 ounce) can corn, drained
1 jalapeño pepper, cored and thinly sliced (or from canned chilies or use a few red pepper flakes to make your heat)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or equivalent in dried garlic)
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12 ounce) jar salsa
1/2 cup shredded low-sodium Cheddar cheese (substitute canned cheese or leave out)

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in large pot and heat until onion is cooked. When pasta is done, drain well. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add contents of pot and toss gently until well combined. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese on top and serve immediately. Yields 4 to 6 servings.


If you are limiting your emergency food storage to only the very basic of basics plus some seasonings to make it all palatable, you might find this unusual recipe of interest. Just for the heck of it I went and tried it ... it was too different for me not to take a swing at it. Surprise, surprise ... the family liked them.

Colorful Fried Pasta Snacks with Variations
Makes 3 cups.

*2 cups uncooked colored twist pasta
*1 quart corn oil (approximately)
*1/4 cup granulated or confectioners' sugar
*1 tablespoon grated lemon or orange peel
*1/8 teaspoon salt

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Spread in a single layer on wax paper-lined cookie sheet and dry for 20 minutes. Pour corn oil into electric skillet, filling no more than one-third full. Heat to 375 degrees F. Carefully add pasta to hot oil, a few at a time. Fry for about 1 minute, turning once, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all pasta is fried, adding oil as needed. In a medium bowl, stir sugar, lemon peel and salt until well mixed. Toss pasta with sugar mixture until coated. Store in tightly covered container.

Chili Fried Pasta Snacks: Follow recipe for Fried Pasta Snacks. Omit sugar and lemon peel. Use 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Lemon Pepper Fried Pasta Snacks: Follow recipe for Fried Pasta Snacks. Omit sugar. Use 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.

Parmesan Fried Pasta Snacks: Follow recipe for Fried Pasta Snacks. Omit sugar and lemon peel. Mix together 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt.


Fruit and Nut Couscous

1 cup couscous, dried
1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped if necessary (raisins, apricots, or currants recommended)
1/4 cup nuts, chopped (cashews, pistachios, or almonds recommended)
1 1/3 cups water
1 Tbsp oil
Small pinch ground garlic
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp curry powder

Combine couscous, dried fruit, and nuts. Combine water, oil, and spices and bring to a boil. Add couscous mixture and take off heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes


Italian Trail Couscous

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 c. couscous
3 T. Parmesan cheese
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 T. olive oil
salt to taste
1 ½ c. water

Add all ingredients, as well as oil, to water. Let sit for 20 minutes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and stir frequently. The cooking time depends on the altitude but normally takes about 3 minutes. When ready, couscous who have the consistency of a moist paste.


Spinach-Barley Risotto

3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
2 cups water
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushroom (4 ounces)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon garlic pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup uncooked instant wild rice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 cups packed spinach leaves, shredded (3 ounces)

Soak barley in water at least 5 hours or overnight; drain. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook mushrooms and onion in oil, stirring frequently, until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in broth, garlic pepper and mustard. Cover and heat to boiling. Stir in barley and remaining ingredients except spinach; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring once. Stir in spinach. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and barley and wild rice are tender.


Gourmet Italian Dinner (Really)

6 oz. can of Minced Clams
6 oz. dried pasta
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup powdered milk
2 Tblsp. Margarine
1 pkg. Knorr Minestrone Soup
Freeze-Dried Green Beans
Crystal-Lite Drink Mix
Mrs. Whites Muffin Mix

Fix soup according to package directions. Put broccoli into 1 inch water, cover and boil for 5 minutes, set aside. For long-term treks, fix the green beans according to package directions. Put pasta in large pot of boiling water, simmer for about 5 minutes, cover and set aside. Mix cornstarch, milk, and 1/4 cup water in pot and heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Add butter, clams and juice from can, plus small amount of additional water if sauce is too thick; stir until hot. Serve pasta with sauce poured on top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of pasta sauce and broccoli. Put muffin mix into Silverstone frying pan, add water, stir, cover with another upside-down frying pan and put on low heat for 10 minutes. Hold both pans together, flip, and cook other side for 10 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a fork into cake; if done, the fork comes out clean; if not, cook a little longer.


Greek Pasta Salad

12 oz bag of Tri-colored spiral pasta
15 oz can three bean salad (with liquid)
4 oz can black olives (drain liquid)
5 or 6 artichoke hearts cut into bite-sized pieces (add 1/2 tsp. of the oil that the artichokes come in) - or you can leave this out

Note: artichoke hearts are available canned. Look in the gourmet section of your grocery or check out an ethnic grocer’s shelves. Sprinkle with a dash of Parmesan or Romano cheese


Greek Spaghetti

12 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (use your butter substitute, butter-flavored crisco or substitute Olive Oil)
Garlic powder or mashed garlic cloves

Burn butter until golden. Add garlic powder or crushed cloves and serve over cooked, drained spaghetti.


One Pot Pasta

4 cups water
2 cups tortellini
2 tablespoons dried, minced onion
2 tablespoons crushed, red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (2.4ounce) package tomato-with-basil soup mix
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Boil 4 cups water in a Dutch oven. Add pasta, onion, red pepper flakes, and salt. Let cook for 10 minutes (or until tender). Add soup mix, oregano, and garlic. Let cook for 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and ground red pepper.


Pepperoni Spaghetti

Sliced Hormel Turkey Pepperoni (no refrigeration required)
Noodles and Spaghetti sauce (hamburger helper without the hamburger can also be used)

To cook - Prepare Noodle according to the directions, when done, drain. Make sauce in the same pan.


Rotini Skillet Supper

1 c. uncooked rotini pasta
1 T. olive oil or oil
1 c. sliced carrots
4 c. pasta sauce
1 c. sweet peas
1 sm. Can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 T. Parmesan cheese
1 T. parsley flakes, if desired

Cook rotini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; rinse with hot water. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until carrots are tender. Stir in pasta sauce, peas and olives. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes or until peas are tender. Stir in cooked rotini; simmer an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Yields approximately 6 (1 cup) servings.


Creamy Dill Pasta

7 to 9 oz. Mostaccioli, rotini or medium shells

Dill Sauce:
½ c. sour cream
2 T. milk
1 t. onion salt
1 t. dill weed
1/8 t. pepper

In unsalted water, cook pasta to desired doneness as directed on packaged. Drain; rinse with hot water. Meanwhile, in small bowl combine all sauce ingredients; blend well. Pour over hot pasta; toss to coat. Yields about 8 (1/2 cup) servings.


Pizza Style Pasta
[This is a quick fix as you use a boxed angel hair pasta side dish as the basis for the rest of the ingredients.]

1 Angel Hair Pasta with Parmesan Cheese (5.1 oz. package)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 ( 3 oz. package) sliced pepperoni
1 medium green bell pepper (1 cup) diced (or equivalent in dried, or leave out if you don’t have)
1 (4.5 oz. jar) jar sliced mushrooms , drained
1/4 cup sliced black olives (or use a small can of sliced olives that you’ve drained)
2 green onions, sliced (or equivalent in dried chopped onion)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (if you have it, or try using a powdered cheese mix or canned cheese)

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large skillet. Stir in the pasta and special seasonings. Reduce to medium heat. Gently boil uncovered 4 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except mozzarella. Let stand 3 minutes. Before serving, top each serving with mozzarella cheese.


Chicken & Vegetable Alfredo

5 oz. fettucine noodles
1–1/2 cups diced cooked chicken (from canned)
1 cup prepared Alfredo pasta sauce
1 can (8–1/2 oz.) Peas and Carrots, drained
1 can (8 oz.) French Style Green Beans, drained

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Combine chicken, sauce and vegetables in saucepan while pasta is cooking. Cook over low heat 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through; stirring occasionally. Toss with hot noodles and serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired. For easy variety, try canned shrimp or canned turkey instead of chicken. Or, try other vegetables, such as Asparagus, Chopped Spinach or Mixed Vegetables


Crazy Mixed-Up Chicken Pasta Casserole

Non-stick cooking spray
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 cans (10 oz.) premium chunk breast of chicken, drained
2 cups low-fat milk
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can (7 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 each red and green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat or regular sharp Cheddar cheese

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix the soup, macaroni, chicken chunks, milk, water chestnuts, mushrooms, bell peppers, scallions and 1 cup of cheese in the baking dish. Spread evenly and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours. Heat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the casserole and place it in the oven. Bake for 1 hour, until hot and bubbly. Servings: 6.


Mediterranean Couscous

2 T. olive oil
1 ½ cups diced onion
1 c. sliced carrots (from canned)
1 ½ cups salsa
1 can chick peas
1 (14.5 oz.) can vegetable broth
2/3 c. water
½ c. golden raisins
¼ t. salt (or to taste)
¾ t. cumin
½ t. cinnamon
1 ½ c. uncooked couscous

Note: you may also want to add some minced garlic but the amount should be up to your taste buds. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat until hot. Stir-fry your onion, pepper, and/or garlic (all rehydrated if necessary). Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add carrots and salsa and mix well. Add beans, broth, water, raisins, salt, cumin, and cinnamon, mix well. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in couscous. Cover; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving. Yield: approx 4 to 5 servings.


Tomato, Bacon, and Onion Fettucine

4 oz. uncooked fettucine
2 to 3 T. real bacon bits
1/4 c. chopped onion (or equivalent in dried chopped onion)
1 small to medium can of chopped tomato, drained
1/2 t. dried basil

Cook fettucine to desired doneness according to package directions. Cook onion in a little oil or butter until crisp-tender. Add bacon
bits to onion along with tomato and basil. Cook just until heated. Immediately toss with cooked fettucine. Yields about 4 side dishes or 2 main dish servings. Note: You make also use fresh chopped tomato in place of the canned tomato if you have it available and/or 2 T. fresh chopped basil in place of the 1/2 t. of dried basil.


Cherry-Walnut Couscous Porridge

1/2 c. instant couscous
1/2 c. powdered milk
1/4 c. dried cherries
1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts
3 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
1 1/4 c. water

Bring water to a boil. Stir in all ingredients, then cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Stir and serve. Yields: about 2 servings. You can bag all of the dried ingredients together and put in a ziploc-type bag. Then on masking tape on the outside of the bag and/or with a permanent marker write, add 1.25 cups boiling water. You’ll then have an “instant” meal. You can fix up as many bags ahead of time as you want … for keeping or for sharing.


Chicken BLT Tortellini Salad

8 3/4 ounces package Three Cheese Tortellini — uncooked
2 cups fully cooked chicken breast pieces (from can)
1 cup grape tomatoes — sliced lengthwise (or drained petite diced tomatoes)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or equivalent of choice)
equivalent of 3 slices cooked bacon – chopped (e.g., Real Bacon Bits)
3/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
lettuce leaves (if you can get it or serve on/with flat bread)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, stir together cooked pasta and remaining ingredients; serve immediately on lettuce leaves.



Beef Stroganoff:

In a quart freezer bag put:
2 Tbs powdered milk
1 Tbs butter buds (or use fresh butter/margarine, 1 Tbl.)
1 Tbs tomato powder (or soup mix)
1 Tbs flour
Dash of pepper
2 Tbs dried onion
1 cube beef bullion (crushed)
¼ Cup dried mushroom slices (or freezedried mushrooms)
1 Cup egg noodles, etc
1/2 cup dried hamburger (if you want, or you could try pre-soaking some TVP)

In Camp top with boiling water and put in cozy for 10 minutes. Serves 2.


Cranberry Couscous:
In a quart freezer bag put:

1 cup couscous
1/3 cup Craisins
2 Tbl dried onion
2 tsp chicken bullion
Pepper to taste, salt, if desired.

Also take:
1 Tbl or 1 packet olive oil

In camp pour 1 ½ cups boiling water and add the oil. Stir well and put in a cozy for 5 minutes. Would work well with either a 5 ounce can o r7 ounce pouch of chicken added with the boiling water. Serves 1–2.

i've put the recipe for Coddle and for Irish Stew up here numerous times so i wont bore ye with it again

Lancashire Hotpot

Brown Lamb mince (or beef or whatever ye got) in a frying pan, add a bag of frozen mixed veg and some instant gravy
layer in an oven dish with sliced potatoes, alternating layers of potato and then savory mince,
finish in the oven, can't give a temp i always do mine in the range, call it 220c ish, until the top layer of potatoes are crispy

Black Bean Soup

1/4 c. dried minced onion
2 pkgs brown gravy mix
2 pkgs chili seasoning
1/2 c. dried parsley flakes
2 1/2 c. dried black beans
20 oz can of diced tomatoes (with green chilies if desired)

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Rinse and soak beans. Drain and then place beans in a large soup pot with 10 cups of water. Add seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add tomatoes and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until beans are firm but tender.


Black-Eyed Pea Soup Mix

3 c. dried black-eyed peas (rinsed and soaked)
1/2 c. dried minced onion
6 T. chicken bouillon granules
2 T. dried parsley flakes
1 T. sugar
2 t. dried minced garlic
1 t. chili powder
1 t. onion powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
28 oz can of diced or crushed tomatoes

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Also with this one you might try using canned white beans instead of the dried black eyed peas. Place peas in a large soup pot. Add 10 cups of water, tomatoes, and seasonings. Cover, bring to a boil. Lover heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until peas are tender. Stir occasionally.


Cheesy Potato Soup

2 c. powdered coffee creamer
1/2 c. imitation bacon bits
2 (1.5 oz) pkgs of cheese sauce mix
2 T. dried parsley flakes
1 t. salt-free seasoning mix
1 t. dried minced onion
1/2 t. pepper
2 c. instant potato flakes
2 (5 oz.) cans ham, optional

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Place dry ingrediets in a large soup pot. Add 8 cups of boiling water. Mix well and let stand 5 minutes. Add ham if desired.


Creamy Cheese Soup

1 (1.5 oz) pkg of Knorr Cheese Sauce (or similar brand)
3 t. chicken bouillon
1/2 t. pepper
1 (1.4 oz) pkg Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix (or similar brand)
1/4 c. dried parsley flakes
3 c. powdered coffee creamer
1/4 c. cornstarch

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Place all ingredients in a large soup pot. Add 5 cups boiling water. Mix well and bring back to a boil. Boil 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often and scraping bottom of pan. Add more water if you want to then it out some.


Curly Soup

2 T. dried parsley flakes
1 t. pepper
2 T. beef bouillon granuels
1/3 c. dried minced onion
1 t. sugar
3 to 3 1/2 c. tri-colored curly rotini pasta spirals
14 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil i na large soup pot. Add all ingredients to boiling water. Bring back to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.


Dried Onion Soup Mix

1/2 ts Onion powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Sugar
1/4 ts Kitchen Bouquet
1/2 c Dried onions, chopped/minced

Here is a frugal way of making dried onion soup mix. I have a lot of recipes that call for it, but I get tired of pay a buck something for a box that only holds a couple of the little packages. This way I can make a larger batch for myself and put it aside in my prep pantry. In small bowl, combine onion powder, salt, sugar. Add Kitchen Bouquet and stir until seasonings are uniformly brown. Add onion and mix thoroughly until color is again even. (This step takes several minutes.) Makes 1/2 cup mix which is equivalent to one 1/5 ounce envelope of dried soup mix. Store unused mix in the refrigerator.


Patchwork Soup

1 c. barley
1 c. dried split peas
1 c. uncooked white rice
3/4 c. dry lentils
2 T. dried parsley
2 T. granulated garlic (or could substitute dried minced garlic)
1 t. pepper
2 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
2 t. Italian seasoning
2 t. dried sage
enough dried chopped onion to equal 1 cup rehydrated onion

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Place all ingredients in a large soup pot. Add 20 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Check after 30 minutes and add more water if necessary. Note: This is a lot of soup. Its one of the recipes I use if I want leftovers or you can add more rice and thicken it up further. Just be sure and check often as the barley, rice and dried beans soak up more water than you expect.


Potato Soup Mix

3 c. instant potato flakes
1 c. powdered coffee creamer
1 pkg chicken gravy mix
2 T. dried parsley flakes
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
2 T. seasoning blend of your choice
1 t. dried minced onion
1/2 t. pepper

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Place ingredients in a large soup pot. Add 8 cups of boiling water. Mix well and let stand 5 minutes to thicken. Serve immediately.


Rainbow Bean Soup Mix

3/4 c. dried red beans
3/4 c. great northern beans
3/4 c. split peas
3/4 c. lentils
3/4 c. black beans
2 T. dried minced onion
2 T. beef bouillon granules
2 T. dried parsley flakes
2 t. dried basil
2 t. powdered lemonade mix with sugar
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. pepper
1 t. dried oregano
28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Rinse beans and cover with water and soak (or quick soak as is your preference). Place soaked beans in a large soup pot and add 8 cups of water; simmer 1 hour or until tender. Stir occasionally to make sure they aren’t sticking or need more water. Add 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer for another 30 minutes.


Split Pea Soup

3 c. dried split peas
1 c. instant potato flakes
1/4 c. dried minced onion
2 t. chicken bouillon granules
2 t. powdered lemonade mix with sugar
1 t. dried minced garlic
1 t. salt
2 T. dried parsley flakes
2 t. dried thyme leaves
1 t. celery flakes
2 (5 oz.) cans ham - optional

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Place the place all ingredients in a large soup pot except for ham. Add 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Puree soup if desired. Add ham and then hit through.


White Bean Chowder

1 2/3 c. dried great northern beans
1 2/3 c. instant potato flakes
1/3 c. imitation bacon bits
1/3 c. dried minced onion
2 T. chicken bouillon granules
1 t. pepper
1 t. sage
1/2 t. celery flakes
14 oz. can of diced or crushed tomatoes

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Also with this one you might try using canned white beans instead of the dried white beans. Rinse and soak beans over night (or quick soak as is your preference). Place beans in a large soup pot. Add 8 cups of water, seasoning, and tomatoes . Cover, bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 1 3/4 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in potato flakes. Cooking time will be lowered significantly if you use canned beans.


Wild Rice and Barley Soup

1 c. barley
2/3 c. imitation bacon bits
2 T. brown sugar
2 t. dried basil
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. celery flakes
1/2 c. beef bouillon granules
1 c. wild rice
1 c. dried minced onion
2 cans sliced mushrooms, optional

Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Place all ingredients in a large soup pot. Add 14 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add mushrooms if desired. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Black Bean Soup

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon dried onion
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried lemon peel

Puree’ 1 can of black beans. Pour into a large saucepan. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine. Bring to boil. Cover; reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf before serving. Serves 3–4.


Hearty Soup Mix

1 package (14 ounces) Dry Green Split Peas
1 package (14 ounces) Alphabet Macaroni
1&1/2 cup brown rice
1 package (12 ounces) Pearl Barley
1 package (12 ounces) Lentils
4 cups dry minced onion

Combine all ingredients in a large airtight container. Stir to evenly distribute ingredients. Label as Hearty Soup Mix. Store in a cool, dry place and use within 6 months. Shake well before using. Makes about 12&1/2 cups mix

HEARTY SOUP STOCK: Put 6 cups of water and 1&1/3 cups of mix in a large kettle or Dutch Oven. Add 1&1/2 Tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1 to 1&1/2 hours. Add 2 carrots, sliced, 1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped, 1&1/2 cups cabbage, shredded, 2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce, 1 can (24 ounces) vegetable juice cocktail, and if desired, 1 pound lean cooked ground beef or leftover cooked beef. Simmer 20 minutes, until vegetables are cooked. Makes 6-8 servings.



Condensed Soup Mix

2 cup Nonfat dry milk
3/4 cup Cornstarch
2 T. Dried minced onion flakes
1/2 t. Pepper
1/4 cup Instant chicken bouillon Or other flavor
1 t. Crushed basil — optional
1 t. Crushed thyme — optional

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Store in airtight container. This makes 3 cups of mix, the equivalent to about 9 cans of soup. To use: combine 1/3 cup of mix with 1 1/4 cups of water insaucepan. Cook and stir until thickened or add mix and water to browned and drained casserole meat and cook in skillet or saucepan with other casserole ingredients or use instead of canned soup in any casserole. This mix has about 1/3 the calories and sodium as purchased condensed soup.


Cream of Potato and Vegetable Soup

4 T. butter flavored Crisco (butter is better if you have it)
1 small chopped onion or 2 T. dehydrated onion flakes (rehydrated)
1 can chicken broth
5 C. cubed potatoes — fresh, canned or dehydrated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 C. flour
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 cans mixed vegetables — may substitute dehydrated
8 ounces Spam, cubed (optional) — may substitute canned ham

Melt Crisco in Dutch oven (or large pot). Stir in onion and cook 2–3 minutes. Add broth, salt, pepper and potatoes. Cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. In a small bowl, combine flour and a small amount of evaporated milk until you get a paste, mixing until all the flour lumps are smoothed out. Stir milk mixture and water into potato mixture. Add vegetables and Spam (if you decide to use it). Cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or fried corn bread. Yield: 6 large servings


Greek Egg Lemon Soup for 2

1 can of chicken with rice soup
2 tablespoons of dried eggs
reconstituted with lemon juice

Heat soup to just simmering, mix the dried eggs and lemon juice in a bowl. Add some of the heated broth to the bowl to bring up to temperature, then add egg mixture to the hot soup and stir to combine.


Santa Fe Chicken Soup

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 cup onion, chopped (or equivalent in dried chopped onion)
1 cup celery, chopped (assuming you have it, or you could use dehydrated. If you have neither, don’t be afraid to just leave it out)
2 garlic cloves, minced (or equivalent in dried minced garlic)
3 cans (14 ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with jalapeño peppers, undrained
1 cup water
1/2 cup long-grain brown or white rice
4 (6-inch) flour tortillas, cut in 1/4-inch strips (these become your “noodles” or your could substitute egg noodles)
2 1/2 cups pre-cooked chicken breast, shredded (from canned)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) zucchini with Italian-style tomato sauce
1 can (11 ounces) corn kernels, drained
1 can (8 1/4 ounces) sliced carrots, drained
2 tablespoons lime juice

Heat the oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic, and cook and stir for 5 minutes until tender. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, water and rice, and increase the heat to medium high. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Meanwhile, toss the tortilla strips with remaining 1 teaspoon oil on a baking sheet. Spread the tortillas out on the sheet, and bake for about 6 minutes, stirring twice, until light, golden and crisp. Add the chicken, zucchini, corn and carrots to the soup. Cook, uncovered for about 10 minutes, until heated through. Stir in the lime juice, and remove from heat. Ladle the soup into bowls, and sprinkle tortilla strips over the top.


Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans and diced tomatoes and green chilies. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese if desired.


Warm Up Soup

3 (15 oz. ) cans chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) can Italian style stewed tomatoes with liquid
½ c. chopped onion
¾ c. chopped celery
½ (12 oz.) box fettucine

In large soup kettle, combine chicken broth, tomatoes, onion, and celery. Bring to a boil and simmer until onion and celery are almost done. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Season with a little salt and pepper.


Tomato-French Onion Soup

1 (10 oz.) can tomato bisque soup
2 (10 oz.) cans French onion soup
grated parmesan cheese
croutons

In saucepan, combine soups with 2 soup cans water and heat thoroughly. To serve, pour soup into individual bowls and top with croutons and cheese.


Beef-Noodle Soup

1 lb. Lean ground beef
1 (46 oz.) can cocktail vegetable juice
1 (1 oz) pkg dry onion soup mix
1 (3 oz.) pkg beef-flavored ramen noodles
1 (16 oz.) pkg frozen mixed vegetables

In large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink and drain. Stir in vegetable juice, soup mix, contents of noodle seasoning packet and mixed vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Return to a boil and stir in noodles. Cook for 3 minutes or until noodles are tender and serve hot.


Navy Bean Soup

3 (16 oz.) cans navy beans with liquid
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1 c. chopped ham
1 large onion, chopped
½ t. garlic powder

In large saucepan, combine all ingredients, add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Simmer until onion is tender-crisp and serve hot.


Peanut Soup

2 (10 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans of milk
1 ¼ c. crunchy-style peanut butter

In saucepan on medium heat, blend soup and milk. Stir in peanut butter and heat until well blended.


Chili-Soup Warmer

1 (10 oz.) can tomato bisque soup
1 (10 oz.) can chili
1 (10 oz.) can fiesta chili-beef soup
1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth

In saucepan, combine all ingredients and add enough water to produce desired thickness of soup. Heat and serve hot.


Stroganoff Stew

1 (1 oz.) onion soup mix
2 (10 oz.) cans golden mushroom soup
2 pounds stew meat
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream

Combine soup mix, mushroom soup, and 1 soup can water and pour over stew meat. Cover tightly and bake at 275 degrees F for 6 to 8 hours. When ready to serve, stir in sour cream, return mixture to oven until it heats thoroughly and serve over noodles.


Supper Gumbo

1 (10 oz.) can condensed pepper pot soup
1 (10 oz.) can condensed chicken-gumbo soup
1 (6 oz.) crabmeat, flaked
1 (6 oz.) tiny cooked shrimp

Combine all ingredients with 1 ½ cans water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.


Speedy Taco Soup

1 (12 oz.) can chicken with liquid
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (16 oz.) jar mild thick and chunky salsa
1 (15 oz.) can ranch-style beans

In large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.


So Easy Even the Kids Can Make It Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cups Chicken broth (from a can)
1 or 2 cups Water
2 cans Chicken chunks (as much or as little chicken as you want)
2 Carrots (if using canned, put these in toward the end of cooking the noodles)
1 cup Egg noodles (narrow or wide, it doesn’t matter)
1 teaspoon salt (or a salt substitute if sodium is a problem)
1 cup corn (from a can)
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. When boiling, add in the chicken chunks and carrots (if fresh, if using canned add closer to the end). Boil for 3 to 5 minutes, and add in the celery. Put heat on medium-high. Cook 10 minutes or until carrots start to soften. Add noodles and corn, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the noodles are cooked. Simmer until ready to serve.

To stretch this recipe, increase either the noodles, the water, or both. If you like the broth to have a stronger chicken flavor, add chicken bouillon when you add the extra water.


Good Soup

3 (15 oz.) cans of chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) can Italian-style stew tomatoes (undrained)
1/2 c. chopped onion (or equivalent in dried chopped onion)
1/2 (12 oz.) box of fettucine noodles

In large soup kettle, combine chicken broth, tomatoes, and onion. Bring to a boil and simmer until onion is almost done. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Season with a little salt and pepper if desired


Ginger-Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups (3 ounces) medium egg noodles
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (5 ounces) chicken in water, drained
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 teaspoons grated gingeroot (or equivalent in ground ginger)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup green onions, sliced (or equivalent in dried onion)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (or equivalent in dried cilantro)

Cook the noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, heat the broth in a large saucepan over high heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the chicken, mushrooms, ginger and soy sauce; simmer for 3 minutes. Just before serving add the noodles and green onions and rheat through. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro. Servings: 4


Acapulco Corn Chowder

2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1–1/2 cups milk (from canned or powder)
1 can (15–1/4 oz.) Whole Kernel Corn
1 can (8 oz.) Stewed Tomatoes with Onions, Celery & Green Peppers (or just plain stewed tomatoes)
1 cup shredded Longhorn Cheddar cheese (or equivalent in canned cheese or Velveeta or similar)
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
1/4 cup salsa

Melt butter in saucepan; blend in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Stir in undrained corn; mix well. Add remaining ingredients; heat through. No need to boil.


America’s Garden Soup

1 can (14–1/2 oz.) Green Beans
1 can (14–1/2 oz.) Whole New Potatoes, cut into cubes
1 can (15–1/4 oz.) Whole Kernel Corn
1 can (14–1/2 oz.) Zucchini with Italian Style Tomato Sauce
1 can (8–1/4 oz.) Sliced Carrots
2 cans (14–1/2 oz. each) Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano (or plain diced tomatoes)
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken or beef broth

Drain liquid from all vegetables, except zucchini and tomatoes. Combine all ingredients in 5-qt. soup pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.


CONTINUE HERE ADDING TO FLU WIKI

Black Bean Chile Chowder

1 can (19 oz.) black bean soup
1 can (14–1/2 oz.) Diced Tomatoes With Garlic & Onion
1 can (8–3/4 oz.) Whole Kernel Golden Sweet Corn, drained
1/4 cup Salsa
1/3 cup sliced green onions (or equivalent in dried chopped onion)
Sour cream (optional)

Combine soup, tomatoes, corn, onions, and salsa in large saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 3 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.


Chicken Tarragon Soup

1 cup chopped onion (or equivalent in dried chopped onion)
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 clove garlic, crushed (or equivalent in dried minced garlic or garlic powder)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 cans (13–3/4 fl. oz. each) chicken broth
1 can (8 oz.) Mixed Vegetables
1 can (14–1/2 oz.) Stewed Tomatoes
1 cup diced cooked chicken (from canned)
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. tarragon, crumbled

Sauté onion, celery and garlic in butter 5 minutes. Add broth, mixed vegetables, tomatoes, chicken, parsley and tarragon. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.


Early Garden Soup

3/4 cup sliced onion (or equivalent in dried onion)
1 clove garlic, minced (or equivalent in dried minced garlic)
1 Tbsp. sweet butter or margarine
2 cans (15–1/4 oz. each) Sweet Peas (No Salt Added)
1 cup milk (from canned or powder)
1/2 cup Low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Dash nutmeg
Dash pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in butter until soft in large saucepan. Place in blender container with 1 can peas and milk. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into saucepan; place remaining 1 can peas and remaining ingredients in blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Add to saucepan; simmer 15 minutes. DO NOT BOIL. May be served hot or cold


Easy Ham Chowder

1–1/2 cups diced cooked ham or chicken (from canned)
1 can (10–3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (14–1/2 oz.) diced Potatoes, drained
1 can (8–1/4 oz.) Sliced Carrots, drained
1 can (8 oz.) Cut Green Beans, drained

Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan. Stir in 1–1/2 cups water or milk. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through. Serve with warm biscuits or bread.


Italian Garden Soup

1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian Beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) Zucchini with Italian-Style Tomato Sauce
1 can (14.5 oz.) Peas & Carrots
1 can (14.5 oz.) Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano
1 can (14 oz.) chicken or beef broth

Combine all ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For an even heartier meal, add cooked pasta, diced cooked chicken, beef or sausage (from canned). For a change, substitute other vegetables such as canned Asparagus or Whole New Potatoes, cubed. Just add one more can each of broth and tomatoes for every 2 cups of additional ingredients.


Quick Two Bean Soup

¼ c. margarine or butter
2/3 c. sliced carrots
¼ c. chopped onion
2 (11.5 oz.) cans condensed bean with bacon soup
2 2/3 c. water
1 can green beans
¼ t. dried oregano

Melt margarine in large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots and onion; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Yields about 6 (1 cup) servings.


Quick Corn Chowder

2 cans of whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of potato soup
1 c. milk
2 T. chopped pimiento, drained, if desired
1/8 t. poppy
3 T. real bacon bits

In medium saucepan, cook corn until crisp-tender; drain if needed. Stir in remaining ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Yields about 3 (1 cup) servings.


Hearty Tomato Bean Soup

2 T. real bacon bits
½ c. chopped onion
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, cut up
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
1 can kidney beans
1 can whole kernel corn
½ c. water
1 t. sugar
¼ t. dried thyme
1/8 t. pepper

Cook onion in a little bit of oil until crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients, except for bacon bits; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly

Quick and easy Spaghetti and Meatballs:


One jar of already bottled spaghetti sauce (my wife buys the extra tomato or tomato and basil flavors in the generic -- it's everybit as good as Ragu, but at half the price)

One bag of frozen, italian meatballs out of the freezer section of the grocery store (or you can mix your own meatballs and freeze them yourself, and just pull out as many as you need, when you need them). My wife pulls out about 10 to 12 frozen meatballs from the bag when she wants to make this dish.

Angel hair pasta, regular spaghetti, or linguini noodles (your choice)


Bake the frozen meatballs for about 20 minutes at about 350 degrees (or whatever the store bought package tells you)

Then take them out of the oven and put them into the spaghetti sauce, and warm at a low/medium heat until the pasta is ready.


Cook the pasta in another pot.


When the posta is ready and the spaghetti sauce (complete with meatballs) is completely hot, pour the sauce and meatballs over the pasta, and voila! A very cheap, easy to make, delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner!

A quick, inexpensive salad for people who want something healthy, relatively inexpensive, and quick to fix:


Get a head of romaine or butter crunch or green leafy lettuce from the grocery store. Only get ice berg lettuce if that is all you can get, or afford.

Stock up on your favorite flavor salad dressings when they go on sale. Salad dressing is something that seems to go on sale at rediculously cheap prices every now and then.

Get some real bacon bits or else imitation bacon bits. They are cheap and add alot of flavoring for a small amount of extra.



Now, just chop off however much lettuce you need. Put it in a bowl or plate, pour on a bit of dressing, some bacon bits, and salt/pepper to taste.


Green salads can really be that simple, and they can be served as a side dish, or by themselves as a whole meal.


Sure, you can add alot of other stuff and make a fancy salad. But sometimes we forget something simple like a wholesome green lettuce salad, that really is nothing more than fresh lettuce and a bit of dressing.

When on a severe budget (time AND money), this can be a simple, but great meal....

Baked Bean Chili

2 pounds ground beef
3 cans (28 oz. each) baked beans
1 can (46 oz.) tomato juice
1 can (11.5 oz.) V8 juice
1 env. Chili seasoning

In a dutch oven cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. (Alternately, prepare your alternative meat product as recommended). Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes

Come on people, we need more "commando" ideas here. The average college kid has almost NOTHING in their larder. You have to be much less specific and more realistic and at the same time appeal to the average youngsters diet in these instant satisfaction days. I'm seeing ingredients that NO kid is going to have or like in some of these posts. You have think more outside the box.

Teaching them to have certain staples on hand is the first priority. Inexpensive ingredients that are used creatively but not outside the average kids palate.

Eggs
Rice
Black or pinto beans
Bread that lasts, rye is a good example but bread in the fridge lasts longer.
Canned meat like spam and Vienna sausage
Pasta of all sorts is good but can lead to dietary mal-nutrition due to lack of essentials.
Gotta get the veg, as much as they won't want, frozen peas, carrots, corn is better than canned but canned will do.
The cheap cuts of steak, marinated, chopped, etc can be very good if treated properly, beer, garlic, salt and onion will cure almost any steak as long as it's not over cooked.
Real potatoes will always be the best, they are cheap, can be baked or whipped if done properly. Baked over potatoes with a few spices and oil basted first will make a gourmet meal. Dollar store Italian spice, garlic and onion powder is all you need in addition to an oven on low with some care.
Tuna is sketchy because you have to eat it in good time. There is nothing worse than an old can of tuna, albacore is good but fresh tuna is good too as long as it doesn't sit in the can too long. One of the few things I tell people to rotate regularly because it really does degrade quickly, tuna absorbs the can smell and can get nasty, edible but nasty.

Lastly there are alternatives to Ramen, for 50 cents more you can get real rice noodles at discount store like Big Lots or Dollar Tree. Avoid MSG, go for the natural alts. It's better to buy a box of spaghetti or angel hair and add your own cheap spices and avoid the MSG trap. Etc, etc, etc.

When I was in college a hundred years ago, I was on a tight budet too. My roommate and I would spent about $14 every two weeks for food. I made a huge pot of hamburger stew and we'd just reheat it every day with crackers. I'd brown hamburger with onion and add a lot of water in a big pot. I'd put in some boullion and carrots and potatoes. I'd drop in a can of some kind of beans and sometimes some celery. I'd season it with salt and pepper. Carrots and potatoes were cheap. My roommate would make a dessert out of a boxed upside down pineapple cake. We usually drank Koolaid. We had enough we' d share with a couple starving male students. Somehow, eating something hot fills your up and satisfies you.

I forgot to add, we ate a lot of tuna noodle salad which is basically tuna, elbow noodles and peas. It was many years before I could even look at tunafish again.

When my older brother was in college he had to live in a dorm the first year. The only appliances allowed in the dorm at that time were popcorn poppers. He told me they ate tons of popcorn and every now and then someone would sneak in a can of soup or stew and heat it up in the popcorn popper.

A whole lot depends on what kind of appliances are allowed in the rooms. I think if a kid today has a small fridge, microwave and a crockpot, they should be able to eat pretty cheap.

Great recipes!

WOW what a thread.
More items here than most cookbooks and every single one of them is easy.

Back when I lived in a college dorm, I had a small hot pot and a air popper for popcorn. (This is why I ate so much air popped popcorn when I was in school.) I also had a small fridge.


Today I encourage dorm residents to add a crock pot and even a microwave, if the dorm authorities will allow it. Most dorm authorities will allow the crock pot. Some will allow a microwave in the rooms, but all dorms offer a few community microwaves if they don't allow a microwave in the rooms.


But the reality is that alot of college kids live in apartments nowadays with room mates, rather than living in college dorms. Which is the reason I did not limit myself to things that could be cooked in a dorm room.


Also, I'm hoping that this thread can be used by other folks too: like folks who work full time (or two part time jobs) and tend to be too busy to do elaborate cooking, and/or folks who need to cut the food budget due to unemployment or whatever.



Anyway, keep the ideas coming. We can ALL use suggestions for fixing food fast, easy, cheap and HEALTHY...

When I was a student, the only "steak" I knew was hamburger steak.


Hamburger is getting more expensive now. My wife stretches hamburger meat by cooking up some rice in boiling water with a beef boullion cube in it. Then she mixes some beef flavored rice into the meat, and adds in a raw egg to act as "glue". (It holds together better if you add in that egg, she tells me.) It stretches the hamburger, yet tastes really good. Hamburger stretched that way works particuly well when grilled on an outdoor grill, but it works quite well no matter what way you cook your hamburger patties.


Also, another benefit we found to stretching the hamburger like this: when my dad was up here, before he finally had all his remaining teeth pulled and got his dentures, he found that the stretched hamburger was more tender and juicy than straight burger. Perfect for him with his bad dental problems.

When I finally got my first cheap apartment (for me, that was in graduate school, but nowadays, alot of undergrads get cheap apartments), one meal that I ate alot was just a plain and simple baked potato, topped with margarine and salt.


It was hot and filling.


I didn't worry about eating a well rounded diet then, the way I worry about it now.


Today, I'd suggest that a person get a head of lettuce and some cheap salad dressing and at least supplement that potato with a simple lettuce salad.


Or open up a can of cheap green beans, carrots or peas to go with it.

Oh, yeah, there are alot of other things that can be done with real potatoes that are quick and simple to prepare:


Potatoes au gratin:


Boil diced potatoes. Drain. Top with slices of cheese or grated cheese or velveeta. Can add a touch of real bacon bits or imitation bacon bits to give it a bit of an extra touch.


Hot buttered potatoes with parsley:

Boil diced potatoes and then drain them, but instead of topping them with cheese, top them with some butter (or margarine) and (if you have it) some dried parsley or basil.



Simple potato salad:

Boil diced potatoes. Drain. Boil a couple of eggs and cut them up. Cut up a stalk or two of celery and an onion into small pieces. If you have some pickle, cut some pickle up.


Mix all of this together, and then mix either mayonnaise or ranch dressing into it.

Voila! A simple potato salad.



(OF course, you can skip the diced potatoes and just boil a few more eggs instead. Then the above recipe turns into egg salad. Personally, I prefer potato salad, but you may prefer egg salad.)

Something they used to serve us in the college cafeteria was called Frito Pie.


It was actually pretty good, and my wife fixes it now from time to time.


Here's how it is done:


Open a can of chili. Doesn't matter if it is chili with beans, or chili without beans. That's your choice.

Then open up a bag of fritos.

Pour a bunch of fritos in a bowl.

Heat the chili in a microwave, or in a pot on top of the stove. Doesn't matter which way you do it.

Take the heated chili and pour it over the fritos.

If you have some shredded cheese, you can spread some cheese on top if you like.

Other possible toppings can include chopped onion and/or sour cream.


But personally, I just like the hot chili poured right over the fritos. I eat it just like that.

It tastes great, is easy to make, cheap, and filling.

Beans and Weenies


One very easy recipe -- popular among young folks -- is beans and weenies.


You may make yours different, but the way my wife makes ours is that she opens up a few cans of cheap pork and beans. She chops up some onion and celery and lightly sautees them, then adds them to the pork and beans. She boils or fries up some chopped hot dogs, and adds the chopped hot dogs to the mix. She also adds some imitation bacon bits to the beans, some barbecue sauce and some ketchup. She mixes this up really well, then simmers them on a very low heat for maybe 10 minutes or so -- making sure to stir it occasionally to make sure the beans don't scorch the bottom of the pot.

In college, I stuck with eaqsy and fast.
Our dorm allowed microwaves, but not hotplates.
After the first semester, I moved to an apartment, so had oven/stove, etc....


Tostada shells (one package has ALOT and is under $2) with shredded lettuce, refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, onions.... ground beef if we had it.

toaster oven pizzas, but we used hamburger buns, a 20 cent can of tomato sauce, cheese, and if we had it pepperoni

big pots of chili-- super cheap and filling.

Eggs. So many ways to cook eggs, cheap and good protien.


Basically we ate the starches wtih whatever we could added-- meat, veggies, whatever.
PASTA-- with anything ont op
Rice-- with anything.
potatoes-- with anything.

In the last 5 years I've had three daughters in dorms at 3 different colleges, and a niece/goddaughter going off to another college dorm. Pretty much all of them now allow microwaves, coffee makers, hot-pots (aka electric kettles) and popcorn poppers. Nothing with an exposed heating element like a George Foreman grill, toaster/toaster oven, hot plate/burner, etc. Fridges are allowed in the 4-5 cubic foot range, which may or may not include a small freezer. The better dorms (push nowadays is to call them residence halls or living centers) may also have an actual kitchen for the students to use, and they are often busy!

Appliances my girls couldn't live without in the dorm:
Microwave
Small steamer (rice and veggies)
crockpot (small 1&half qt. size is great, and useful later for hot dips and things when they "entertain")
Hot pot
(Illegal) toaster oven
(Illegal) George Foreman type grill with reversible plates

The illegal nature of the last two appliances tends to eliminate the reasons they aren't allowed--people leaving them on, or things thrown on top of them starting fires. If the student has one, they tend to use, unplug and hide soon after use so they aren't found. In apartments they are both equally useful but don't have to be hidden.

Dorm Chicken Parmesan Dinner

1 box chicken patties
Mozzarella slices (individual slices last longer, go farther and are often on sale like any other wrapped slices)
Jar spaghetti sauce
Bag cheap pasta
Can of corn (or more for more people)

Heat chicken patties in micro while Noodles cook in hot pot. Heat spaghetti sauce in micro, then splash a dab on each chicken patty and top patty with cheese slice. Heat patties again till cheese melts. Drain noodles, toss with remaining sauce. Heat corn while plating up chicken and noodle servings. Add corn, serve with slice of buttered bread. For fancier dinner buy a bag of salad and cheap bottle ranch dressing to add as well. Serves up to 6, costs $9-$12 depending on what's on hand, sales and "fanciness level". This was a favorite everyone chip in a couple dollars and have a feast meal.

Rice and Whatever

Cook up a steamer of rice. Top with any canned soup, or soup and a can of tuna or chicken. Or milk and sugar (with or without cinnamon). Chopped up baby carrots or broccoli also steam well with the rice, add flavor, color and nutrition.

Canned Chili

Dorm staple. Put on micro baked potato, corn chips, rice, pasta, Ramen (without sauce packet used), or anything else.

Hot Pots

These boil water as quickly as a microwave, and can be used for cooking pasta as well. Just don't use for anything sticky or thick, they can be a PITA to clean! (use microwave for these things) 2-3 eggs also boil well in them.

Crock Pots

The basic 3 qt. home size is too big for most dorm cooking, but is useful when they hit apartment/roommate living. Sky is the limit here, soups, stews, veggies, meats, even brownies (cook batter 2 hours on high, let sit till cool and remove. Wrap in plastic till next day so flavors meld--yummy!).

Oldest daughter and her 3 roomies hit it off freshman year and stayed together till graduation, carefully concealing their Grill for all 4 years from room inspections (it went home on long breaks). Any griddle or electric skillet will work as well if treated in the same cautious fashion. Sandwiches, french toast, pancakes, cake cookies, if it can be griddled they would eat it. Second daughter and her roomies felt the same way about a toaster oven they had, except the RA was in on it for a share of the goodies so they worried less. CAUTION: smells of cooking goodies may attract attention, often undesireable--moochers, munchers, tattlers and staff.

3-2-1 cakes

Super Popular! Mix one box any cake mix with one box angel-food cake mix in a ziplock bag (angel-food cake mix is mostly powdered egg whites). Take 3 TBL mix, 2 TBL water, mix in a mug-microwave one minute. Keep a can of frosting in the fridge and instant treat!

Fridge Clean-out breakfast casserole

2 eggs, beaten with a cup of milk or assorted coffee creamers and water to make a cup (powdered or liquid creamers, whatever they scrounge up)
2-4 pieces dying or dry but not-yet moldy bread, shredded
Bits of salad veggies from leftover salad (pick out the wilted lettuce)
onion powder, salt, pepper, etc.
Bacon bits (may already be in salad)
Shredded cheese (in salad?)
>>A leftover sandwich can be used as part of the bread, meat, cheese

Mix all together and place in baking pan that fits toaster oven. Bake till top is brown and center set. Feeds 4 hungry girls.

Like Barry said earlier--BACON BITS. BACON BITS. BACON BITS.
They go with everything, add to everything. Mix in with noodle or rice and sauce packets (Knorrs, Lipton, Kraft, store-brand, etc.).

Scrounging
No discussion of college and cheap eating would be complete without mention of scrounging. Creamer and sugar packets, salt & pepper packets, parmesan packets, hot peppers, ketchup/mayo/mustard/relish. Butter or margerine, jelly, Lemon Juice, soy, sweet'n'sour, etc. All of these are useful and can make plain dishes taste better, cheap. Napkins are indispensable, and even stir sticks save washing a spoon. I don't advocate grabbing random handfulls wherever they go, but do encourage going in to order rather than drive-thrus, saving packets, and never throwing away something that might be useful.

Basics I send to college--
Instant potatoes
Bisquick type mix
Noodle Mixes
Mac'n'Cheese (Easy-Mac if a good sale & coupons)
Instant HB Helper (also sales/coupons)
Bacon Bits in a Bottle (tends to last longer than bag of same amount)
Minute Rice (store Brand)
Regular rice
Assorted baggies of dried veggies
Jar of dried milk
Jar of sugar
Jar of Brown sugar
Basic spices-cinnamon, italian, chili powder, onion, garlic, poultry seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Canned Chicken, tuna, salmon, turkey, even ham if on sale
Noodles, macaroni, spaghetti, linguine
canned soups, cream soups, veggies, tomatoes, spaghetti/ravioli, broth, beans (chili, red, navy, pinto & black)
Spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce
Peanut Butter, jam & jelly, syrup, small bottle cooking oil
Tea bags, cocoa, coffee (depends on kid)
oatmeal, raisins, dried fruit, canned fruit
Comfort items per each child's tastes (Nutella, Pomegranate tea, chocolate, etc)

college years, lived on tuna salad, pbj, oat meal. milk. these are good foods that contain protien, which yo uneed in the college years .
I think my brothers lived on hops, found in beer!

Barry Natchitoches said:

Something my wife said to make sure I post:


Pork chops are a more expensive way of buying "the other white meat."


If you watch the grocery store circulars, every now and then they sell Pork Loin on sale at rediculously low price per pound. She bought one for $1.59 per pound just last week.

The thing is, you have to buy the huge piece of meat to get that really low price.

But most stores allow their in store butcher to slice that boneless piece of meat up for you, in whatever thickness you want it sliced to. And then they will repackage it for you in one huge package. When you get home, you can repackage it into smaller packages and put it in the freezer to provide meat for many meals. She bought a pork loin last week for about $18 (had it sliced 3/4 of an inch in thickness), and she said she repackaged it into smaller packages suitable for the three of us. She got NINE packages of meat, with three "boneless pork chops" per package, out of that one large Pork Loin.


Nine meals of meat for three people -- not bad for $18 bux plus tax.


Also, "pork steaks" are also a pretty cheap cut of meat. Alot cheaper than buying pork chops.


You can buy pork steaks in smaller packages. You are not bound to buying the entire pork loin and having it sliced for you to get the better price, if you buy pork steaks instead.

Click to expand...

It was on sale here last weekend for $1.39 a pound, so yeah a very good price. Most of the loins average 10+12 pounds.

Terriannie said:

You asked for cheap and quick. My favorite cheap dish is Hot dogs and (generic) Macaroni and Cheese. (Cut up hot dogs boiled with macaroni.) Cook a frozen vegetable with it and one can almost think it's a healthy meal.

Another quicki is flour tortillas with sliced cheese in the middle warmed in micro. A hungry, poor and cramming student will not even care that it's a little rubbery.

Homemade chicken nuggets. Cubed chicken fillets dredged in melted butter, seasoned and rolled in favorite breading.....bake on Pam sprayed foil. (I've used Corn Flakes, saltines and Italian bread crumbs. My favorite is seasoned fish fry of all things.)

Click to expand...

Yours was practically the only appropriate post to the thread.
Most of the recipes were not quick, nor easy nor cheap. Why bother posting them?
Not only were they utterly inappropriate for a busy college student with little cooking equipment, time, money, cooking skill, spices, staples etc, they incredibly were recipes that made an inordinate number of servings.

If you are going to bring a RAMEN or peanut butter sandwich eating college student to cooking, it better be better advice than I see here.

Try some FOIL WRAPPED meat, maybe carrots, onion and potatoes popped in the oven to cook while he works on his term paper. One serving, no pots to wash no leftovers to put in dorm fridge.

....

Melodi's Tomato Anything-Sauce base (a college friend said this should be posted on every student fridge so here it is)

For pennies you can make a much better sauce than you can buy per-made in the shop and you can put in it exactly what you want. You can even buy a couple of jars of pre-made pasta sauce first, then wash out the jars and keep them to put your own sauce in.

Basic Sauce
1 can tomato paste (called puree on this side of the water)
1 to 4 cans of water (1 can is very thick/4 very thin, use the SAME can you used for paste to measure your water)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic
1/8 tsp (or pinch) sugar
1 tsp vinegar or wine

For pizza sauce - use only one can full of water and add:
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Or just add a couple of tsp of Italian spice mix (even dry Italian dressing mix)

To use, spread on a pre-made (or home made) pizza base and add cheese and other toppings - cook at 400/200 degrees for about 12 to 15 minutes.

For pasta sauce:
Use 3 to 4 cans of water
Add Italian herb mix - (oregano, basil, extra garlic, red pepper flakes etc) or use commercial mix
You can also choose to add:
a chopped onion (or 1 tsp onion powder), browned hamburger meat, ham, sausages, hot dogs etc.
Heat through and pour on your cooked pasta and/or throw in some macaroni and eat as a single dish

Mexican Sauce (I make this all the time)
Use 2 cans water (3 for runny taco sauce)
Add to master recipe:
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 to 2 tsp chili powder (go from very mild to OMG, personal taste)
1 tsp Mexican oregano (use regular if that's what you've got
1/2 tsp (optional cilantro - I usually leave it out)
Or - student version - Ignore the above and add a packet of Mexican spice mix (like taco mix or dried enchilada mix etc).

I've had desperate military folk from the US Southwest call and beg me for the recipe for the above after a visit and most people can't believe how simple it is.

You can of course add cans of green chilies and other fun things but the basic sauce as is can be used many things.

For an "Indian" version of this basic sauce just add curry powder instead of the chili/Mexican spices, but include a pinch of chili powder if you want it hot.

Quick recipes with the sauces:

Pizza bread/toast: used pizza sauce on bread instead of pizza base - top with cheese and put under broiler or in oven until melted (I lived on a version of this in college)

Pasta Bake - Staple of UK students and young workers throughout the Isles (and Ireland) - cook up any pasta (but macaroni or shells work best). Add Italian Pasta or Mexican Sauce to Pasta in an Oven proof dish - top with cheese and bake at about 350/170 for 45 min to 1 hour

Easy chili -
1 recipe Mexican Sauce (you can make this ahead and keep in fridge for a month)
1 to 2 cans Kidney/Pinto/Black or other beans (just not green beans)
A bit of extra water or beer if needed
1 can green chilies (optional)
Browned Hamburger (optional)

Put everything in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour (will taste better with longer cooking)
Vegetarian version is improved with can of corn or hominy

Uses for Quick Chili
Fill flour tortillas for a quick snack

Fill flour tortillas with chili and cheese, cover with salsa put in oven proof dish and heat for 20 minutes, serve with rice

Wrap Chili in flour tortillas burrito style and heat in oven for burritos and/or deep fry for chimicungas (use toothpicks to hold it together if deep frying)

Spaghetti with chili (one of my college favorites) boil up a lot of spaghetti for a number of hungry people, heat up or prepare quick chili, top each plate of pasta with quick chili and add cheese - eat!

Indian/Mexican or Italian lentils (or chickpeas)
Dried lentils are easy as they do not need soaking, so can be a great student food - for chickpeas use canned ones and add a bit less liquid

Take any basic sauce and if thick add water so you have at least 2 cups of liquid (you can also use left over wine or beer for the Mexican sauce). Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup lentils (any color) or 1 can of chickpeas (2 if feeding 4 people)

For lentils bring to boil, turn down to simmer and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes (when lentils are cooked through)
The Italian lentils are especially good with some added sausage like Kubasa but are an excellent vegetarian dish as well. They are also improved by adding some chopped onion, cooked in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes before adding to the pot; but these are not required. Other fun additions are dried bell pepper or canned mushrooms (I'm allergic so I don't think about those).

For canned chickpeas, bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and cook at least 20 minutes to mix flavors, up to an hour for a stronger taste. the Asian chickpea version can also have added bits like apples, sliced zukes, chopped egg plant etc as variations - just adjust the cooking time for anything raw.

For either version serve with rice (regular, brown or quick cooking)

That's just a few suggestions, it is really worth making up say a few jars of sauce on a Sunday after noon; will take about 30 minutes to an hour to do several (I can make pizza sauce in 5 minutes if I have to) and you have lots of choices for weekly meals that don't have any junk in them and just need cheese, pasta, tortilla, bread etc to fill out.

ainitfunny said:

Yours was practically the only appropriate post to the thread.
Most of the recipes were not quick, nor easy nor cheap. Why bother posting them?
Not only were they utterly inappropriate for a busy college student with little cooking equipment, time, money, cooking skill, spices, staples etc, they incredibly were recipes that made an inordinate number of servings.

If you are going to bring a RAMEN or peanut butter sandwich eating college student to cooking, it better be better advice than I see here.

Try some FOIL WRAPPED meat, maybe carrots, onion and potatoes popped in the oven to cook while he works on his term paper. One serving, no pots to wash no leftovers to put in dorm fridge.

Click to expand...

The point being most college student these days ... scratch that ... most SUCCESSFUL college students have to up their sophistication in order to survive and thrive. I have two in college, one of them now married, one female and one male, and BOTH of them taught their college friends to cook at their apartments and were thanked effusively for it.

The state univerisities here in Florida now have the requirement that all incoming freshmen must live on campus. The only exception is if their permanent residence is with their parents in the county the school is located in ... USF is the exception and allows three counties (Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough) due to commuting distance. The freshman dorms are not cooking friendly. You can't even have a popcorn popper or toaster in the room. A very small frig is allowed as is a small microwave but from what I heard from my kids' friends, freshman get their permission for these items yanked very easily.

Most kids move off campus ASAP and it is primarily to save money ... freshman dorm plus a food plan is not the cheap way to go when going to college, it is merely convenient.

That said, most of my kids' friends were pretty clueless when they got their first apartment. Plus most of them have roommates they have to share their cooking spaces with. How it works for the most part is they take turns making a main meal of the day and then each takes care of their own dishes so multiserving meals is actually much better.

I don't question the recipes generally being quick or cheap. Healthy I question in some cases, because of the heavy use of many things like canned soups, boxed mac&cheese, etc., etc.---Processed food is full of corn by-products (starches, high-fructose and regular corn syrup, etc.), sodium, loads of chemicals.

Quick Hot Wrap Sandwich (microwave)

1 large tortilla (white or whole-wheat---white is cheaper)

Possible fillings: pick from the list
---any kind of cooked meat (anything from drained chunks of canned chicken, leftover cooked chicken meat, sliced ham, drained browned hamburger)---you don't need much
---beans. I use a scoop of canned refried beans, or plain cooked/canned beans of various kinds (rinsed & drained well)
---small amount veggies (chopped; fresh or frozen---if using frozen I knock the extra ice off them if necessary---don't want it too wet)
---some sort of melty cheese (slices or shredded)

Vegetarians (or can't get/afford meat) can skip the meat and if you are using beans & cheese with some veggies it's very nutritious and has complete protein.

Have ingredients figured out: chopped, drained, whatever, and ready to roll.
Soften up tortilla by warming in microwave. (25 seconds on mine, YMMV)
Put meat or beans, veggies, cheese in tortilla and roll up---close ends or not, your preference.
Nuke on high for one minute.
Chow down.

This is a favorite crockpot meal in our family. One batch would feed one person for several meals, it's pretty inexpensive for the number of servings it makes:

Spicy beans with Smoked Sausage:

One pound smoked sausage, sliced in 1/2" peices
1 can (16 oz.) corn (not creamed), rinsed and drained (may use 1 1/2C frozen corn if desired)
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 1/2 oz.) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 12oz. jar salsa
1/2 to 1 cup water (enough to fill cooker at least halfway)

1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
( I use pkg. of frozen pepper and onion mix, works great)
3 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1 tsp. ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. I haven't tried it but don't see why it couldn't be made in a large pot on a stove and simmered like chili.

Freebird, you just described my (broken arm) lunch: flour tortilla, canned refried beans, home-made salsa (water-bathed can so I could get the lid off myself) and cheap pre-shreded cheese from the warehouse (cheaper than whole).

Put in no-stick pan with a bit of olive oil (used two tortillas so didn't have to fold) and flipped with working hand.

Tortilla chips from store on the side - a bit messy to eat one-handed but good and with some food value.

One thing we did when my husband returned to school (that did not require expense or recipies on our part) was to scout out the local churches. Many have a Wednesday night supper or once a month after church covered dish. The food was great, the people welcoming and it got us up and out to church.

I think the advice is different for a student living in a dorm with probably no oven or cooking equipment to a student living off campus in an apartment with a stove and refrigerator etc.

When I lived in the dorm we ate in the cafeteria. We kept a food drawer in our room for snacks such as Tang, granola, nuts, peanut butter, crackers etc. We never "cooked" in our dorm room. Cooking wasn't allowed. I assumed this thread was directed at students living off campus with cooking facilities.

I can really relate though. My first apt, where I lived alone, without roommates, working full time, was almost literally a shack out back of someone's house, they loosely refer to as an "inlaw." I had a microwave, dual burner hot plate a toaster oven and an old refrigerator. Talk about living in squalor.

The main problem, which applies to our preparedness community, is appetite fatigue. You can't eat too much of the same thing, because, like many others have said in this thread, I couldn't eat X for years afterwords.