DollopBroke college student meals
The first 100 of 471 recipes
Cheap, filling dinners for a student budget and a small kitchen. Each costs $2.50 or less a serving, needs eight things to buy or fewer, and is done in 45 minutes, with steps written for someone who has never cooked. The cheapest is Khichdi (Indian rice and lentil porridge) at $0.67 a serving, and the average here is $1.39.
Khichdi (Indian rice and lentil porridge)
$0.67 a serving
40 min
Spaghetti aglio e olio
$1.01 a serving
25 min
Egg salad sandwiches
$1.03 a serving
40 min
Crispy black bean burgers
$1.03 a serving
40 min
Instant Pot French lentil salad
$1.04 a serving
40 min
Macaroni and tomatoes
$1.04 a serving
30 min
Buttered noodles
$1.05 a serving
20 min
Microwave mac and cheese
$1.09 a serving
15 min
Greek spinach rice (spanakorizo)
$1.10 a serving
40 min
Sheet pan fried rice
$1.12 a serving
45 min
Tuna macaroni salad
$1.12 a serving
30 min
Shiro wat
$1.15 a serving
40 min
Black bean and corn fritters with lime crema
$1.16 a serving
35 min
Vegan mac and cheese
$1.17 a serving
25 min
Air fryer chickpea nuggets
$1.18 a serving
35 min
Instant Pot red lentil dal
$1.18 a serving
40 min
Instant Pot chickpea pulao
$1.20 a serving
40 min
Corn dog casserole
$1.22 a serving
40 min
Air fryer mac and cheese for two
$1.22 a serving
25 min
Pork yakisoba
$1.22 a serving
25 min
Kung pao chickpeas
$1.22 a serving
35 min
Microwave peanut butter ramen
$1.23 a serving
10 min
Cabbage pancakes (okonomiyaki)
$1.23 a serving
35 min
Haluski (buttery cabbage and noodles)
$1.25 a serving
40 min
Korean steamed eggs (gyeran-jjim)
$1.26 a serving
30 min
Mexican red rice with black beans
$1.29 a serving
40 min
Air fryer pigs in a blanket
$1.29 a serving
30 min
Air fryer chicken drumsticks
$1.29 a serving
35 min
Air fryer black bean chimichangas
$1.29 a serving
30 min
West African–style peanut stew with sweet potatoes
$1.30 a serving
45 min
Broccoli cheddar crescent ring
$1.31 a serving
45 min
Cabbage yakisoba noodles
$1.32 a serving
25 min
Boxed mac and cheese with broccoli
$1.32 a serving
15 min
Pizza pinwheels
$1.33 a serving
40 min
Hot dog mac and cheese
$1.34 a serving
25 min
Gallo pinto (Costa Rican rice and beans)
$1.34 a serving
45 min
Black beans and rice
$1.35 a serving
40 min
Broccoli cheddar pasta bake
$1.36 a serving
45 min
Butter soy rice with crispy fried eggs
$1.37 a serving
30 min
Instant Pot lo mein
$1.37 a serving
25 min
Instant Pot spaghetti marinara
$1.37 a serving
25 min
Instant Pot meatballs and pasta
$1.37 a serving
30 min
Air fryer black bean taquitos
$1.38 a serving
35 min
Microwave cheese ramen
$1.38 a serving
10 min
Chickpea adobo
$1.39 a serving
35 min
Microwave franks and beans
$1.40 a serving
8 min
Pimento cheese sandwiches
$1.40 a serving
15 min
Instant Pot fried rice
$1.40 a serving
35 min
Chana masala
$1.41 a serving
45 min
Microwave vegan bolognese
$1.42 a serving
20 min
Sopa de fideo (Mexican noodle soup)
$1.43 a serving
25 min
Stovetop mac and cheese
$1.43 a serving
25 min
Sesame garlic egg noodles with broccoli
$1.45 a serving
20 min
Instant Pot mac and cheese
$1.46 a serving
25 min
Sheet pan pancakes with sausage
$1.46 a serving
40 min
Instant Pot butternut squash mac and cheese
$1.47 a serving
25 min
Air fryer pasta bake for two
$1.48 a serving
25 min
Air fryer sesame chickpeas with broccoli
$1.48 a serving
35 min
Akara (black-eyed pea fritters) with pepper sauce
$1.49 a serving
40 min
Korean BBQ black bean tacos with quick slaw
$1.49 a serving
30 min
Tacu tacu (Peruvian crispy rice and bean cakes)
$1.49 a serving
45 min
Cheesy vegetable noodle casserole
$1.49 a serving
45 min
Air fryer pork tenderloin
$1.50 a serving
35 min
Air fryer leftover rice patties
$1.50 a serving
40 min
Tamagodon (Japanese egg rice bowl)
$1.50 a serving
35 min
Chorizo and eggs
$1.50 a serving
20 min
Fish stick tacos
$1.50 a serving
25 min
Vietnamese garlic noodles
$1.50 a serving
25 min
Angel hair with fresh tomato sauce
$1.50 a serving
35 min
Red beans and rice
$1.51 a serving
45 min
Cheesy savory oats with a soft egg
$1.53 a serving
20 min
Air fryer brats with peppers and onions
$1.54 a serving
25 min
Cabbage fried rice
$1.54 a serving
25 min
Thai omelette over rice (kai jeow)
$1.54 a serving
30 min
Air fryer bone-in chicken thighs
$1.55 a serving
35 min
Black-eyed peas with Swiss chard and lemon (louvi)
$1.55 a serving
25 min
Chana chaat (Indian chickpea salad)
$1.56 a serving
15 min
Lazanki (noodles with sauerkraut and mushrooms)
$1.56 a serving
45 min
Spam champuru (Okinawan tofu and cabbage stir-fry)
$1.56 a serving
35 min
Tortang tuna (Filipino tuna omelette)
$1.56 a serving
40 min
Sukuma wiki with ugali and eggs (Kenyan collard greens)
$1.57 a serving
40 min
One-pot chili mac
$1.57 a serving
35 min
Creamy parmesan orzo with peas
$1.58 a serving
25 min
Pasta e ceci
$1.59 a serving
35 min
Egg fried rice
$1.60 a serving
25 min
Instant Pot baked ziti
$1.60 a serving
30 min
Poor man’s meal (hot dogs and potatoes)
$1.60 a serving
40 min
Ants climbing a tree (Sichuan pork noodles)
$1.60 a serving
25 min
Pasta e patate (pasta and potatoes)
$1.61 a serving
45 min
Creamy tomato orzo
$1.61 a serving
30 min
Black-eyed pea tacos with collard slaw
$1.62 a serving
30 min
Masala omelette
$1.63 a serving
15 min
Black bean and sweet potato tacos
$1.63 a serving
45 min
Chili dog casserole
$1.63 a serving
45 min
Baked pork chops
$1.63 a serving
35 min
Air fryer fish nuggets
$1.63 a serving
35 min
Spinach and cheddar frittata
$1.64 a serving
35 min
Black-eyed peas and collard greens over grits
$1.64 a serving
40 min
Air fryer broccoli cheddar nuggets
$1.64 a serving
35 min
Instant Pot butter chickpeas
$1.65 a serving
35 min
Costs and nutrition are estimates for one serving, worked out from typical US grocery prices and standard nutrition values for what each recipe uses.
More ways to find dinner
- Pantry dinners
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- Cheap family meals
- Cheap filling meals for a large family
- Family meals under $10
- Cheap meals for one
- Cheap meals for two
- Cheap quick meals
- Cheap crockpot meals
- Cheap Instant Pot meals
- Cheap one-pot meals
- Cheap sheet pan meals
- Cheap meal prep ideas
- Cheap freezer meals
- Cheap vegan meals
- Cheap low-carb meals
- Cheap gluten-free meals
- Cheap dairy-free meals
- Cheap no-cook meals
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Let Dollop plan the week for you
Tell Dollop what’s in your kitchen and it picks dinners like these for the nights you’re home, writes one grocery list, and walks you through each step.