Five Easy Dinner Recipes for a Busy College Student

By: Nancy Aguilar Sanchez ‘22

As I’m sure you know, being a college student is hard work. Finding a way to manage your time is one of the hardest things to do as a student between clubs, classes, projects, and internships. That leaves no time for cooking. I find that when I’m caught up in my responsibilities, I often neglect my body by eating ramen or frozen foods. Despite the lack of time, though, we should put more care into what we eat because it fuels us. Here are some of my favorite stress free recipes perfect for the busy school year including  vodka sauce pasta and broccoli, butter chicken and rice, asada tacos and rice, and chicken soup and chorizo quesadillas. 

Vodka Sauce Pasta and Steamed Broccoli

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb Pasta (a typical box)

• 1 Onion

• 5 cloves of Garlic

• 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 5 oz Tomato Paste

• 1 Tbsp Chili Flakes

• 5 oz Grated Parmesan Cheese

• 2 oz Vodka

• 1 Broccoli Stalk

• Chopped Basil

STEPS

1. Rinse the broccoli stalk and cut the florets off the stalk.

2. Put the broccoli in a pot with two inches of water. Wait until the water boils and then put on the lid. Reduce to low heat. The broccoli should finish cooking in 10-15 minutes.

3. Put a second pot on the stove half full of water. Add a pinch of salt and olive oil. Add pasta once the water is boiling. Then reduce heat to low.

4. While the broccoli and pasta cook, chop the onion and garlic as finely as you’d like. Place them in a pan with olive oil till they start to brown then add tomato paste. Once the tomato paste becomes a darker shade, add vodka. Stir periodically until the vodka evaporates.

5. Warm heavy cream in the microwave. Then add it to the pan you’re cooking your sauce in. Stir until the cream evaporates and the sauce becomes thick. Remove from heat.

6. Add pasta, broccoli, and parmesan to the mixture immediately allowing the heat of the sauce to melt the cheese. Stir to combine and garnish with basil.

Butter Chicken and Rice

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups Basmati Rice

• 2 Chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

• ½ cup Plain Yogurt

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 tsp Turmeric

• 2 ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

• 3 ½ tsp Garam Masala

• 2 tsp Red Chili powder

• 2 ½ ground cumin

• 1 tsp Black Pepper

• 1 tsp Salt

• 3 tbsp minced Garlic

• 2 tbsp minced Ginger

• ½ Onion

• 2 Tomato

• 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

STEPS

1. Marinate chicken pieces in yogurt, minced garlic, minced ginger, garam masala, Red Chili Powder, turmeric, ground cumin, salt, black pepper for 1-2 hours depending on how tender you want it.

2. Once you’re done marinating, put Basmati rice in a pan and stir until golden, add 3 cups of water and set to low heat when it’s boiling. Heat the chicken in a pan and shut it off when it is almost fully cooked. Should take roughly 20 minutes.

3. Chop up garlic and ginger and add it to the pan. Add onions once browned. When onions are becoming translucent, add tomatoes.

4. Add olive oil and the rest of the cumin, coriander, garam masala, and red chili powder.

5. Once tomatoes are softer, you can blend it if you want the sauce to be smoother.

6. Once this is done, you can add the heavy whipping cream until the mixture is a nice orange color. Add the almost cooked chicken to the sauce until the reaches a boil. 

7. Move to low heat until the chicken is soft.

8. Serve with the rice and enjoy!

Carne Asada Tacos and Rice

Actual tacos I made!

INGREDIENTS

• Seasoned Salt

• Oranges

• Lemon

• 2lb bits of steak of choice

• 4 garlic cloves

• Tortillas

• Chopped cilantro

• 1 ½ cups Chopped onions

• 1 cup Sliced onions

• 6 Serrano peppers

• Lemon slices

• 2 cups Jasmine rice

• 1 Tomatoes

• ½ onion

• 1 tsp Chicken seasoning

STEPS

1. Marinate the steak bits in orange juice, lemon juice, and seasoned salt for as long as you have time to.

2. Put oil and garlic in a pan and let it simmer, add the steak bits and half an inch of water. Let the meat cook until the water has mostly evaporated.

3. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, add the slices of onions and serrano peppers into oil on medium heat until they are caramelized. 

4. While that begins to cook, place the rice in a pot and stir it until browns.

5. Blend the tomato and onion in a blender until it’s a foamy liquid.

6. Add the foamy liquid to the golden rice and wait for the mixture to boil.

7. Add the chicken flavoring and turn the heat to low. The rice will be done when the water is absorbed.

8. Once you’re ready to serve, you can heat the tortillas in the pan you cooked the meat to steam them and make them. Serve your tacos with your desired cilantro, onion, and lemon. Add a scoop of rice on the side and the caramelized onions and serrano peppers.

Chicken Soup

Actual chicken soup that I made!

INGREDIENTS

• Six Chicken Drumsticks

• Salt

• head of Garlic

• Rice

• 1 Tomato

• 1 Onion

• Carrot halves

• Zucchini halves

• Potato halves

• Cilantro 

• 1 Lemon

• Chili Flakes

STEPS

1. Put six chicken drumsticks, salt, and a head of garlic in a pot and boil for 25-35 minutes. After 15 minutes, scoop out the foam that forms at the top with a large spoon.

2. Place the rice in a separate pot and stir it until brown. 

3. Blend a tomato and an onion until it’s a foamy liquid. Add the foamy liquid to the golden rice and wait for it to boil.

4. Add the chicken flavoring and turn the heat to low. The rice will be done when the water is absorbed.

5. Add all of the chopped vegetables to the pot that the chicken was boiled in.

6. Heat for 15 more minutes and ensure chicken is cooked through.

7. Keep the rice and soup in different pots. When you’re ready to serve just scoop the chicken, vegetables and broth onto a bowl.

8. Add a scoop of your cooked rice to the bowl. Add the lemon juice and chili flakes to each bowl as you desire.

Chorizo Quesadillas

INGREDIENTS

• Cacique brand Chorizo

• Flour Tortillas

• chopped Lettuce

• chopped Tomatoes

• chopped Cilantro

• Avocado slices

• shredded Mozzarella Cheese

STEPS

1. Plop a scoop of chorizo onto a pan on medium heat, no oil necessary. Cook until the chorizo turns a brownish-red.

2. Warm another skillet and add a tortilla to the pan. Add the shredded mozzarella to half of the tortilla covering all of the edges.

3. Flip the tortilla closed and flip periodically until the tortilla gets as brown as you’d like.

4. When done, carefully open the tortilla and scoop in the chorizo.

5. Add the chopped lettuce, cilantro, avocado slices and tomato.

6. Cut the quesadilla to your desired shape and enjoy!

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