‘More pasta, please’

Pasta acts as the perfect go-to meal for busy college students

School. Homework. Work. Sleep. Workout. Study…. Where’s the time to eat?

As college students, we normally don’t have the time or the energy to cook extravagant meals for ourselves.  Luckily, there are simple and tasty recipes that you can make all with what you can usually find in your cupboard.

In my cupboard, there are always tomatoes, onions, butter, bread, chicken, pasta, pasta, pasta and more pasta.  Pasta is a great dish to utilize the odds and ends of your pantry. Don’t be afraid to get creative with adding fruits and vegetables to your pasta.

One of my all time favorites is a tomato and onion pasta. It’s a straightforward recipe and all you need is one large onion, a can of diced tomatoes or dice a fresh tomato, a stick of butter and pasta of your choice.  This dish allows you to multi-task and relax while the stove does all the cooking.

You will need to dice the onion and tomato, unless you used a can of diced tomatoes.  Throw in the butter, the tomato and the chopped onions and let it sit under medium heat for 45 minutes and ta-da. You have your sauce.

Don’t forget to boil and cook your pasta.  Serve hot and enjoy.  I promise it is incredibly tasty and perfect for a cooking date.  If you happen to have some garlic bread, that pairs with the pasta perfectly—or for an even simpler side dish just toast up some sliced bread.

Page Gamel, a sophomore nursing major at Georgia College, loves cooking a simple pasta meal.

“I enjoyed the bacon tomato pasta dish because those are three of my favorite foods so putting them all together topped with cheese is delicious,” Gamel said.

The bacon tomato pasta requires diced tomato, bacon bits, pasta, and shredded mozzarella cheese (or cheese of your choice).

“It’s a tasty dish that doesn’t require a whole lot time,” Gamel said.

While cooking your bacon, either by microwave or on the skillet, heat up the diced tomatoes on low heat.  You can add butter, salt, pepper or any other flavoring to give it a kick.  After you are done cooking the bacon, crumple them up into little bits. Boil your water and cook your pasta.  Once the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta and then add your shredded cheese.

It’s important you mix the cheese and pasta together when the pasta is hot to ensure the cheese will melt.  Mix it up well, serve tomatoes on top and sprinkle the bacon bits on top and there you go!

A meal everyone should have in the refrigerator is a simple chicken salad or pasta salad dish.  This is a cold dish you can carry with you to class, the library or just grab it out of the fridge for a quick snack.

The great thing about this pasta salad is how incredibly versatile it is; almost anything can be thrown in the salad.  Apples, cranberries, sunflower seeds, nuts, celery, tomatoes, mandarin oranges, onions, chicken or anything you want can go into this yummy yet flexible meal.

For pasta salad, you will want mayonnaise and a dressing of your choice.  I think poppy seed works best because it holds the flavor together. If you are adding chicken, cook to your preference and marinate if desired.  Throw whatever you like into the salad, chill and enjoy.

These pasta dishes are sure to last you awhile, fill you up and save you time and money.