College is already expensive; adding on the expense of eating, pockets can get a little tight. All the ingredients for this dish can be found at your local Walmart; many of the ingredients can regularly be found at the CSU Bakersfield food pantry. I got these ingredients from Walmart and spent less than $25. If you are looking for good meals on a budget, and a good meal for food prepping throughout the week, this is a good meal for you! 

Yields: Approximately 8 servings  

Prep time: 5-10 minutes  

Cook time: 40 minutes  

Total time: Approximately 1 hour  

Ingredients:   

5 stalks of green onions 

1 package of Italian Sausage links (mild heat) 

2 cans of diced tomatoes seasoned with oregano, basil and other Italian seasonings

1 box of bowtie noodles

Worschershire sauce (optional)

Instructions:  

  While heating up a large saucepan, remove the skin from the Italian sausage before putting the links in the pan. As the sausage starts to turn brown, make sure to grind down the meat into small chunks that are similar to ground beef.

  While the sausage is cooking, wash and dice up the green onions. I prefer my green onions to be diced from the white end of the stalk, horizontally towards the end, but any way you decide works.  

  When the sausage is primarily browned, add the diced green onions into the saucepan.  Stir the green onion in the pan until you can notice the green onion starting to soften. When the green onion has softened a little bit, add in the diced tomatoes. 

 This dish is not supposed to be saucy, but if you prefer a saucy dish, add a little bit of water to one of the tomato cans. Add diced tomatoes and optional water to the saucepan, to break down the concentrate of the tomatoes. For taste, add a little bit of worschershire sauce to the saucepan and stir. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer. 

  Fill a pot with warm water and bring it to a boil; I add salt to the water to help speed up the boiling process. Once the water is boiling, add in the bowtie noodles. Let them cook for about five minutes before testing to see if they are ready. Noodles are full cooked when they are soft; I normally taste one to determine if the softness is to my liking. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and allow them to cool slightly. 

  When the noodles are drained and cooled, put them back in the pot, then add the sauce. Mix together. 

This meal is best paired with garlic bread. 

  Do you have a recipe to share that would be perfect for college students? Send it in to The Runner at [email protected]!