By Noor Nouaillati, ASU Nutrition student
Being a college student means living on a tight budget and waiting for that next paycheck. It can be tough. I know, I’ve been there. So, when it comes to the food items in your budget, it’s probably the best place to find ways to save.
We’re often influenced on how to spend depending on how thick our wallets are and grocery shopping tends to entice us to spend more than we need. We start eating out after the first two days when we get our paycheck, then we are forced to cook at home. One simple recipe that spreads dollars involves four main ingredients.
This easy recipe that I have been making for a while now has become a staple weekend dish in my house. This is my famous zucchini lasagna. I recommend this to all college students, the ones trying to cut out on carbs and live a healthy lifestyle and the ones that just love to try new things!
Zucchini Lasagna Ingredients:
- One zucchini
- Ground Meat
- Marinara Sauce
- Cheese (your preference of cheese)
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice the zucchini long ways and thin layers. Cook your ground meat and season it with salt and pepper. I added a pinch of chili flakes for that spicy kick. Get a baking plate and put a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom. Then, layer it with the zucchini and add ground meat on top. Then add more sauce and some cheese. Repeat this step for about 3-4 layers and then top it off with more sauce and then cheese to cover. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Take it out and let it rest for 5-10 minutes and then you can serve it with garlic bread, a house salad, or even alone. It tastes ridiculously delicious, very flavorful and tremendously light!
When you’re done, go to Fill Your Plate and discover a myriad of recipes that you can search for either by the main ingredient or by category. Many of the recipes are provided to us by Arizona’s farmers and ranchers. Additionally, Fill Your Plate’s 10+Plus Easy Tips to Help Stretch Your Food Dollar will be helpful for us because we always want to stretch our grocery bill where we can.
I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it and make it a weekly dish just like how it has become at my household!