25 Best College Meal Prep Ideas All Students Should Know About

This post is all about college meal prep ideas.

Looking for ways to organize your week ahead with some college meal prep ideas?

After a long day of classes, we know how hard it can be to think of something to make for dinner. Meal prepping allows it to be already done for you which is amazinggg!

We've thought about everything here while rounding up these ideas...we wanted the best, easiest, and cheapest recipes that taste insanely good.

I personally am a huge fan of meal and try to do it almost every week. It just makes the week so much easier (plus I usually end up spending less and eat healthier!).

Some of these recipes do require a stove so I would suggest planning on going to the dorm kitchen on a Sunday afternoon and getting it all ready and then not having to think about it at all the rest of the week :).

This post is all about the best college meal prep ideas.

College Meal Prep Ideas:

1. Easy Meal Prep Lunch Idea

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A post shared by Rachel Paul, PhD, RD (@collegenutritionist) on Sep 4, 2019 at 7:58am PDT

The College Nutritionist does it again!! She is always making insanely good food that college students can make. A must follow on Insta in my opinion!

You can follow her on Instagram above by clicking on that picture.

2. Turkey Stir-Fry

How amazing does this stir-fry look?!

This would be super easy to put together on a Sunday and enjoy for dinner the rest of the week.

You can find this recipe from Clean Food Crush here.

3. Smoothie

I drank smoothies all the time when I was living in the dorms and STILL do almost everyday. I will prep them in plastic bags and then when I'm ready to make it I just throw the bag into the blender and add a little almond milk.

It tastes SO good! I am definitely adding this mango recipe to my smoothie list.

You can try this recipe for yourself from Karluci.

{RELATED POST: 5 Insanely Genius Ways To Organize Your Food In College}

4. Chicken, Rice, and Broccoli

One of my ALL-TIME favorite combos.

I never have to feel guilty eating it and it's so easy to put together! Think ahead and make sure to get frozen broccoli and rice so you can just microwave and have it ready. If you live near a TJ's, they have the BEST microwave brown rice.

You can find this recipe from Gimme Delicious here.

5. Yogurt Parfait Bowl

I always find that coming up with time to make breakfast like never happens so having it already ready could be life-changing!

I am definitely going to be making this college meal prep idea.

You can find this recipe from Savor and Savvy here.

6. Cheese Quesadilla

Photo by Miguel Andrade

A cheese quesadilla can be made at the beginning of the week and then reheated for later.

My friends and I use to actually have quesadilla nights in our dorm! I know that's not meal prepping but it was definitely something fun we did! I had a panini press that we would make them on.

7. Salads

Salads are what we all need to be eating. We all say it, don’t deny it! And Salads are such a great idea for college meal prep.

Just get all the veggies, wash and cut them, then put them into separate containers so that you have a salad for whenever you need a super quick meal!

You can find the recipe for this salad from Everyday Meal Prep.

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8. Overnight Oats

This is college meal prep because you literally have to make it the night before in order for it to taste as it should.

If you have time the night before, but won’t have time in the morning, this is the college meal prep idea for you!

You can find the recipe for Overnight Oats from I Heart Naptime.

9. Fried Rice

I think if I was to choose my last meal it would be fried rice hahah.

Obsessed with this fried rice meal prep recipe! Looks AMAZING.

You can find the recipe for this fried rice from Yummly.

10.Mexican Pizza

This is basically a cheese quesadilla, but with more veggies and care in it.

Good news is though, it isn’t much harder to make than the cheese quesadilla, and it can still be done in a microwave, so it’s still a great college meal prep idea!

You can make this recipe for yourself from Macaroni and Cheesecake (which btw, totally here for that blog name).

11. Mini Quiches

This is the perfect breakfast meal prep idea for college students! If you have a muffin tin, then you can pull off this college meal prep idea.

The cool thing is you can make different ones with different veggies so that throughout the week you have variety and don’t get bored!

Try this meal prep recipe from Garnish and Glaze.

12. Chili

This is a great college meal prep idea for the colder winter months. Just make a huge batch of chili and you can feed off of it for weeks, or feed your friends!

This recipe looks amazing from Chelsea's Messy Apron (and it's vegetarian!).

13. Grilled Chicken and Veggies

Roasted veggies are like . . . my new obsession. They taste so good, and they are so healthy and you make a bunch and can eat off of them for days!

My favorite thing is to do it all in one pan with some chicken and then I have a quick and easy meal to heat up for the rest of the week. If that ain’t college meal prep, I don’t know what is.

You can try this recipe from Picky Palate.

14. ...or Salmon and Veggies!

If chicken isn’t your thing, or you just like fish better, do salmon with your veggies. It’s JUST as good!

Try this meal prep recipe from Cooking Classy here.

15. Enchiladas

Are you really human if you don't love Mexican food?

Let's be real, going out to mexican restaurants can be expensive. In college, budgets can get tight so if you crave that mexican, meal prep it!

This enchilada recipe from Megan Vs. Kitchen is the way to go.

16. Zucchini Noodles and Meatballs

Made this recipe myself and holy crap was it good!! One of my favorite meal prep recipes I've ever made.

You can try this meal prep recipe from Healthy Safe Schools.

17. Yogurt Parfaits

This is a great college meal prep ideas if your mornings are hectic. Make these beforehand and you have an easy breakfast to eat while you're rushing around.

We love things that make our lives simpler, and this definitely does that!

This delicious looking recipe comes from Savory Pantry Blog.

18. Buddha Bowls

This is another great and healthy college meal prep idea!

And the coolest thing about Buddha bowls is that you can really use whatever you want to make them, so you’re guaranteed to have some meals that you will totally enjoy!

You can make this specific bowl from following the recipe over at Hannah Chia!

19. Chicken Burrito Bowl

This is another college meal prep idea that tastes SUPER delicious and isn’t hard to make at all, because simplicity is what we college students strive for right?

And also, if you aren’t feeling a bowl, wrap this up into a tortilla and make it an actual burrito!

This is from Tasty.Co which like, who isn't obsessed with them?! You can find this recipe over on their website here.

20. Buffalo Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

My assistant RAVES about this recipe, like she cannot get enough of it so I’m definitely going to have to try it sometime soon.

This is a great college meal prep idea if you love something spicy, with a hint of sweet. Definitely meal prep and try this out!

You can find this recipe over at 40 Aprons.

21. Pasta and Veggies

If you're following this new trend of food combining, this college meal prep idea follows it!

My tip is to roast the veggies and then add them to cooked pasta. That seems to be how they taste the best!

Here’s another great recipe to try from Budget Bytes.

22. Beef and Broccoli

If you love chinese food, but don’t want to pay the price for take out, this is the college meal prep idea for you!

This looks Damn Delicious ;).

{RELATED POST: 21 Insanely Healthy College Meals You Can Make In Your Dorm}

23. One Pan Roasted Veggies and Italian Sausage

This is another great one pan college meal prep idea that’s also really healthy!

So not only are you preparing meals for in future, but you are also saving yourself a huge mess in clean up. We LOVE efficient preparation, don’t we?

You can find this recipe from Jo Live Co.

24. Taco Bowl

This is a great healthy alternative to tacos because it doesn’t have the carbs of a shell.

I love that there are so many healthy college meal prep ideas out there because it makes being healthy in college that much easier!

Try this meal prep here from My Food Story.

25. Chicken Fajitas

And last but not least, meal prepping chicken fajitas just honestly sounds fun. I think I’m on the way to do that now, let me know if you do the same!

This is another amazing looking recipe from My Food Story.