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All Recipes, Main Dishes / October 22, 2019

5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget

Eating authentic Spanish food on a budget, can it get any better than this? In this post I will show you how to make 5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget. As you can see, the title states college students, but in reality, these recipes are for anyone looking to eat big bold Spanish dishes using easy-to-find affordable ingredients.

5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget
For the first dish, I present to you the classic Spanish potato omelette. Made with just potatoes, eggs and extra virgin olive oil. You can serve this potato omelette for breakfast, lunch or even dinner and easily comes together in 30 minutes. 

5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget
For the second dish, we have a chickpea salad with tuna & eggs. This salad is packed with protein & fiber and comes together in just 15 minutes. It´s insanely delicious and effortless to make. I used tinned Spanish tuna, but you can use any type of tinned tuna from your local grocery market.

5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget
The third dish is one of my all-time favorites, a ¨Tortilla de Queso¨. Basically, this is an omelette with melted cheese, very popular throughout all of Spain. Made with simple ingredients and loaded with an insane amount of flavor. This beauty comes together in under 15 minutes.

5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget
The fourth recipe is a pasta lovers dream. We´re talking perfectly cooked al dente penne pasta noodles served with a tomato and tuna sauce. This Spanish tuna & tomato pasta has an incredible amount of flavor, it´s super easy to make and done in 30 minutes.

5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget

For the last dish, we have a chickpea & spinach stew. This beautiful & heart-warming stew comes together in about 20 minutes and offers an array of flavors. We´re talking cumin and sweet smoked paprika, a very popular combinaton of spices used in the Andalucian kitchen.

TIPS & TRICKS to make this recipe: Make sure to use a nonstick fry pan when making the potato omelette and the cheese omelette. This prevents the eggs from sticking and creating a huge mess. Also, make sure to run your spatula through the outer edges as the eggs are cooking, this prevents them from sticking as well. When you´re using canned chickpeas, make sure to drain them and rinse them well under cold running water. On a last note, the most expensive ingredient in these recipes is the extra virgin olive oil, essential in Spanish cooking. Get yourself a bottle, a little goes a long way.

Key Ingredients & Cookware I used in this Recipe:
NONSTICK FRY PAN
SAUCE PAN
EXTRA VIRGIN SPANISH OLIVE OIL

Watch the Video Below on How to Make 5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget

5 Spanish Dishes for College Students on a Budget

Cuisine Spanish
Author Albert Bevia @ Spain on a Fork

Ingredients

SPANISH POTATO OMELETTE

  • 3 medium sized yukon gold potatoes
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

CHICKPEA SALAD WITH TUNA & EGGS

  • 1 15 oz can cooked chickpeas
  • 1/2 small onion diced
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1 tin Spanish tuna
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
  • 1 hardboiled egg
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

TORTILLA DE QUESO WITH TOMATOES

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 slices white mild cheese
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tomato sliced
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • handful freshly chopped parsley

SPANISH TUNA & TOMATO PASTA

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
  • 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 tins Spanish tuna
  • 5 cups cold water
  • 2 cups penne pasta
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

CHICKPEA & SPINACH STEW

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 2 cups bagged spinach
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1 can 15 oz diced tomatoes
  • 1 can 15 oz cooked chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

Instructions

  1. To make the Spanish potato omelette, peel, rinse and pat dry 3 medium yukon gold potatoes, cut each one into small thin pieces, add to a sauce pan, fill with cold water to about 1/2 inch above the potatoes and heat with a high heat, meanwhile whisk 6 large eggs (seasoned with sea salt & black pepper) in a large bowl, after boiling the potatoes for 16 to 18 minutes drain into a sieve, add the potatoes into the bowl with the eggs, season generously with sea salt and whisk until well combined, heat a nonstick fry pan with a low-medium heat and drizzle in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, after 1 minute add in the egg & potato mixture, after 6 minutes place a plate over the pan and flip, slide the uncooked part back into the pan and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, then slide into a serving dish and serve

  2. To make the chickpea salad with tuna & eggs, rinse one 15 oz can of cooked chickpeas under cold running water and add into a large bowl, then add in 1/2 of a small onion that´s been finely diced, 1 tomato that´s been roughly diced, 1 tin of tuna (oil drained), 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley and season with sea salt & black pepper, toss together until well combined, transfer to a shallow bowl, add a hardboiled egg cut into quarters on top and serve

  3. To make the tortillla de queso, whisk 3 eggs in a large bowl (seasoned with sea salt & black pepper), heat a nonstick fry pan with a medium heat and add in a generous tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, after 2 minutes pour in the egg mixture, 2 minutes later add 2 slices of white cheese (I used havarti), then fold the omelette over the cheese, flip and cook for another 2 minutes, add to a serving dish, place a couple slices of tomatoes on the plate and season them with sea salt, black pepper and some freshly chopped parsley, enjoy!

  4. To make the the Spanish tuna and tomato pasta, fill a sauce pan with 5 cups of cold water, season with sea salt and heat with a high heat, at the same time heat a nonstick fry pan with a medium heat and pour in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, after 1 minute add 1/2 onion that´s been diced and 2 minced garlics, mix with the olive oil, 3 minutes later add in 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika, quickly mix together and then add two 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, season with sea salt, black pepper and a little white sugar, mix together and let it simmer, at this point your water should be boiling, add in 2 cups of penne pasta and cook al dente, then drain into a sieve, turn off the heat in the tomato sauce, add the cooked pasta and 2 tins of tuna (oil drained), mix together until well combined, serve in shallows bowls sprinkled with fresh parsley, enjoy!

  5. To make the chickpea & spinach stew, heat a sauce pan with a medium heat and pour in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, after 1 minute add 1/2 onion that´s been diced and 3 minced garlics, mix with the olive oil, 3 minutes later add in 1/2 tsp cumin powder and 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika, quickly mix together and then add in one 15 oz can diced tomatoes, season with sea salt & black pepper and mix together, then add in 2 cups bagged spinach and place a lid on the pan, after 2 minutes remove the lid, add in one 15 oz can chickpeas (drained & washed) and season with sea salt & black pepper, mix together until well combined, then pour in a 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and place a lid on the pan, simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, serve in large bowls next to a crusty baguette, enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Get the Extra Virgin Spanish Olive Oil I used to make these recipes.

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