If you're looking for student recipes that are cheap and easy to make you're in the right place! Let's face it, learning to cook can be hard and when you're on a student budget you're probably not going to have a huge amount of ingredients to work with.
Luckily, you don't have to be an expert to be able to cook tasty and filling dinner recipes, so if you're wondering what to make for dinner tonight take some inspo from these simple student recipes.
Quick and simple pasta student recipes
Pesto pasta
Ingredients:
- Pasta of your choice
- Store-bought pesto of your choice
- 150g of Kale
- Small bunch of basil
- 1 garlic glove
- 3 tbsp of pumpkin seeds
- 5 tbsp of olive oil
- 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
"Gigi Hadid" TikTok pasta
- 3 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1 shallot
- 200g of passata
- 450g of penne pasta
- 120ml of double cream
- 50g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp of crushed chillis
- 2 tbsp of triple-distilled vodka
- Salt and pepper to season
Pasta salad
- 300g of pasta
- 1 tbsp of pesto
- Chopped red onion
- Chopped tomato
- 2 tsp of olive oil
- 185g of tuna (optional)
This is a really simple recipe that can help to minimise food waste. You can either use leftover pasta from a different dish or cook it fresh if you want to eat it hot. Simply add your cooked pasta to a bowl and mix in the salad ingredients along with a splash of olive oil and some pesto for additional flavour.
Cream cheese pasta
- Pasta of your choice
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Chilli flakes
- Salt and pepper
Student recipes for one
Chicken tikka masala
- 150g of chicken
- Red onion
- Shallots
- 1 jar of Tikka Masala cooking sauce
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- Chopped coriander
- Salt and sugar
- Lemon juice
- Basmati rice
To make a quick and easy curry for one person, using a pre-made sauce will save time and help to control the portion size. Simply cook your chicken in a pan with the onion and shallots. Next, add the tomatoes and tikka masala sauce and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in another pot make your rice while stirring the chicken and sauce thoroughly to prevent sticking. Finally, season the chicken with the lemon juice, salt and sugar and serve with the rice.
Jacket potatoes
- 1 large cooking potato or 2 small cooking potatoes
- Toppings of your choice such as cheese, baked beans, butter or tuna
Chicken fajitas
- Chicken breasts
- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 red chilli
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
- 1 lime
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 4tbsp of olive oil
- Tortillas
- Fresh salsa
Slow cooker student recipes
Slow cooker bolognese
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 30g butter
- 1 onion
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 carrot
- 150g of pancetta
- 200g of beef mince
- 200g pork mince
- 200ml red wine
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato puree
- 200ml beef stock
- 100ml of milk
- 400g pasta
- Parmesan
Heat the oil and butter in a pan, add the pancetta, onion, celery and carrot and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes add the mince and wine and increase the heat. Mix in the tomato puree and stock and pour into the pan then once all stirred together, transfer everything to your slow cooker. Cover and cook for 8-9 hours, and in the last 10 minutes stir in the milk. Finally, make your pasta to enjoy your bolognese with!
Chilli Con Carne
- 500g beef mince
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 400ml beef stock
- 800g black beans
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2-3 tbsp chilli paste
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- Rice
Quick veggie dinners
Vegetable soup
- 300g of potatoes
- 700ml of vegetable stock
- Vegetables of your choice
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
Fry the vegetables and potatoes in a pan with the oil for a few minutes, then once everything starts to soften simply add the vegetable stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Once everything is cooked you can add it to a blender and blend until mainly smooth. This is a great meal to prepare in advance as it can be frozen and you can also make enough to provide leftovers throughout the week.
Tofu stir fry
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 300g tofu
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- Ginger
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 2 carrots
- 300g broccoli
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 spring onion
- Sesame seeds
- Rice
Veggie ramen
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Ginger
- 1 1/2 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tbsp of white sesame paste or tahini
- 1l vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 spring onions
- Rice or ramen noodles
- 1 carrot
- 25g beansprouts
- 200g of firm tofu
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- Toppings such as crushed peanuts, sesame oil and sriracha
Add the garlic, ginger, miso paste, sesame paste, soy sauce and stock to a pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Next, strain into a clean pan and throw out anything left in the pan. Meanwhile, fry the tofu in cornflower and cook the noodles in another pot. Add the spring onions to the broth and add the noodles and broth to a bowl along with the tofu, beansprouts, carrot, and ginger and finish off with toppings of your choice.
For more student recipes check out easy lunch recipes and how to upgrade your ramen.
