Joining university and cooking for yourself can be a daunting task. Learning to create new meals and avoiding the temptation to make pasta every single night is a lesson we all have to learn. One that took me quite a while... When I started my first year, I came equipped with a few meals (spaghetti bolognese, scrambled eggs and even a mean beans on toast) but as you can imagine, these got boring pretty quickly. So, I attempted to learn some simple recipes on an affordable budget to keep my meals varied and interesting, while still tasting amazing!
1. Chicken Fajita
One the best meals that I've found since starting university is chicken fajitas. I usually buy diced chicken which is slightly more expensive but makes it so easy. I fry this in a pan with some peppers, onions and chorizo. My secret ingredient is then the Old El Paso Roasted Tomato and Pepper seasoning packet which you add straight to the frying pan and stir in, instantly making it taste incredible. Then just spoon this mixture into a tortilla wrap. You can replace the chicken with any vegetables of your choice or even some diced steak. It's the perfect quick and affordable meal!
2. Mac and Cheese
Okay, so this one's my own recipe, but it's so easy and so so good. First I cook a portion of pasta (around 70-100g depending how hungry you are!) In a separate pan, heat up double cream, a splash of milk and grated cheese until they melt into a sauce, add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir. Add the mixture into a tray or pan, cover in a top layer of grated cheese and put it in the oven until the cheese turns golden. This takes less than 20 minutes and is an amazing cheap and easy student meal.
3.Green Thai Curry (Vegetable or Chicken)
I have always loved green Thai curry, but never thought it was something I could cook myself. I was so wrong! Every supermarket sells ready made jars or kits, but in my opinion the best and easiest way to make an amazingly fresh curry is through green curry paste and coconut milk. Stir these together in a pan, before adding some fresh chopped spring onions, chillis and cooked chicken. Add some boiled cabbage on the side, and serve over rice and you have a perfect homemade Thai green curry.
4. Homemade Pizza
Pizza is such a student classic, but buying ready made frozen pizzas can get really expensive and aren't nearly as nice or as fun as making your own! If you're really feeling like pushing the boat out, you can bake your own pizza dough using self-raising flour, dried yeast, salt and oil. For a quicker option, you can buy ready made pizza bases to top with your choice of ingredients. Cover the base with a tomato sauce and cheese (mozzarella or cheddar work best as they melt really well). Then comes the fun part; picking your toppings! Choose any meat or veggies you like to cover your pizza, and then cook in the oven.
5. Sausage and Mash
Right, so this is a simple one, but so good and the perfect meal for those cold winter nights. You can either buy sausages from a supermarket and put them straight in the oven, or if you're feeling really fancy, make your own by buying sausage meat and seasoning with your own flavours. Both are super easy and taste great. Similarly, you can buy ready made mashed potatoes, but it's so simple to make your own and they taste so much better! Peel and chop your potatoes and boil until soft. Then simply mash them up with some butter and a little splash of milk, and season with some salt and pepper. Serve these together with some vegetables of your choice (carrots are my personal suggestion) for a hearty and tasty meal.
6. Fish
Fish can make a really quick and easy meal, and often gets forgotten about by students. Shop bought fishcakes served with vegetables as a side are incredibly simple and can just be placed in the oven, but taste lovely! Similarly, salmon is a super tasty fish and is so easy to cook. I merely wrap a fillet of salmon in some tin foil with a little bit of oil and salt and put it in the oven. This can be served again with some vegetables or sides of your choices for a quick dinner. To add a little bit of extra flavour to your fish, add some chilli flakes or even pesto to the salmon and it tastes amazing.
7. Chicken Katsu Curry (or vegetable alternative)
Katsu curry has always been my Wagamamas favourite, (to the point where I'm not sure I've actually ever eaten anything else from their menu...oops), but I could never find a shop bought alternative that I've liked, until now. The Yutaka Japanese-Style Katsu Curry blocks (definitely sold in Tesco but maybe others too) are just incredible. You break up one of the powdered blocks from the packet, and simply add water. To make the sauce thicker you can add a little bit of cornflour. I personally love breaded chicken with this meal and you can buy this really cheaply either fresh or frozen. Add this sauce over any vegetable or meat mixture of your choice with some rice and it tastes incredible!
8. Jacket Potatoes
Do not underestimate the simple jacket potato! You can make them really quickly in the microwave and then fill them with a topping of your choice. However, my suggestion would be to put them in the oven to get the perfect crispy skin yet fluffy on the inside baked potato. Roll your potato in some oil and sprinkle with salt before putting in the oven for 60-90 minutes. As they take a little while, this is the perfect meal to prepare earlier and have ready to go when you get home from a lecture or when you're tired and can't be bothered to cook. Add baked beans, tuna mayo or any filling that you like to make your perfect meal.
9. Chilli and Rice
Making your own chilli is the perfect alternative if you're bored of spag bol or just want something new. Simply fry your mince meat in a pan with some onions, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Add garlic, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and paprika for seasoning. Add this mixture to bed of rice and you have an amazing homemade chilli con carne.
10. Everything Pasta (my flatmate's incredible invention)
Okay so just go with me on this one... so what my flatmates and I call 'everything pasta' basically means just throw everything you have left over in your fridge into a pasta. This is the perfect way to make sure you use everything up and not waste any food or money. This can include veg like onions, peppers and spinach, meat like chorizo, ham and bacon or basically anything else you fancy! Chuck all of this into a pan with some tinned tomatoes or a pre-made pasta sauce and serve with 70-100g of pasta. It tastes amazing and is a great way to use up leftovers.
Each one of these cost no more than a few pounds and are super easy and quick to make! I really hope you love these recipes as much as I have! Enjoy!
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Zizz x