Low Budget But Tasty Student Meals
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Six weeks into my second year at university, I am very quickly growing tired of cheesy pasta. To try and diversify my diet a little bit, I decided to browse the Internet to look for some cheap and easy but tasty-looking recipes. It turns out that my definition of ‘cheap and easy’ and BBC Good Food’s definition are very different.
Cockles, in my poor student opinion, are not ‘budget friendly’- any type of shelled seafood is extravagant.
After looking at some modest blogs and websites, I found these meal ideas- all of which are simple, low-cost and flavoursome.
1- Tuna pasta bake– The best part about pasta bakes is that they will last in the fridge for days. If you have a busy couple of days coming up and won’t have much time to cook anything, this recipe is ideal.
2- Naan bread pizza– If you are allergic to dairy and can’t usually eat pizza, substituting the cheese in this recipe for a lactose-free or vegan cheese alternative will satisfy your pizza craving.
3- Iceland’s £1 microwave meals- If you’re no good in the kitchen or just have a really busy schedule, Iceland offers a range of frozen microwave meals that only cost £1. The store offers dozens of meals including chicken curries, fish pies, pasta and meatballs and shepherd’s pie.
4- Pepperoni toasties- This is a recipe that I ‘invented’ myself (although I’m sure some food blogger out there has done it first). You make a cheese toastie as normal but instead of buttering the bread, you spread tomato puree and black pepper onto each slice, add a layer of cheese, a few pieces of ready-to-eat pepperoni slices and sprinkle more cheese over. Grill for about five minutes until the cheese is bubbling and you will have a slightly better version of a cheese toastie. Per serving, this recipe probably costs less than £1. You can buy the ready-to-eat pepperoni from Tesco for £1 and it’s such a quick meal to make.
5- Chilli con Carne– This is a Year 9 food tech classic. Chilli con Carne is easy yet nutritious and filling- perfect for cold winter nights.