Whether you already have some culinary skills, or are more comfortable with a tin opener, going to university will require you to do some degree of cooking.
With inflation putting even more pressure on cash-strapped students, the challenge of creating healthy yet affordable food is more pressing than ever.
These delicious recipes make for a quick dinner fix, and have the advantage of requiring minimal equipment. Scale them up to feed your new housemates or keep any leftovers to fuel those long afternoons in the library.
Better value and far healthier than a microwave ready-meal, these dinners will make you the most popular person in your halls of residence.
Halloumi flatbreads with curried mango chutney yoghurt
Prep 10 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 2
½ cucumber
½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 lemon or 2 limes, juiced
1 red or green chilli, thinly sliced
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
150g Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp mango chutney
2 tsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pack of halloumi, thickly sliced
2 flatbreads or pitta breads
£2.70 per portion*
Halve the cucumber lengthways. Scoop the seeds out with a teaspoon and discard. Slice the cucumber into half-moons. Toss in a bowl with the coriander, lemon or lime juice, chilli, spring onion and some salt. Leave while you prepare the rest.
Mix together the yoghurt, mango chutney, curry powder and a pinch of salt. You can use any chutney or hot sauce instead of mango, or just leave out the chutney completely, if you please.
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the halloumi slices for two and a half minutes each side, until they’re golden brown.
Warm the flatbreads under a grill for one to two minutes, or in a microwave. Serve the flatbreads topped with the yoghurt, halloumi and cucumber salad, and with extra lime wedges.
Sticky sriracha honey chicken
Prep 20 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
100g cornflour
Sunflower oil
1 egg, beaten
50g sriracha hot sauce or ketchup (if you don’t like spice)
70g runny honey
2 limes, juice only
2 tbsp soy sauce
Cooked basmati rice or egg noodles, to serve
Cooked mange tout, baby corn or broccoli, to serve
Sesame seeds, optional
£1.78 per portion*
Cut the chicken into 4cm chunks (you can use tofu or Quorn pieces instead of chicken). Tip the cornflour into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Heat about 1cm of vegetable or sunflower oil in a non-stick frying pan. Mix the chicken pieces into the beaten egg, coat each piece in the cornflour, then add to the pan. Fry the chicken over a medium-high heat for 12 minutes, turning regularly until golden brown – this can be done in two batches.
Heat the hot sauce and honey in a saucepan until loosened. Whisk in the lime juice and soy.
Tip the fried chicken into a bowl and pour in the sticky sauce. Toss the bowl to coat the chicken in the sauce.
Serve with rice or noodles and the veg. Top with the sesame seeds, if using.
Creamy vegan red pepper pasta
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4
4 red peppers
4 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
100ml plant-based milk
50g cashew nuts
½ small bunch basil
1 lemon, juiced
400g penne or rigatoni pasta
£1.35 per portion*
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400 F/gas mark 6. Halve the red peppers and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon to discard. Tip the peppers and garlic cloves in their skins into a roasting tin with the oil and some salt, and toss everything together. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour. Leave until cool enough to handle.
Soak the cashews in 100ml of boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain the cashews then blend until smooth with the milk, using a blender or a stick blender, if you have one. Continue to blend, adding the peppers, half the basil, lemon juice, salt and the garlic flesh squeezed out of the skins. The sauce should be smooth and creamy. Season to taste.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Toss the pasta with the sauce in a pan and warm through for a couple of minutes. Serve in bowls with the remaining basil. The sauce freezes well if you make a larger batch.
*Prices calculated from average supermarket prices.
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