Full for a fiver: three easy-to-cook recipes on a student budget

If you’re heading off to university, you might want to give some thought to what you’ll be eating. Student cooking might bring to mind instant noodles and tinned spaghetti, but while you’re likely to be on a tighter budget, it’s still possible to make tasty, nutritious meals.

Learning to cook when you start university is less daunting than you may think, and can turn into a valuable life skill. Once you get going you’ll be able to turn your hand to a number of recipes, from comforting pastas to hearty bowls of dal. Try one of these three recipes to get started.

Sausage meatballs and spaghetti

You can make homemade spaghetti and meatballs quickly and easily using sausage meat. This cheap and comforting meal is ready in one hour and super satisfying.

Prep 20 mins
Cook 40 mins
Serves 4

Cost per portion £2.50

6 pork sausages (400g)
40g dried breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
Pinch chilli flakes
800g passata
½ tbsp caster sugar
1 small bunch basil
400g spaghetti, or any pasta you have
Grated cheese, to serve

Squeeze the sausage meat out of their skins and into a bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs with 2 tbsp water and the egg and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the wet breadcrumbs to the sausage meat and some salt and pepper and squish everything together. Form into 16 meatballs. Place on a plate, cover and chill while you make the sauce.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry over a low heat for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 2 minutes. Add the passata, 150ml water and the sugar, bring to a simmer then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once cooked season and add the basil.

Heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the sausage meatballs and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes, turning regularly until golden brown. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions. Then toss with the meatballs and sauce.

Finish with cheese and more basil, if you like.

Golden lentil and rice dal (khichdi)

Cooking lentils and rice together makes a super comforting dal, known in India as khichdi.

Make a double batch and freeze some portions, if you like. Once defrosted, just reheat in a pan until piping hot.

Prep 10 mins
Cook 40 mins
Serves 4

Cost per portion £1

130g basmati rice
200g split red lentils
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp medium chilli powder
1.2l vegetable stock
130g fresh or frozen spinach
4 large eggs, boiled for 6½ mins to serve (optional)

Tip the rice and lentils into a sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold, running water. Set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan or casserole. Add the onion along with a pinch of salt and fry over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until golden. Stir through the ginger, garlic, turmeric, ground coriander, cumin seeds and chilli powder and fry for 1 minute. Add the rice and lentils to the pan and pour in the stock, bring to a simmer then cover, turn down and cook for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have turned creamy.

Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes. Serve topped with a boiled egg, if you like.

Roasted sweet potato hummus bowls

This vegan bowl is great for a nutritious lunch. You can mix and match toppings, if you like. Try adding olives, falafels, vegan feta chunks or fried tofu. It can also be prepared and packed into plastic food containers ready for long days in the library.

Prep 10 mins
Cook 10 mins
Serves 2

Cost per portion £1.75

2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 x 400g can chickpeas
2 pitta breads, cut into triangles
2 tbsp tahini
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
½ cucumber, chopped
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red onion, thinly sliced
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Toss the sweet potato with 1 tbsp of olive oil, the chilli flakes, cumin, coriander and some sea salt. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Toss the olive oil, pitta and some salt and bake for 7 minutes then leave to cool.

Drain the chickpeas, reserving three tbsp of the liquid from the can. Add most of the chickpeas and reserved liquid, tahini, garlic and lemon juice into a blender and blend until super smooth. Chill until you need.

Toss the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion and parsley. Pile the hummus into two bowls. Top with the roasted sweet potato, the cucumber salad and pitta chips.

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