On the hunt for budget-friendly, student meals that are easy to make and free of meat too? It can be tricky to find recipes that tick all the boxes, so we’ve put together some of our favourites to help you. These are dishes that will teach you to embrace leftovers, adapt to whatever’s in your fridge and use those store cupboard basics to their full potential. From hungover breakfasts to hearty suppers, these student recipes won’t break the bank.
Hangover Cure Mexican Chilaquiles
This hangover-busting breakfast is inspired by the Mexican dish chilaquiles. It’s a quick and easy way to turn leftovers into a substantial and flavoursome breakfast on a budget.
From the book
Student Eats: Fast, Cheap, Healthy – the best tried-and-tested recipes for students
The perfect companion for any student learning to cook
Quick meals for dining solo or sharing with friends
Genius tips for cooking on a budget
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Peanut Butter Noodles with DIY Garlic Chilli Oil
Peanut butter isn’t just the reserve of toast. These peanut butter noodles from The Cornershop Cookbook are cheap comfort food at its best and what’s more, all the ingredients can be found in your local cornershop too.
Smoky Veggie Feijoada Black Beans, Squash, Peppers and Okra
From Jamie Oliver’s Everyday Super Food, this smoky vegetable-based dish inspired by a Brazilian feijoada is a super-healthy student supper that’s easy to make too. Plus, the protein-packed black beans ensure it’s packed full of fibre.
Sweet Potato, Red Lentil and Coconut Curry
A hearty and healthy vegan curry, this sweet potato, red lentil and coconut curry from Britain’s Best Home Cook is well worth a go. Once you’ve stocked up on the few basic spices you need to make it, this recipe requires only a few extras for a satisfying student supper.
Mexican Veggie Burgers with Sriracha Ketchup
These Mexican-inspired bean burgers from The Hot Sauce Cookbook use chickpeas as the base in this cheap-to-make dinner. If you don’t want to bother making the Sriracha ketchup you can now buy it ready bottled in some supermarkets, or just swap in plain ketchup (although it won’t taste quite so good).
Pasta Frittata Lots of Ways
A wonderful way to use up leftover pasta, this pasta frittata from Gennaro Contaldo’s The Pasta Book is a budget-friendly supper with plenty of variations to try. Use a vegetarian Parmesan cheese to make this dish vegetarian-friendly.
