Food and cooking sometimes becomes a controversial topic for students. People (read: parents) often think we live off beans on toast, and whilst it is an absolute delicacy, today I will discuss my favourite go-to meals that are easy, cheap and practical for any exhausted student. All these meals are vegetarian, but meat can easily be added into the dish if you fancy.
- Fajitas
I know what this sounds like – starting off with an overwhelming, technical choice. But personally, I find fajitas really easy, especially because you can find a spice mix in Tesco, mix it up with whatever veg and protein you have in – I love black eyed beans, spinach and pepper, but I know people who include chicken, carrots, peas and more. You can also make fajitas more fancy by adding guacamole, salsa or cheese – but this is by no means necessary. Plus, fajitas are a great meal to prep in advance: you can fold up the wrap and then eat on the go.
- Stir fry
I can’t lie, I’m not the biggest fan of stir fries mainly because, as a vegetarian, most of them have some sort of meat in. However, chicken can be easily swapped out for tofu or tempeh, especially if you marinate it in advance. Then, mix in veg, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey and your noodles. Simple.
- Pasta
What student doesn’t love pasta? It’s so versatile, and an essential in anyone’s cupboard. I love to batch-prepare a good pasta sauce with lots of vegetables and protein in, so I can easily re-heat later in the week. A tomato sauce (onion, tomato puree, cream, any cheese you have on hand) is an absolute classic, and then you can add any extra veg, for example I often add a courgette and carrots with some kidney beans or butter beans. A pasta bake is also a great one to meal prep: simply cook your pasta for a few minutes, and mix in an oven dish with whatever veg, sauce and protein you want and put in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Eggs
Fried, scrambled, poached: eggs are a classic for a reason. My current favourite is pesto eggs, which is eggs fried in pesto on toast. Need I explain more?
- Soups/stews
Like with pasta sauces, soups or stews are personal go-tos for when I need as much “good stuff” in one meal as possible. Using veg like butternut squash or an aubergine as a base, and then combining with literally anything else, these types of meals are so easy to make taste good, as long as you include a few types of vegetable and basic spices (salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder is always a good place to start!)
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