Easy dinner recipes for students

EASY DINNER RECIPES FOR STUDENTS

As students, we’ve all heard the jokes about only eating beans on toast once we move away to college – hilarious. Though most of us are well able to chef up much more than that, we can all get stuck in a rut of cooking the same two or three dinner recipes over and over again. Whether you’re a skilled cook or can just about make toast without burning it, these easy, fool-proof dinners are sure to become your new go-to recipes. We understand students have both a limited budget and limited cookware, so we’ve come up with three cheap, student-house-friendly recipes. With two vegetarian options, there’s something for everyone’s taste. Take a look!

*note all recipes are for one, but you can adjust ingredients accordingly

Carbonara

Carbonara is an Italian staple and something everyone should be able to cook. With only 6 ingredients it’s the ideal student dinner recipe and can be whipped up in just 10 minutes. A surprisingly quick and easy dinner to make, and so tasty.

Ingredients

2 eggs

Black pepper

20g parmesan cheese

Olive oil

40g pancetta

100g spaghetti

Method

In a bowl, whisk up 1 egg, 1 egg yolk and lots of black pepper.
Add in half your parmesan cheese and mix. Put aside.
Pop your spaghetti in a saucepan of boiling water and cook according to the cooking instructions found on the packaging. (This is your forewarning to save a cup of pasta water before draining!)
On a low heat, add oil and the pancetta to a pan.
Cook for 5-6 minutes, then increase the heat. Add more black pepper and two ladles of pasta water.
When the spaghetti is cooked, add it to the pan and mix with the pancetta.
Remove from the heat and add the egg mixture bit by bit, continually stirring and mixing with the spaghetti.
Add the rest of the parmesan cheese and more black pepper. If needed, add more pasta water here to loosen up the sauce a bit more.
When the sauce has thickened and is sticking to the spaghetti, it’s time to serve.

Penne alla Vodka (V)

Penne alla Vodka is my absolute favourite quick and easy dinner recipe. It’s ready in less than 20 minutes and the flavours are amazing. It’s such an easy dinner for students to make and requires very basic ingredients. I like to add chorizo to this vegetarian dish for an extra-spicy kick, but it’s just as good without.

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic

½ red onion

Chilli flakes

1 tbsp tomato paste

60ml double cream

100g pasta

10g parmesan cheese

Salt and black pepper

Optional:

50g chopped chorizo

1 tbsp vodka

Method

On a medium heat, add the oil, garlic, onion and chilli flakes to a pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
(Optional - add the chorizo here too.)
Once the onion begins to soften, add in the tomato paste and stir until it coats the contents of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to darken in colour.
Add the pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package instructions. (This is your forewarning to save one cup of pasta water before draining!)
If adding vodka, stir into the tomato paste mixture now. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the heavy cream to the pan and mix. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
Add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to the pan.
Once cooked, drain the pasta and add the cup of pasta water to the pan.
Increase the heat and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened and takes on a deep orange colour.
Mix in the pasta, remove from heat and serve.

Mushroom and pea risotto (V)

This risotto dish is so rich and creamy, and you’d be surprised how quick and easy it is to whip up! It’s a one pot recipe, so it’s very student-house-friendly. It’s such an easy dinner recipe for students, and is ideal for batch cooking or cooking for your friends! Try it vegetarian, or add pancetta and chicken to get your protein fix.

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

10g butter

80g chestnut mushrooms, chopped

75g risotto rice (Carnaroli/Arborio)

250ml vegetable/chicken stock

20g parmesan cheese

50g frozen peas

Salt and black pepper

Optional:

35g pancetta

1 chicken fillet

Method

On a medium heat, add oil, garlic and onion to a large saucepan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
Optional – add pancetta to saucepan and cook until it begins to brown.
Add butter, mushrooms and lots of salt and pepper. Cook for 4-6 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
Reduce the heat, add the rice and mix until coated in the mushroom/onion mixture.
After preparing the stock cube according to the package instructions, add 100ml into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Once it begins to absorb, add the remaining 150ml. Keep stirring every 3-4 minutes until the liquid is fully absorbed.
Once absorbed, add the frozen peas and stir.
Add parmesan and lots of black pepper, and cook until the rice is just tender.
Optional – roast a chicken fillet in the oven, slice and serve on top.

We’d love to see how you get on with our easy dinner recipes for students! If you make one of these recipes be sure to snap a pic and leave it in the comment section below. If you post it to your social media, don't forget to tag us for a shoutout!

Happy cooking!

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