As the new tenancy year begins, and the lockdown measures continue to change, slowly we are seeing the reopening of Sheffield pubs, restaurants, and more. However, a lot of people have developed their cooking skills in the months of lockdown, with a flurry of cakes and bakes created in the months gone by. Despite this, you might still be a little unsure of what to cook for your evening meal – let’s leave the dinner vs. tea debate for another time – so for this months ‘Igloo suggests‘ we are bringing you some easy, cheap meals that all students can make. Push the Pot Noodles to one side, as we bring you some proper, wholesome food for all!
Igloo suggests: Cheap and easy student meals
Now, we know that students are super busy during term time and often find it much easier to just throw something in the oven, but there are much easier ways to sort you meals out. We’d suggest cooking two meals together in one, potentially on a Sunday, so that you can just heat them up on Monday, Tuesday, and beyond for your dinner, as long as you keep them sealed away! Alternatively, freeze meals and then defrost and reheat whenever is convenient. By doing this, you can save plenty of time and money by making the most of ingredients, rather than throwing things out. Here are a couple of easy meals that are cheap to cook and can be done in bulk amounts.
Pesto Pasta
Ingredients: 4x chicken breasts // 1x pepper // 1x large onion // 1x tinned tomatoes // 1x onion // 1x pack of mushrooms // 1x garlic clove // 1x pesto jar // 80g of pasta // (vegan oil, pesto, and meat replacements are available)
Servings (approx.): 4 // Cost per serving: Less than £2.00 // Total cooking time: 30-40 mins
Instructions:
- Heat 1tbsp. of oil in a large pan on mid/high heat, and add sliced onion and garlic. Fry until cooked through.
- Thinly slice chicken breast and add into pan. Once the chicken is cooked through, add chopped mushrooms and peppers until softened (approx. 4 mins).
- Add pesto and tinned tomatoes, mix and bring to the boil. Simmer on low heat for approx. 20 mins, or until sauce reduces and is piping hot.
- Meanwhile, boil pasta as per packet directions.
- Divide into portions and serve. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne
Ingredients: 500g Quorn mince // 400g tinned tomatoes // 400g kidney beans // 2x garlic cloves // 1x onion // 100g of rice // 1x veg stock cube // Optional extras: tomato ketchup, chilli flakes, additional veg (such as mushrooms)
Servings (approx.): 4 // Cost per servings: £2.00 // Total cooking time: 35-40 mins
Instructions:
- Heat 1tbsp. of oil in a large pan on mid/high heat, and add onions and garlic, cooking until soft.
- Add the Quorn mince and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add tinned tomatoes, kidney beans, veg stock, and any optional extras; season with salt and pepper, and simmer for approx. 30-35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook your rice as per packet directions.
- Divide into portions and serve. Enjoy!
Though there are just two meals there, the adaptations are limitless. Rather than using pesto, you could change your sauce to a tomato or cheese-based choice, such as carbonara, and add bacon lardons for a small extra cost. The chilli con carne could easily use different meat to Quorn mince, or alternatively you can create a meat chilli with ordinary animal meat, should you wish. However, with these two meals – taking a total of 1h20mins plus washing up time – you can create a whole weeks worth of evening meals for yourself, for just £16! On top of that, both meals contain very little fat, and plenty of protein and carbohydrates, fuelling your body for whatever it may face. Plenty of similar meals are available to create with similar value, so now we have started you off go on see what you can find.
For more little tips from Igloo, why not check out our previous “Igloo suggests…” by clicking here!
