12 Cheap And Simple Student Dinner Ideas

If you’re looking for student recipes that are cheap and easy to make you’re in the right place! Let’s face it, learning to cook can be hard and when you’re on a student budget you’re probably not going to have a huge amount of ingredients to work with.

Luckily, you don’t have to be an expert to be able to cook tasty and filling dinner recipes, so if you’re wondering what to make for dinner tonight take some inspo from these simple student recipes.

Quick and simple pasta student recipes

Pesto pasta

Ingredients:

• Pasta of your choice
• Store-bought pesto of your choice

OR to make pesto at home

• 150g of Kale
• Small bunch of basil
• 1 garlic glove
• 3 tbsp of pumpkin seeds
• 5 tbsp of olive oil
• 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• 1 lemon zested and juiced

Simply cook your favourite pasta and stir in store-bought pasta once cooked and finish with cheese. Or, if you like a challenge you can try making your own pesto by boiling some kale and adding it to a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients and blend until it’s thick and creamy.

“Gigi Hadid” TikTok pasta

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp of unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 shallot
• 200g of passata
• 450g of penne pasta
• 120ml of double cream
• 50g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp of crushed chillis
• 2 tbsp of triple-distilled vodka
• Salt and pepper to season

To make the viral TikTok pasta made popular by Gigi Hadid, you’ll need to cook the shallot and garlic in a pan of olive oil and add the passata, chilli flakes, basil and salt and pepper. While this is cooking on a low heat you can make your pasta on the side. Next, melt the butter in a separate pan and add the cooked and drained pasta making sure it’s well coated. Finally, add the cooked tomato sauce and double cream to the pasta and make sure everything is mixed in add the vodka, toss everything together and you’ll be done! All that’s left is to sprinkle your cheese on top.

Pasta salad

Ingredients:

• 300g of pasta
• 1 tbsp of pesto
• Chopped red onion
• Chopped tomato
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 185g of tuna (optional)

This is a really simple recipe that can help to minimise food waste. You can either use leftover pasta from a different dish or cook it fresh if you want to eat it hot. Simply add your cooked pasta to a bowl and mix in the salad ingredients along with a splash of olive oil and some pesto for additional flavour.

Cream cheese pasta

Ingredients:

• Pasta of your choice
• Cream cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Chilli flakes
• Salt and pepper

This is a super simple pasta recipe that will take about 15 minutes to make. All you’ll need to do is boil a pot of pasta and in another frying pan cook the garlic in the olive oil. Then simply add the cream cheese, pasta cooking water and parmesan into the frying pan and mix well. Next, add your pasta to the sauce and season with chilli flakes and salt and pepper for an effortless meal.

Student recipes for one

Chicken tikka masala

Ingredients:

• 150g of chicken
• Red onion
• Shallots
• 1 jar of Tikka Masala cooking sauce
• 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
• Chopped coriander
• Salt and sugar
• Lemon juice
• Basmati rice

To make a quick and easy curry for one person, using a pre-made sauce will save time and help to control the portion size. Simply cook your chicken in a pan with the onion and shallots. Next, add the tomatoes and tikka masala sauce and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in another pot make your rice while stirring the chicken and sauce thoroughly to prevent sticking. Finally, season the chicken with the lemon juice, salt and sugar and serve with the rice.

Jacket potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 large cooking potato or 2 small cooking potatoes
• Toppings of your choice such as cheese, baked beans, butter or tuna

You can cook jacket potatoes in the oven or in the microwave. While the oven will make them crispier, it does take longer and the microwave is definitely a more student-friendly option! If you do opt for the oven, you’ll want to cook your potatoes for around 45 minutes to an hour until the skin is crispy and soft inside. Or, if you want to do it the quick way you can stick them in the microwave for around 7 minutes. Make sure you pierce with a fork before cooking and prepare your toppings while the potatoes are cooking.

Chicken fajitas

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts
• 1 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• Ground cumin
• Smoked paprika
• 1 lime
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 4tbsp of olive oil
• Tortillas
• Fresh salsa

Mix the olive oil, paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic and lime juice in a bowl along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts, sliced onion, pepper and chilli into the marinade and coat then add to a pan to cook on a high heat. Simply heat the tortillas in the oven or microwave and serve the cooked chicken with the salsa to build your fajitas.

Slow cooker student recipes

Slow cooker bolognese

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 30g butter
• 1 onion
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 carrot
• 150g of pancetta
• 200g of beef mince
• 200g pork mince
• 200ml red wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato puree
• 200ml beef stock
• 100ml of milk
• 400g pasta
• Parmesan

Heat the oil and butter in a pan, add the pancetta, onion, celery and carrot and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes add the mince and wine and increase the heat. Mix in the tomato puree and stock and pour into the pan then once all stirred together, transfer everything to your slow cooker. Cover and cook for 8-9 hours, and in the last 10 minutes stir in the milk. Finally, make your pasta to enjoy your bolognese with!

Chilli Con Carne

Ingredients:

• 500g beef mince
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 400ml beef stock
• 800g black beans
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2-3 tbsp chilli paste
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• Rice

Simply turn on your slow cooker to a low heat and add the oil and mince to a pan. After the mince has started to cook add this to the slow cooker and fry the onion, celery and pepper in a pan and cook for 10 minutes until it’s softened. Next, add the garlic, paprika and cumin then tip everything into the slow cooker with the mince. Finally add the oregano, chilli paste, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and stock, cover and cook for 6-8 hours. During the final 30 minutes stir in the beans and serve with rice.

Quick veggie dinners

Vegetable soup

Ingredients:

• 300g of potatoes
• 700ml of vegetable stock
• Vegetables of your choice
• 1 tbsp of olive oil

Fry the vegetables and potatoes in a pan with the oil for a few minutes, then once everything starts to soften simply add the vegetable stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Once everything is cooked you can add it to a blender and blend until mainly smooth. This is a great meal to prepare in advance as it can be frozen and you can also make enough to provide leftovers throughout the week.

Tofu stir fry

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 300g tofu
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• Ginger
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 carrots
• 300g broccoli
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 spring onion
• Sesame seeds
• Rice

Stir the honey, soy sauce and vinegar in a bowl and put to the side. Heat half the oil in a large pan and add the tofu, frying it until it’s golden brown then add the garlic and ginger. When cooked add the tofu to a bowl and pour half of the vinegar mixture on top and side the bowl aside. Cook the vegetables in a pan, then add the cornflour and a tbsp of water into the remaining vinegar dressing and add to the pan. Add everything together and serve with rice and garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds.

Veggie ramen

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• Ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp of white sesame paste or tahini
• 1l vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 spring onions
• Rice or ramen noodles
• 1 carrot
• 25g beansprouts
• 200g of firm tofu
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• Toppings such as crushed peanuts, sesame oil and sriracha

Add the garlic, ginger, miso paste, sesame paste, soy sauce and stock to a pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Next, strain into a clean pan and throw out anything left in the pan. Meanwhile, fry the tofu in cornflower and cook the noodles in another pot. Add the spring onions to the broth and add the noodles and broth to a bowl along with the tofu, beansprouts, carrot, and ginger and finish off with toppings of your choice.

For more student recipes check out easy lunch recipes and how to upgrade your ramen.