When starting out in college it may take a few weeks to become comfortable in the kitchen, but once you have a couple of easy-to make, budget-friendly recipes in your repertoire you’ll never go hungry.

A nutrient-dense diet plays a vital role in fuelling the mind with essential nutrients. As well as the two reliable recipes below, here are some essential ingredients for your college kitchen cupboard.

Essential ingredients

  • Wholemeal Pittas – can be filled with salads or double up as a tasty tea option when topped with a little passata and grated cheese and popped under the grill or into the air fryer.
  • Tinned tomatoes – for soups and pasta sauces or added to stir-fried chicken or vegetables to make for a more substantial wrap filler.
  • Potatoes – baked in the microwave or air fryer and then topped with cheese, beans, or tuna.
  • Eggs – one of the most convenient and nutritious fast foods - can be fried, poached, scrambled, boiled, or made into an omelette.
  • Cheese – a good block of a hard white cheddar can have a multitude of uses including sandwiches, toasties, adding to pasta or grating over beans and toast for extra protein and calcium.
  • Tins of chickpeas, mixed beans, butter beans or lentils – a good source of protein. Add to curries, pasta, and sauces.
  • Jar of pesto – stir through hot pasta and add grated cheese for a quick dinner.
  • Smoked paprika – adds a delicious smoky scent to so many dishes including eggs, potato wedges, stir-fries and pasta sauces.
  • Soy sauce – delicious drizzled over a stir fry of chicken and vegetables.
  • Honey – over cheese and crackers, breakfast cereal, yogurt or stir-fried meat or vegetables.
  • Frozen vegetables – less expensive with less waste, and still, plenty of nutrients. Can be added to stir-fries and any dinner dishes.
  • Dried mixed herbs – can be added to any tomato-based sauce to give a boost of flavour.
  • Packets of noodles – add to stir-fries and soups or can be served topped with a fried egg and some chopped scallion and chillies.
  • Also, pasta, rice, wraps, bread, butter, salt, and pepper.

    • One-Pot Tomato Pasta

    Serves 2

    This tomato pasta dish can be prepared within minutes. It makes for two portions so it can be shared with a housemate or popped into a sealed tub and saved in the fridge for the next evening’s dinner.

    Ingredients

    200g spaghetti

    2 cloves garlic, crushed

    1 tin chopped tomatoes

    1 small onion, very finely sliced

    Large pinch of chilli flakes

    Handful of spinach leaves

    600ml hot vegetable stock

    Salt and pepper

    To serve white cheddar, grated

    Method

    1 Add the spaghetti, garlic, tomatoes, onion, chilli flakes, spinach and stock to a large pot, and season with a little salt and pepper.

    2 Place over a high heat. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat a little and simmer for about 12 minutes, stirring the pot every couple of minutes.

    3 Take from the heat and stir through the grated cheese. Divide between two plates and enjoy.

    Meatball Subs

    Meatball subs are a great budget-friendly option for students.

    Serves 3

    Only four ingredients are needed for these gorgeous meatball subs. Pre-made beef, turkey or a vegetarian alternative meatball can be used. As a little nutritional boost, serve with some salad leaves.

    Ingredients

    12 meatballs

    6 brioche rolls

    ½ jar tomato pasta sauce

    75g grated mozzarella

    Method

    1 Fry the meatballs in a pan. Once fully cooked through, transfer to a paper-lined plate.

    2 Add the pasta sauce to a medium-sized saucepan, over a medium heat. Once the sauce is heated through, add the meatballs and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.

    3 Cut the brioche buns vertically –about three-quarters of the way into the roll. Arrange on the cooking tray.

    4 Add two meatballs to each cut roll, along with a little of the sauce. Top with the grated mozzarella.

    5 Place under the grill or into the air fryer for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese has started to brown and bubble a little.

    6 Enjoy immediately.