Eight exciting and healthy recipes for students on a budget
According to Save the Student, the student average spend per month is around £100 on groceries and £33 on takeaways. Even though the prices may not seem like a lot at the time, they add up bit by bit. That £133 average can actually be reduced massively.
However, cheaper student living does not have to mean eating terrible food like plain noodles or cheesy pasta every night. While money can get tight (particularly between loans!), there are plenty of budget student recipes that can be both healthy and exciting. And, most importantly, they’re kind on the bank balance.
Here are some of our favourite easy and healthy recipes for students on a budget.
Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie
This simple yet delicious Chicken Pot Pie by Jamie Oliver only contains five ingredients and takes around 30 minutes to make. Swap out the chicken for your favourite vegetables or use a chicken alternative for a vegetarian option.
Spinach and Parmesan Casserole
Spinach has excellent nutritional value with vitamins and minerals like vitamin E and magnesium to support your immune system. These perfect leafy greens are made even better in this recipe with a touch of garlic butter and parmesan cheese — a casserole sure to impress your housemates!
Greek Salad Mediterranean Omelette
Omelettes can be boring, but this omelette goes so far beyond eggs that you wouldn’t even recognise it. Loaded with delicious tastes of the Med, this recipe will see you through breakfast, lunch and even dinner in style.
Tomato, Avocado and Cheese Toasted Sandwich
Swap out the meal deals with this delicious (and nutritious!) toasted sandwich. The fresh tomato and avocado provide Potassium and Vitamins A and K for better immunity, healthier skin, bone health, and more. Feel free to add grilled chicken or leafy salad greens (post-cooking) to step it up a notch further.
Tuna Niçoise Pasta Salad
What’s a student recipe list without pasta? While tuna, eggs and olives may look like an acquired taste from the outside, trust us, this flavour combination isn’t one to be missed! This delicious meal can either be dressed up with these healthy salad greens or dressed down for comfort eating by adding more pasta.
One Pot Smoky Sausage Rice
Try this simple but tasty meal the way you want it based on the type of sausages you use. Spice it up with spicy sausage, remove the smoky element by using non-smoked sausage or make it vegetarian with a veggie alternative — we’ve heard good things about Richmond’s meat-free sausages.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas
Something a bit different. This recipe introduces you to a whole other way to dine for you sweet potato lovers out there. We like it served with guacamole, but of course, that’s optional as is salsa. You can also add cumin and paprika to these quesadillas for an even more authentic taste of Mexico.
Easy Spaghetti Bolognese
A student staple. This Spaghetti Bolognese takes only 30 minutes to make and is sure to last you multiple meals. You could always buy a cheap, ready-made Bolognese sauce to save even more time, but we think a little extra effort to make it from scratch goes a long way!
Beaumont House money and time-saving meal top tips:
Budget recipes for students work best alongside meal planning, which may take more time initially but pays off both in time and money later on in the week.
Even though takeaways are tempting, often a fakeaway (choosing a ready meal or cooking the recipes yourself instead) will hit the spot while actually containing much less oil and other fats than the real deal.
Save time by making bigger batches when you cook meals and then refrigerate or safely freeze the leftovers, ready for an easy-eat another day.
While meal deals are temptingly affordable, they also generally lack nutritional value and it’s much better to cook your lunches from fresh ingredients.
Don’t disregard home-branded food items; they may be cheap but are often also cheerful, helping to create something perfectly delicious for a fraction of the price.
It’s important to treat yourself with food when time and money allows it (and we all give in to temptation every once in a while). But for the rest of the month, these healthy and pocket-friendly recipes are what your body needs and deserves. These and other easy recipes for students on a budget will see you through your time at university.
