As a student, coming up with meals every day can become exhausting and expensive. When you are busy with lectures and deadlines, it’s very easy to end up ordering a takeaway because you can’t bear the thought of cooking.

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However, eating well doesn’t have to mean spending lots of money or spending hours in the kitchen. Here are some of my favourite easy meals that are cheap, filling and most importantly, actually manageable as a student. We all have limited time, limited money and to be completely honest we are often too tired to cook complicated meals. So here are a few ideas to use as a springboard for your next weekly shop.

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Breakfast

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Breakfast is probably the meal where you are most likely to choose whatever takes the least effort. Porridge is a personal favourite of mine because oats are cheap, filling and only take a couple of minutes to make. You can add banana and peanut butter, frozen berries, or honey and cinnamon if you want something a little sweeter.

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Overnight oats are an even easier option when you have an early lecture. Mix your oats with milk or yogurt the night before, leave them in the fridge and breakfast is served when you wake up! Recipes like this are super quick and easy to do, whilst being fully customisable.

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If you prefer a savoury breakfast, scrambled eggs on toast are another easy option. You can add cheese, tomatoes or spinach depending on what you have. Toast with peanut butter (or any kind of spread) is also a good option when you’re in a rush to leave the house.

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Lunches

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Although it's convenient, buying lunch on campus between lectures can quickly add up. Making your lunch at home means being able to take it onto campus and avoid the temptation of the closest café or shop.

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Wraps or sandwiches are probably the easiest option. Try hummus, salad and cheese, chicken and salad or even left-over roasted vegetables. There are so many cheap and easy options that aren’t just ham or cheese.

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If that doesn’t take your fancy, pasta salad (like this one) is perfect for making in advance. Pair pasta with pesto, tomatoes, cucumber and cheese, or any vegetables that you already have. Couscous is another good option that is quicker to make then pasta and tastes just as good.

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Another lunch tip is that leftovers are your best friend. If you end up making too much dinner, put some in the fridge and tomorrow’s lunch is sorted.

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Dinner

When I’m tired after a long day of lectures, the last thing I want is a complicated recipe involving all of my pans. One-pan meals are therefore the solution.

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For pasta, you can easily make a simple tomato and vegetable pasta, pesto with spinach and tomatoes or a creamy mushroom sauce. If you eat meat, sausage, chicken or mince meat is an easy way to make your meal filling without needing lots of ingredients or time.

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Noodles are another student staple, and for good reason. Add whatever vegetables you fancy to the noodles with soy sauce, garlic and chilli. You can add an egg, tofu or chicken for extra protein too!

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One of my more recent discoveries has been cooking rice in soup. It sounds slightly strange, but it works. Add rice straight into a pan with your soup of choice with some extra water or stock and let it cook until the rice is soft. Chunky soups are particularly good for this, and you can throw in any extra vegetables, beans or leftover meat. It is cheap, filling and most importantly, only one pan to wash.

BBC Good food is a great place to start if you become stuck with meal ideas, they have a great student meal page here! Social media is always filled with the latest student meal crazes as well, a personal favourite is The Student Food Project, they have great recipes and articles on eating at University. The main thing I’ve learnt during my time at university is that cheap student food does not have to mean eating the same boring meal every day. Keeping a few basic ingredients in the cupboard and being creative with whatever is in the fridge can make cooking much easier and save you a surprising amount of money in the long run.

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