Learning to cook for yourself at university can be a stark adjustment for a lot of students who haven’t been in charge of the grocery list before or are leaving catered accommodation. However, making delicious meals for yourself doesn’t have to be a daunting task! There are plenty of quick and easy recipes that you can make in your flat or accommodation which take little experience and only a few ingredients! Here are some of my favs that I’ve made over my own years at uni:
1. Creamy Pasta and Sausage
Ingredients:
- Cream
- Tomato paste
- Sausage (also works with vegan sausage!)
- Pasta
- Seasonings (to taste): salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning (parsely, basil, thyme, oregano), chili flakes
Steps:
- Boil water and add in a few handfuls of your chosen pasta shape to boil for about 8 minutes.
- In a separate pan, squeeze sausage out of casing into the pan and cook for two minutes less than the recommended time on the package
- In the last two minutes, squeeze in tomato paste, add in cream, and add in chosen seasonings
- Drain pasta and stir into other pan. Save some pasta water to add into sauce if the sauce is too thick
- Stir and enjoy!
2. Rice Bowl
Ingredients (very customizable, but this is how I make it!):
- White rice
- Silken tofu
- Eggs
- Cucumber salad
- Vinegar, something spicy (chili flakes, sriracha, gochujang), sugar, salt, onion power, garlic powder, soy sauce
- Optional toppings: soy sauce, spicy mayo, honey, sriracha, dumpling sauce, sesame oil
Steps:
- To make cucumber salad, thinly slice cucumber and cover with vinegar. Add in a splash of soy sauce, a spoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt, onion powder and garlic powder to taste. Place salad in the fridge to marinate. Optionally, you can prepare the cucumber salad the night before to marinate for longer.
- Wash rice with cold water until water runs clear (about five times)
- Cook rice according to package
- Boil water and add in eggs to boil for about 7 minutes for jammy eggs
- Add rice to the bottom of your bowl along with eggs, cucumber salad, and tofu. Add in your chosen toppings and serve!
3. Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients:
- Tortillas
- Chicken breasts
- Red pepper
- Onion
- Tomato
- Mexican cheese blend
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Seasonings (to taste): salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder
Steps:
- Dice up onions and peppers. Add into pan with oil and cook until soft.
- Dice up chicken and add into pan with seasonings to cook for seven minutes.
- Dice up tomatoes and avocado while chicken and vegetables cook.
- Remove chicken, peppers, and onion from pan. Add tortilla into pan, scoop in some of the chicken and vegetable mix, top with cheese, and add another tortilla on top. Cook tortilla until browned on the bottom and flip the whole quesadilla until other side is browned.
- Top with sour cream, tomatoes, avocados, and any other toppings you like!
4. Half breaded chicken and couscous
Ingredients:
- Large pearl couscous
- Chicken breasts
- Sour cream
- Breadcrumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- Seasonings (to taste): salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning (parsely, basil, thyme, oregano)
Steps:
- Boil water and cook couscous according to package
- Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan, and seasonings
- Pat down chicken and smear with sour cream on one side on a sheet pan. Pack breadcrumbs on top of the one side
- Cook in oven at 180C for about 15 minutes
- Add chicken on top of couscous and serve!