One Week of Cheap, Easy and Delicious Student Meals
Preparing one week of cheap, easy and delicious student meals is simpler than you might think, especially if you’ve got a trusty bank of recipes you already know and love to lean on. We’ll walk you through some yummy dishes that bring flavour to your week, without stretching the budget or demanding too much of your time.
For even more quick-prep and quick-cook meals that’ll fit around your busy schedule (from freshers’ week to graduation), we’d recommend picking up a copy of our latest cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Express.
Cheap student meals for a week – where do I start?
The best place to start is always…with a plan! Take stock of what’s already in your kitchen, and go from there. Chances are you’ve already got a few essential herbs, spices and store cupboard ingredients, but don’t worry if you’re starting from scratch – all of the recipes on this meal plan have short, budget-friendly ingredient lists (and if there are any pricier ingredients, you’ll always be able to use them more than once!).
Meal planning gets easier the more you cook, because you build up a store of ingredients that you’ll use time and time again. If you know you’ve got reduced-fat cream cheese in the fridge that needs using up, for example, hunt for a creamy recipe that suits your timetable (that last part is super important – don’t pencil in time-consuming dishes, unless you know you can stick to making them).
Just remember, this week of easy student meals is a guide and isn’t set in stone. Feel free to change it up however suits you!
Quick-cook Monday
Some days are so jam-packed with lectures, seminars and study sessions that it can feel like there’s no time to cook, but that’s definitely not the case when our Beef with Chilli and Garlic is ready in just 10 minutes.
Veggie wise, you’ll only need to finely slice a red pepper, a green pepper and a fiery red chilli – so there’s next to no prep involved either!
You’ll save money by dodging shop-bought sauces in favour of our homemade stir-fry glaze, made with an easy combination of tasty staples, including rice vinegar (don’t fret, we’ll use it again later in the week!).
For the full recipe, turn to pages 48-49 of Pinch of Nom: Express (it’s in our handy ‘Quick Cook’ chapter).
This one makes 2 portions, which leads us to one of our top tips for cooking student meals: team up with one of your housemates and split the cooking duties! It halves the effort and doubles the fun.
If you’ve not got a cooking buddy, refrigerate the extra portion to enjoy the next day (or stash it in the freezer).
Batch-cook Tuesday
You can’t make a week of cheap student meals without at least one trusty, batch-cookable recipe up your sleeve. Go through the effort of cooking once, and you’ll be left with enough portions to serve you twice, thrice or more!
The trick is to choose a batch-friendly recipe that pairs well with a variety of side dishes, so it’ll feel like you’re tucking into something different every time.
Our Creamy Garlic Chicken is one of those scrumptious, fail-safe dinner options that never gets boring (in fact, you could say that about most of our creamy chicken dinners).
Try it with steamed veg and rice one night, then pair it with steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, roasties, chips or even…pasta!
Quick-prep Wednesday
When you’re in the mood to chuck everything in one pan and leave it to simmer, our BBQ Bolognese is perfect to turn to (you’ll find it in the ‘Quick Prep’ chapter of Express, on pages 166-167).
It’s made with a combination of really simple, budget-friendly ingredients, and we’ve added a sweet, smoky twist by mixing in lip-smacking paprika and BBQ seasoning.
Our recipe stirs in diced carrots and peppers for a nutritious boost (and to make the portions go further), but there’s nothing to stop you using different chopped veggies, if you’d prefer.
Let it bubble away until the sauce is thick, and the spaghetti’s begging to be twirled around your fork!
If you’re catering for a vegan housemate, this one’s actually really easy to adapt – simply substitute the mince and stock cube for plant-based alternatives (for more vegan ideas, have a look through our blog).
Leftovers Thursday
At this point in the week, you’ve got a choice of leftovers to pull from the fridge or freezer, meaning less time in the kitchen and more time socialising, revising or recharging with your favourite binge-worthy TV show.
With BBQ Bolognese leftovers prepped and good to go, you can have our Bolognese Quesadilla ready to cut into quarters in a flash.
Lay a low-calorie tortilla wrap in a frying pan with reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, and then spoon over the rich bolognese mixture.
You’ll then top with another wrap and bake until both sides are too crispy to resist!
Fakeaway Friday
There’s no such thing as making student meals for a week without pencilling in a fakeaway or two. Rustling up our crispy-coated KFC Zinger Burger will feel extra special because it’s nothing like anything else on the midweek menu we’ve gone through so far, and (of course) it’s absolutely delicious.
The ingredients list is super short and uses one surprise ingredient that you’ve probably already got in the kitchen somewhere: Chilli Heatwave Doritos. Crush them up in a bag with a handful of spices, and you’re on your way to a crispy coating that tastes just like it’s from a fast-food restaurant, for a fraction of the calories.
Pile your chicken zinger patties high on a burger bun with salad and sauce, and crunchy Mexican-Style Corn on the Cob.
Not in the mood for a burger bun? Try our KFC Rice Box instead.
Self-care Saturday
It’s Saturday and it’s time to sit back and relax…you’ve definitely earned it! There’s already plenty of leftovers to get stuck into tonight, so it’s your choice which dish to pencil into the dinnertime slot.
Instead, we’ve got sweet treats on our mind! Brimming with the scrumptious spiced caramel deliciousness of smooth Biscoff spread, these Banana Biscoff Pancakes are ready to flip, fill and fold in less than 10 minutes.
You won’t regret plating them up and getting cosy underneath a fluffy blanket, while you’re having some ‘you’ time.
There’s nothing more comforting and wholesome than a squidgy batch of Chocolate Brownies. Even if you’ve never baked before, our recipe is ridiculously easy to follow with just 4 simple steps.
The trick to getting them gooey-in-the-middle gorgeous is in undercooking them slightly. Leave them to cool in the tin, and they’ll be nice and squidgy by the time you have that first magical bite!
Stash any leftovers in an airtight tin and they’ll keep nicely for you to nibble on for 3-4 days, if your housemates don’t find them first.
Get-organised Sunday
It’ll take some time to find student meals for the week that work for you and your schedule, without compromising on your favourite flavours. Sunday’s a great opportunity to search for inspiration inside cookbooks, or trawl socials like our TikTok and Instagram pages to find dishes you’re excited about eating, that’ll fit into your timetable for the week ahead.
It won’t take long to put together the list of ingredients you’ll need to make your plan happen, and you’ll save money by shopping with an action plan in mind (trust us, it really works!).
It wouldn’t be right to finish off a student meal plan without an oven-baked pasta dish somewhere. Now’s the perfect time to reward yourself with an oh-so-cheesy portion of Chilli Pasta Bake!
To be thrifty and get even more from this recipe, make extra portions of the chilli mince and serve it in a fresh, fun way every time.
Ready to prep these cheap student meals for a week?
Don’t forget to share photos of your cheap and easy student meals in our friendly Facebook group (there’s almost 1 million community members waiting to encourage you, or answer any questions you might have). You can also tag us in your story on Instagram (@pinchofnom) or we’d LOVE to see you cooking PON recipes on TikTok!
Visiting our Gallery is a great way to find inspiration when you’re not sure what to make next. Sign up to a free website account to upload and share your photos (follow our step-by-step guide).
If you liked this article, you can browse through our blog for additional recipe ideas, kitchen equipment recommendations, money-saving tips and more.