Three Meals That Got Me Through Uni

September is here, which means people will be starting (or going back to) university. There is this classic stereotype of student’s living on instant noodles. But you don’t have to, even though when you’re super hungover, they are one of the best things to eat! So, whether you’re a student who has no idea what to cook or just fancy something new, I have some recipes that I survived on at uni. These three recipes are all really easy and fairly cheap but are still taste glorious!

The Classic Dish

Pasta bake is a fairly obvious one, but don’t knock it! I’ve cooked many a pasta bake, especially for our house meals, because they are easy and everyone loves pasta with cheesy goodness on top.

(Serves four)

• 6 sausages (veggie, or non-veggie)
• Pasta
• Tinned tomatoes
• A pepper (whichever colour takes your fancy)
• Red onion
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• Mixed herbs
• Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• Cheese

1. Brown the sausages in a frying pan. Whilst the sausages cook, dice a red onion, garlic and pepper, add these once the sausages are cooked. Whilst the letting onion/garlic/pepper fry, boil a pan of water and chop the sausages up then put them back into the frying pan.
2. Pre-heat the oven.
3. Cook the pasta. Add tinned tomatoes, mixed herbs, salt & pepper and Worcestershire sauce to the sausages. Simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes whilst pasta is cooking.
4. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce. Mix the pasta and sauce together in a pasta dish. Grate cheese (as much as you want, usually I add about half a block) and sprinkle on top.
5. Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and crispy.
6. Serve with salad or garlic bread and enjoy!

The One For When You’re Feeling Fancy

Sometimes, you might want something slightly fancier maybe to treat yourself or impress someone you’re cooking for. This is where this cheese-tart-type thing comes in. Even though I love it, it doesn’t have a real name because I am always changing the type of cheese on it!

Two servings (or one if you’re super hungry!)

• Mozzarella/goat’s cheese/feta
• Tomato paste
• Basil pesto
• Tomatoes (baby plum are my faves)
• Ready rolled puff pastry
• Mixed herbs
• Basil (for garnish, so it is optional)
• You can add other toppings if you want, but I like it simply.

1. Preheat oven.
2. Chop up tomatoes and cheese into chunks or slices (whichever you prefer!). Unroll the pastry, leave the baking sheet on the bottom and place on large baking tray.
3. Spread tomato paste and pesto on the pastry, stopping at cm or two away from the edge. Add cheese and tomato to the pastry. Sprinkle some mixed herbs, salt and pepper on top.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and gone golden.
5. Serve with torn up basil on top!

The Winter Warmer

Everyone needs a good, hearty meal to make them feel better after a long day. This one is so easy to cook because you literally just shove it all in a saucepan. I call a soup, but my boyfriend insists that it is more like a stew… Call it what you want, it tastes bloody good.

Four servings

• Tin of chickpeas
• A couple of tomatoes (baby plum or cherry)
• Tinned tomatoes
• Savoy cabbage (if you don’t like cabbage then you can use a different veggie)
• Chorizo, of some kind.
• Smoked paprika
• Chilli flakes

1. Chop up the chorizo into chunks and slice the cabbage. Add the chorizo with a tiny amount of oil and fry for about 5 minutes in a large saucepan. Then throw the cabbage, the (drained) chickpeas, a tin of tomatoes, a handful of whole tomatoes into the saucepan. Add a bit of salt, pepper, chilli flakes and paprika to season.
2. Let it simmer for about half an hour, or forty minutes. If it looks like there is no liquid, add half a cup of water at a time.
3. Serve with crusty bread and loads of butter.

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