Easy cooking ideas for students

Whether you're navigating your first kitchen or trying to stretch your weekly shop, cooking on a student budget doesn’t mean compromising on flavour or fun. We’ve packed this guide with practical tips, smart shopping strategies and delicious recipe ideas for students.

Food Editor

Malou Herkes

Recipe ideas for students

Create meals that are affordable, satisfying and simple to make, even on the busiest study days with our easy recipes. From air fryer recipes to pasta recipes to the best ways with frozen peas, we've got easy, beginner-level dishes that will help you to stretch your budget.

More budget recipes Quick and easy recipes

1. Tuna pasta bake recipe

A comforting dish made with our quality, Remarksable Value ingredients, this tuna pasta bake is a great recipe to cook in a big batch, whether you want leftovers for the freezer or you’re cooking with friends. Add one of our White Wine, Garlic and Herb Flavour Pots to amplify the flavour.

Tuna pasta bake recipe

2. Cheese and Marmite toastie

A hot, oozy toastie should be in every hungry student's cooking repertoire. Grate our Cheddar Cheese and Marmite to add a lip-smacking umami hit – ideal after a night out!

Cheese and marmite toastie

3. Quick and easy vegetable pesto pasta

If easy dinners for students are what you need, pesto pasta is the one. This version uses our fresh green pesto, but you could just as easily swap in the jarred version. Stir-fry a few veggies to bulk this out into a nutritious dinner.

Vegetable pesto pasta recipe

4. Baked bean shakshuka

Impress your flatmates with this upgrade on a tin of baked beans. All cooked in one pan, it’s a brilliantly easy dish to put together, with minimal washing up at the end. This recipe uses Rose Harissa Paste – a slightly spicy, garlicky, spice-filled paste, this is well worth buying in a jar to add quick flavour to all sorts of dishes, from spag bol to roasted veggies, chicken and fish.

Baked bean shakshuka

5. Slow cooker Bolognese

Investing in a slow cooker might be the answer to saving money and time during exam period. Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker in the morning, then leave it do its thing until dinnertime for some batch-cooked brilliance. We’ve used pre-prepared Frozen Soffritto Mix (pre-chopped onions, carrots and celery) and Frozen Red Wine Sauce to make it even easier to add depth and flavour.

Slow cooker bolognese recipe

6. Air fryer loaded potato skins

Air fryers are a fantastic way to quickly cook dinners, like these twice-baked fluffy jacket potatoes, stuffed with our Sour Cream and Chive Dip and mature cheddar – a comforting dish you’ll want to make again. They're also a good investment for your student digs if you're lacking on space.

Air fryer loaded potato skins Cook these air fryer recipes

Top cooking tips for students

These simple strategies will make it easier to get budget, nutritious and tasty meals on the table throughout the week.

More budget cooking ideas

1. Stock up on great value basics

Think tinned foods, like tomatoes, beans, tuna and soups, as well as dried pasta, rice and noodles. These staples are affordable, versatile and have a long shelf life, meaning you don’t have to worry about using them up quickly. They're ideal for building quick, nutritious meals and stretching your budget across the week.

Tinned food recipes Browse cupboard staples

2. Invest in easy flavour hacks

Whether you're a confident cook or you're just starting out, investing in ingredients that will add quick flavour to your cooking will not only guarantee great-tasting meals, it'll save you time, too.

Bought some Tikka Paste to make a curry? Use up the rest on grilled chicken or roasted vegetables for amped up flavour.
Green Pesto adds herby flavour to pasta, sandwiches, baked fish and these air fryer pitta bread pesto pizzas
Add a dollop of Everything Tomato Paste to everything from bolognese to soups to tomato sauce
Only got rice and eggs? Add a drizzle of Naga Chilli Sauce or Sweet Chilli Sauce to elevate it into a satisfying meal.

Browse cooking pastes Browse table sauces

3. Cook with friends

Share foods costs and skills with your flatmates, and exchange your favourite dishes as you go. Buying ingredients in bulk or in bigger packs can work out cheaper in the long run, and means you don't have to get bored eating the same leftovers several nights in a row.

Try this hearty one-pot sausage and bean stew.

Bigger Pack, Better Value

4. Learn to meal prep

Get ahead on a busy week of lectures by prepping your meals ahead. You might want to make a big batch of soup, stew or a curry on Sunday evening, then store the leftovers in the fridge or freezer for quick meals throughout the week. Want a nutritious breakfast? Prep ahead breakfasts, like overnight oats, high-protein egg muffins or banana muffins.

Meal prep doesn't have to mean batch-cooking complete meals. While the oven's on, roast some extra jacket potatoes for quick meals post-lectures. Or make a stack of high-protein cottage cheese wraps, ready to stuff with your favourite fillers during your lunch break.

Use our Meal Planner tool Your meal prep guide

5. Use your freezer

Even if you've got limited freezer space, you can put it to good use. Your freezer is your friend when it comes to prolonging food's shelf life and saving it from going in the bin (not great for the wallet).

Use it to store sliced bread for toast or bananas to add straight to smoothies. Leftovers, like soup, stew or dal freeze really well (just make sure to label the container with your name, the date and what it is first). Freeze meat and fish on the day you buy it to keep it for longer – just make sure to fully defrost it in the fridge the night before, and don't refreeze it.

Find out the best food you can freeze and more freezer tips below.

Tips for freezing food Browse the freezer aisle

Published 8.22.2025