Cooking on a Budget – 10 Cheap Meals Every Student Should Know

The Core Principles

• Batch cook on Sundays. Make a big pot of something, eat it for 3 days. Saves money and decision fatigue.
• Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh and far cheaper. Use them freely.
• Eggs are a superpower. Fast, cheap, high protein, work at every meal.
• Tinned pulses — chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans — are among the most economical foods available.

The 10 Meals

1. Pasta Arrabbiata (~£0.60, 15 mins)

Tinned tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, dried pasta. Ready in 15 minutes and endlessly variable. Add whatever vegetable you have.

2. Egg Fried Rice (~£0.75, 10 mins)

Day-old rice, eggs, frozen peas, soy sauce, a splash of sesame oil. Uses leftover rice and is ready in 10 minutes.

3. Lentil Soup (~£0.50, 25 mins)

Red lentils, tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, cumin, garlic. Make a massive pot, freeze half. One of the most economical meals possible.

4. Quesadillas (~£0.80, 5 mins)

Tortillas, cheese, any filling — beans, leftover veg, peppers. 5 minutes flat.

5. Chickpea Curry (~£1.00, 20 mins)

Tinned chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, onion, curry powder, garlic, ginger. Serve with rice. Rich, filling, genuinely delicious.

6. Baked Potato (~£0.40, 25 mins)

Microwave for 8 minutes, finish in the oven for 15. Top with beans, cheese, tuna, or leftover chilli.

7. Stir Fry (~£1.20, 15 mins)

Any combination of vegetables and protein with noodles and soy sauce. Fast, hot, nutritious. Frozen veg works perfectly.

8. Omelette (~£0.60, 5 mins)

3 eggs, whatever's in the fridge. Cheese, mushrooms, peppers, leftover potatoes. Takes 5 minutes and is high enough in protein to be a proper meal.

9. Bean Chilli (~£0.70, 30 mins)

Mixed beans, tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, chilli. Works on rice, in wraps, on baked potatoes. Batch cook and it feeds you for days.

10. Shakshuka (~£0.80, 20 mins)

Eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce. Looks impressive, takes 20 minutes, costs almost nothing. Serve with bread to mop up the sauce.

The Weekly Shop Strategy

Buy the same core items every week: pasta/rice/noodles, eggs, tinned tomatoes, tinned pulses, frozen veg, onions, garlic, a block of cheese. Then add 2–3 fresh items depending on what's cheap that week. This baseline costs around £12–15 and covers most meals.