Becoming a student is much more than just studying and immersing yourself in a course. For many it is also about moving out of the family home, supporting yourself, and cementing your own identity in the world. For some people, this means taking on more responsibility for cooking for themselves, and for others, perhaps making bigger decisions about their lives and how they live them.
In a world where we are increasingly being encouraged to think about what we are eating, our health, and the impact of our actions on the planet, we are seeing record numbers of being becoming vegetarian – or at least reducing the amount of meat that they are eating.
If you are a student, you may have effecting factors such as student bills, textbook cost or simply not enough time to commit to it. These are all factors that need to be juggled. Here are some favourite vegetarian recipes that don’t take up too much time or money to create, aren’t too challenging, even for the beginner chef, and don’t generate too much washing up!
Vegetarian Student Recipes
Vegetable Fajitas
Delicious vegetable wraps with a Mexican zing.
Ingredients
1x red onion
1 x peppers
1 x courgette
Any other vegetables (carrot, mushrooms, broccoli, aubergine, baby corn, etc.)
Tortilla wraps
Salt and pepper
Oil
Garlic
1 x teaspoon ground cumin
Salsa/sour cream/guacamole/grated cheese to serve
Method
- Slice up the vegetables into strips
- Heat up the oil and cook the veg with the garlic
- Cook for about 5 minutes then stir in the ground cumin
- Cook for another 5 minutes
- Spoon into the middle of the tortilla and add salsa/sour cream/guacamole/grated cheese to serve
Vegetable Nachos with Guacamole
Spicy vegetable nachos with guacamole are great to share with your housemates or on your own in front of a box-set.
Ingredients
Plain/salted tortilla chips
Grated cheese to serve
Sour cream to serve
1 x red onion, chopped
1 x red pepper, chopped
1 x tin of tomatoes
Juice of ½ lime
1 x tablespoon white sugar
Oil
Salt and pepper
For the guacamole:
1x avocado
1 x fresh tomato, deseeded and chopped
1 x small chilli, deseeded and chopped
Juice of ½ lime
A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
½ white onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
Method
To make the salsa:
- Gently fry the onions and pepper in a touch of oil until the onions become soft.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, lime juice, and sugar
- Stir and cook for 15 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste
- Leave to cool
- Blend if you want a smooth salsa or leave it to be chunkier.
To make the guacamole:
- Cut the avocado in half, take out the seed, and scoop out the avocado into a bowl.
- Add the other ingredients and blend
Then:
- Spread the nachos on a plate
- Spoon over the salsa and add fresh coriander, fresh chilli, and grated cheese to serve
- Leave it under the grill until the cheese has melted if you wish
- Add guacamole and sour cream to serve
More Vegetarian Student Recipes
There are many vegetarian budget student recipes available online. Some old favourites include:
- Roast vegetables
- Vegetable stir-fry
- Baked potato with vegetable ragu
- Veggie pasta bake
- Pasta arrabiata
- Broccoli and cauliflower cheese
- Vegetable chilli ‘sin’ Carne
- Veggie toad in the hole
- Cauliflower curry
- Veggie moussaka
- Vegetarian Moroccan cuscus
- Chickpea stew
What is a Vegetarian Student Meal Plan?
One of the best ways that you can ensure that you are not spending too much on food is to plan your meals. This way, you can buy just the right amount of food that you need, without wasting any. Some people like to make all of their meals at the beginning of the week, then freeze them, or others prefer to cook every day.
Whichever you choose, by making a meal plan, then writing your shopping list accordingly, you will be able to make sure that you get a good, nutritious meal, are able to manage your finances, and will significantly reduce your food waste.