5 simple dinners for people who cannot cook

Before you got to uni, you most likely never had to cook every meal for yourself but once you are moved in , you’re faced with needing to do all the cooking! Here are 5 easy dinner recipes for people who cannot cook or fins it difficult to come up with ideas.

1. Tomato pasta and garlic bread. This may seem like an obvious one but it’s easy to forget!

Ingredients:

• 100g of any type of pasta you like (100g is a little extra than a regular portion so perfect for if you’re feeling particularly hungry or perfect to have any leftovers for lunch the next day)
• 200g of tomato pasta sauce – you can get one from Aldi or Tesco for 39p which will last for two meals.
• Either a pre-made garlic bread (32p from Aldi or Tesco) or a plain baguette
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees, place some aluminium foil on an oven tray.
• Boil 400ml of water in a saucepan, once it is boiled, add the pasta, bring back to the boil and then let simmer for however long the packet suggests.
• While the pasta is cooking, place the pre-made garlic bread in the oven, or, if you’re making your own garlic bread, slice your baguette, drizzle olive oil over the pieces and place the crushed garlic evenly throughout the baguette. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven and cook for around 10-15 minutes, or until the baguette starts turning brown.
• Once the pasta is cooked, (taste to check) pour the sauce over the pasta, add pepper to taste, and serve with the garlic bread.

If you’re wanting to make this meal more exciting, you can stir some cooked king prawns through the sauce before adding it to the pasta.

2. Keeping on the Italian theme – pitta pizzas!

Ingredients

• 2 pittas
• Pizza sauce, you can either use leftover tomato pasta sauce, or buy a tomato puree sauce which lasts a long time and is only 27p from Aldi or Tesco
• Grated mozzarella
• Any pizza topping you like – try and use leftover vegetables or meat so you don’t have to spend too much money.
• Salad

Method

• Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees
• Prepare any toppings.
• Spread the tomato sauce or puree over the pittas, using about 1.5 tablespoons between the 2 pittas.
• Sprinkle the grated cheese on the pittas
• Add the toppings
• Sprinkle another layer of cheese over the toppings for extra cheesiness and melty goodness!
• Put the pittas pizzas in the oven for around 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pittas are turning brown.
• Take the pizzas out of the oven and enjoy or serve with a fresh salad!

3. Hot dogs – so simple but so underrated

Ingredients

• Hot dogs – I recommend the vegan ones from Aldi from brand Plant Menu
• Hot dog buns – again, Aldi do great ones that fit the vegan hot dogs perfectly
• Cheese (optional)
• Ketchup and/or mustard
• Salad items – lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber, etc (for a side salad)

Method

• Follow the instructions on the packet of your hot dogs – my favourite way to make them is to boil them as it is quick and they don’t lose their taste.
• Whilst the hot dogs are cooking, toss together a side salad of your favourite salad items.
• If you wish, place some cheese in the bun before you put in the hot dog, as this melts the cheese slightly
• Once the hot dogs are cooked, drain the water from the saucepan and place the hot dogs in the buns, add ketchup and/or mustard on top of the hot dogs, and the salad to the side of the hot dogs, and enjoy!

4. Curry!

Ingredients

• 100g rice
• 200g of your preferred curry sauce (only 80p from Tesco)
• Chicken, prawns or veggies
• Extra veggies including but not limited to onion, pepper, carrot, courgette

Method

• Chop the meat and vegetables
• Pour 100ml of water into a saucepan with the 100g of rice, put the lid on. Once the water boils, reduce the heat and keep the lid on. After around 15 minutes, the rice should be completely cooked.
• Whilst the rice is cooking, in a frying pan, add your meat until cooked, then add your vegetables. Once they have all been fried, slowly add in the sauce and leave to simmer
• Once the rice is cooked and left to sit with the heat off but the lid still on for 10 minutes, add it to the frying pan with the sauce, meat and/or vegetables. (you can serve the sauce separately to the rice but I prefer to mix it together)
• Serve and enjoy!

5. Burrito bowls, potentially perceived as the most complex but still simple and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 100g Seasoned rice (lime juice, coriander)
• Any pre-cooked meat or fake meat
• Vegetables including sweetcorn, cucumber, carrot, pepper, lettuce
• Avocado
• Tortilla chips

Method:

• Cook the rice the same way as above, but this time, add lime and coriander before you leave it to sit for 10 minutes with the lid still on.
• Whilst the rice cooks, cut and prepare the vegetables and and meat/fake meat. Also, crush some tortilla chips that you can sprinkle on top.
• Arrange everything in the bowl and add the cooked rice, you can mix everything together or leave separate.
• If you wish, you can make this meal into a burrito by adding everything into a tortilla or two and folding like a wrap.

Hopefully these meals will help if you find it difficult to cook! They are simple and yet still delicious!

Stay tuned for more videos and blogs!

Miah x