Student meal plans should be nutritious, delicious, and budget-friendly.
But what if you have limited kitchen experience? If you’re headed to university in your late teens or early twenties, you may not have had enough time to perfect your favourite recipes. So, if you don’t know what you want (or how to make it), getting started can be tough.
Luxury Student Homes is here to take all the guesswork out of creating a weekly meal plan. We’ve got easy-to-make dishes and simple step-by-step recipes for cooks of all skill levels. Just pop these ingredients on your weekly shopping list!
Monday: Chickpea and chorizo couscous
Who doesn’t love a casserole? This winter warmer is an excellent source of protein and can even be frozen! Keep it as part of your emergency meal plan, or enjoy it while it’s fresh.
Ingredients:
- 250g couscous
- 300ml vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 200g chorizo, sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 425ml chicken stock
- Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Recipe:
- Prepare couscous by pouring hot vegetable stock over it, covering it, and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Cook chorizo in olive oil for 3–4 minutes until browned. Remove and set aside.
- Sauté onion in the same pan for 5–6 minutes until soft.
- Add paprika and chickpeas, stir, and cook for 1 minute.
- Return chorizo, pour in chicken stock, and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Serve by spooning couscous onto plates, topping with the mixture, and garnishing with parsley.
Tuesday: Bean and rice vegan burritos
Cheap, easy, and quick are three necessities in a student meal plan. These bean and rice vegan burritos are perfect for feeding one person (or your entire flat!). They’re also a great way to use up leftover rice and break out your spice rack.
Ingredients:
- 1 large packet of microwave or quick-cook rice
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 400g tin of mixed Mexican beans, drained
- 1 tin of sweetcorn, drained
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 4 tortilla wraps
- Optional toppings: lettuce, guacamole, salsa, vegan sour cream, grated vegan cheese
Recipe:
- Cook onion with half the taco seasoning in a pan for 5 minutes.
- Add beans, tomatoes, and corn, stir, and cook for a few minutes.
- Stir in rice and remaining seasoning, and cook until heated through.
- Warm tortillas, fill with the mixture and add optional toppings.
Wednesday: Pesto pasta
The weeknight dinner that’s taking the internet by storm, pesto pasta is the ultimate ‘throw it all together’ tea. When you’re revising non-stop and need something delicious quickly, just put your pasta on to boil and grab your favourite jar of pesto.
Ingredients:
- 400g pasta (e.g., penne or spaghetti)
- 190g jar of pesto
- 150g kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 250g frozen peas
- Optional: grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste
Recipe:
- Boil pasta in salted water as per packet instructions. Add kale and peas for the last 2 minutes.
- Drain and mix with pesto in the same pot.
- Season with salt and pepper, and top with Parmesan if desired.
Thursday: Stir fry with noodles
Our vegetable stir-fry noodles will go down a treat. With plenty of Chinese-inspired flavourings and fragrant garlic and ginger, you can scale up this dinner if you want to impress. Don’t forget: you can always add an optional source of protein to the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 200g egg or rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, cut into thin strips
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 100g broccoli florets
- 50g bean sprouts
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Optional: 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, chopped spring onions, sesame seeds
Recipe:
- Cook noodles as per packet instructions, drain, and set aside.
- Heat oil, sauté garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
- Add vegetables (onion, carrot, pepper, broccoli) and stir-fry for 5–7 minutes.
- Mix in noodles and bean sprouts, add soy sauce, and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes.
- Serve with optional sesame oil, spring onions, and sesame seeds.
Friday: Homemade pizza
Forget big-brand takeaways: we have pizza at home! A little flour, tomato purée, and grated cheese can create one of the tastiest homemade pizzas around. Just grab some toppings of your choice and put it in the oven! A simple treat that will taste just as good as it looks.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 45ml cooking oil
- 90ml warm water
For the topping:
- 170g tomato purée
- 100g mozzarella cheese, grated
- Assorted toppings of your choice (e.g., pepperoni, vegetables)
Recipe:
- Mix flour, salt, oil, and warm water until a dough forms.
- Roll dough to desired thickness and place on a baking tray.
- Bake at 180°C for 5 minutes.
- Spread tomato purée, sprinkle mozzarella, and add chosen toppings.
- Return to the oven for 10–15 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust is golden.
- Slice and enjoy.
We have properties in Liverpool’s best student areas!
Make our student meal plans your own, swapping and switching midweek treats as you see fit. If you’re not quite at the meal plan stage of your university journey yet (and need to find a suitable uni property), we have houses in some of Liverpool’s best student areas.
View our student accommodation in Liverpool City Centre, Aigburth, and Wavertree.
