When it comes to making meals as a student, ease and speed is key. You probably don’t have hours to kill ‘cheffing up’ dinner in the kitchen. You most likely don’t have a fridge packed with a range of fresh ingredients either. Mince meat (although this may sound random) is a student staple due to its versatility and relatively low cost as a meat source.
You can get a 500g pack of mince beef from Aldi for £2.89 which will most likely last you roughly two meals. Here are some of our favourite mince meat recipes which any student can manage (and master!) on a budget.
Meatballs
Meatballs are extremely easy to make and are one of my own favourite recipes. Simply take the mince meat out of the packet, add salt and pepper and a few heaped teaspoons of green pesto, and mix it all up.
This recipe is a messy one. So roll your sleeves up while you are scrunching up the beef with the pesto!
Separate the mixture into meatball-shaped balls and place in a frying pan with some olive oil. Fry the meatballs until they are nice and brown then add in a tin of chopped tomatoes. Let it all simmer and add slices of mozzarella on top of the meatballs so it melts on top.
Either serve with pasta or, what I like to do is, put the meatballs in some toasted buns and have messy meatball subs.
Burgers
This follows the same recipe as above, except separate the meat into burger-sized pieces instead of meatball ones.
The world is your oyster when it comes to burgers. So you could serve it up as a classic burger with a slice of cheese, lettuce, and tomato, or you could spice it up with some grilled halloumi, avocado and chilli sauce.
Plate it up with chips, a jacket potato, or some sweet potato fries and tuck in.
Cottage Pie
Cottage pie can be really easy. Simply fry some mince beef up in a saucepan (adding in onions and carrots if you would like), then add beef stock (or gravy) and Worcestershire sauce.
Put the beef mix into an ovenproof dish and scoop some mashed potato on top (yes, you’re a student so pre-made is okay). Cook until brown and serve with some veggies and baked beans.
Beef Tacos
Beef tacos (student edition) can be super simple, and you can add anything you have lying about in your fridge.
Fry up some mince meat in a frying pan, add in some onions, tomatoes, or any veggies you fancy as well as whatever spices you like. When the mince is brown, pour over some beef stock and reduce the heat to a simmer.
You can buy crunchy taco shells from the shops or, if you prefer a more authentic touch, get some wheat or corn tortillas and toast them in a hot, dry frying pan, or over a flame, to heat them up.
Pile all the ingredients into the taco and munch down on your delicious homemade meal. We would recommend adding guacamole and sour cream for some extra yumminess.
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