Quick and Easy Cooking Recipes for Young Adults

Pasta Sauces

Creating a tomato sauce and a basic white sauce from scratch is a great culinary skill to perfect at a young age and will no doubt impress new friends at university! Both sauces can appear daunting to make but are in fact very simple to throw together, and they provide the basis for many classic dishes such as soups, curries, lasagne, eggplant parmesan, bolognese and casseroles. For an easy and delicious meal just pour a white or tomato sauce over some freshly cooked pasta and vegetables, sprinkle with cheese and voilà.

For variations on the white sauce recipe consider adding cheese for a yummy cheesy sauce, parsley, or even lemon and sugar to create an alternative to custard.

Baked Potatoes

A student staple, the baked potato is a tasty, filling and affordable option. When eaten with the skin on, a baked potato offers vitamins C and B as well as a good amount of fibre. Choose from white, purple or sweet potatoes.

Great filling options include chilli, grated cheese, sour cream, ratatouille, tuna, bacon and baked beans.

Chilli Con Carne

This recipe is easy to make, delicious and ideal for a time-strapped student in search of a filling meal. Perfect for serving on top of a baked potato or with rice – add sour cream and avocado for an extra punch of flavour. Freeze any leftovers in individual portions to have throughout the week. For vegetarians, simply remove the mince or replace with a meat substitute such as Quorn.

Soups

Teaching your teenager how to make a hearty bowl of soup using whatever vegetables they have in the fridge, or can find at the farmers market, is a brilliant and inexpensive way to help your children confidently feed themselves. Soups also freeze really well.

Savoury & Sweet Pizzas

Cut down on takeaway bills by teaching your adolescent how to make pizzas from scratch. Making your own pizzas is a great way to spend an evening with friends – you can even turn it into a competition; the person with the most creative pizza wins!

To make things even easier, we have come up with a two-ingredient pizza dough base that even novice cooks will be able to master. Give it a go with both savoury and sweet toppings!

Sweet Treats

Help your university students impress their new friends with the ability to rustle up a few delicious treats. Try one of these simple desserts full of yummy but inexpensive ingredients.

Essential Cooking & Shopping Tips

• Twice a week chop up fruit and vegetables and store in a Tupperware container in the fridge. This is great for quick snacks or to add to a recipe when you’re in a rush or feeling lazy! Good options include onions, carrots, broccoli, peppers, and mushrooms and for fruit, strawberries, melon and pineapple.
• Buy frozen vegetables; they have the same goodness as fresh vegetables but are often cheaper and avoid unnecessary waste. They are great for adding to pastas and stir fry dishes.
• Go food shopping with friends so you can take advantage of BOGOF (Buy one get one free) deals in supermarkets – this is a great money saver.
• Check out the local farmers market where you’ll probably be able to get some great deals on meat and vegetables.
• Write a shopping list before venturing into the stores to reduce aimlessly strolling through every aisle and picking up items you don’t really need.