Student lifestyle

Five recipes for a fiver

Going for a big night out? Want to make sure you last the distance? If you eat a meal before you drink, it’ll slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream and make sure it doesn’t all go to your head too quickly.

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We’ve picked out five easy meals that will feed you and three mates for a fiver. They’re a tasty way to catch up with your friends before heading out and will see you dancing the night away rather than ending up at home early doors.

Sausage & Sweet Potato Frittata
Serves 4 for £5
495 calories

  • 454g pack of sausages
  • 1 sweet potato thinly, sliced
  • 1 medium red onion, sliced
  • 50g baby spinach leaves
  • 8 large eggs
  1. Fry sausages until cooked and cut into slices
  2. Stir fry sweet potato and red onion for 10-12 minutes and then stir in the spinach for a few seconds. Return sausages to pan and preheat the grill.
  3. Beat eggs, season and pour into pan. Cook for five minutes, then place pan under grill until the top is lightly browned.

Salmon & Courgette Pasta
Serves 4 for £4.12
530 calories

  • 400g pasta
  • 550g courgettes
  • 300ml crème fraîche
  • 120g smoked salmon trimmings
  • 1 lemon
  1. Boil the pasta for eight minutes.
  2. Thinly slice the courgettes, then add to the pasta and cook for a further five minutes.
  3. Drain the pasta and courgettes, then stir through the crème fraîche and salmon trimmings.
  4. Sprinkle with the juice of the lemon and season.

Turkey burgers
Serves 4 for £4.93
490 calories

  • 675g of turkey mince
  • 1 small red onion chopped
  • Small handful of fresh thyme
  • Tsp of lime juice
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC
  2. Mix ingredients together with 1tsbsp of olive oil. Cover and leave flavour to infuse
  3. Cut sweet potatoes into wedges and bake for 35 minutes
  4. Divide burger mixture into 8 burgers and fry for approximately 10 minutes.

Goat’s Cheese and Spinach Pizza
Serves 4 for £4.59
425 calories

  • 2 small onions, sliced 
  • 1 pack of baby spinach
  • 2 pizza bases  
  • 100g of goats cheese 
  • 2 tomatoes  
  1. Preheat oven to 220ºC
  2. Fry onions until soft and wilt the spinach
  3. Top the pizza bases with the onions, spinach, crumbled goats cheese and tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Honey Roasted Vegetable Risotto
Serves 4 for £5.12
314 calories

  • 420g carrots
  • 500g parsnips
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 300g risotto rice
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
  • 40g parmesan
  1. Preheat oven to 220ºC
  2. Cut carrots and parsnips and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the honey. Roast for 20-30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, fry the onion in a large deep frying pan until soft. Add the rice and stir well to coat in the onion mixture.
  4. Make up 1 litre of stock using the stock cube and gradually ladle into the rice. Allow the rice to absorb each ladle, stirring continuously over a medium heat.
  5. When all the stock has been added, fold the cooked vegetables into the risotto with the rosemary and Parmesan cheese.