Student Budget-Friendly Meals: Cooking with rice

Cheap and easy meals with rice as the main ingredient.

Welcome to our 'Cooking with the Basics' series! Each article in this series will cover a bunch of simple recipes you can follow, all based on a common ingredient you can find in your cupboard. First up is rice! It is one of the most consumed foods in the world and can be found in many dishes as the base or the perfect side to go with your main.

The recipes below will all cost £15.00 or lower and should produce enough for multiple portions for your week! All you have to do is meal prep to get the most for your money (this estimate is based on the average price gained from Sainsbury’s, Tesco and M&S in January 2024. This is subject to change).

Watch the video below to see how to cook rice perfectly as you'll be doing it for each of the recipes in this article:

Fried rice (£)

Ingredients

• Rice (recommended: long grain rice)
• Vegetables of your choice (carrots, peas, peppers, onions, etc)
• Protein of your choice (eggs, tofu, chicken, etc)
• Optional sauce or seasoning of your choice (soy, chilli, garlic, salt, pepper, etc)
• Vegetable oil

Method

1. Cook rice and let it cool.
2. Heat some oil in a pan, add diced vegetables (like carrots, peas, peppers) and cook until they're tender.
3. Add cooked rice to the pan, along with soy sauce and any protein you like (e.g. scrambled eggs, tofu, or cooked chicken).
4. Stir-fry everything together until well-mixed and heated through.
5. Season to taste and enjoy!

Rice salad (£)

Ingredients

• Rice (recommended: brown rice)
• Vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber, corn, chickpeas, peppers, mushrooms, etc)
• Herbs (parsley, mint, etc)
• Dressing (olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, etc) or buy premade salad dressing
• Feta cheese (optional)

Method

1. Cook rice and let it cool.
2. Mix it with diced vegetables (cucumber, cherry tomatoes, peppers) and herbs (parsley, mint).
3. Add some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for dressing. You can also add feta cheese or grilled chicken for extra flavour.
4. Season to taste and enjoy!



Rice stuffed bell peppers (££)

Ingredients

• Rice (recommended: short grain rice)
• Bell peppers
• Lean ground beef
• Chunky tomato sauce
• Herbs and seasoning (onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, etc)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

Method

1. Cook rice and set it aside.
2. Cut the tops off bell peppers, remove the seeds, and blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes.
3. Mix cooked rice with cooked ground beef or turkey, tomato sauce, and your favourite seasonings.
4. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture, top with cheese, and bake until the peppers are tender.
5. Season to taste and enjoy!

All these recipes are quick, easy, and can be customised to your taste preferences. The ingredients can all also be used for other recipes on Halls Life so keep a look out for more recipes coming soon!