Easy recipes for fussy students

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My (step)DC are part way through their first year at uni, currently at home for the Easter break. I’m concerned that they’re mostly living on chicken nuggets and waffles. They’re quite fussy, and the only meat they’ll eat is chicken and minced beef. They can make pizzas from scratch and spag bol, but that’s about it; everything else comes from the freezer. They do like baked potatoes, pie. Not great at veg other than broccoli, carrots. They don’t seem to like creamy pasta dishes but then do like korma and katsu, so I’m not sure if they’ve just tried one once that they don’t like and we should try again.

I’d like to set them up with some easy meals to be able to make, but I’m vegetarian and will eat pretty much anything veg wise, so I can’t think what would be good for them. Plus I’ve no idea how to cook a chicken. I want to help them widen their options when it comes to food, as it’s quite limited currently. They’re open to this, but don’t know what to try and I think they’re worried about cooking a meal and not liking it, so it’s a good chance to try when we’re at home. It’s like they still eat “kiddie foods”, though I’m told they had a more varied diet when younger and they’ve just fallen into what’s easy for them to make.

Anyways, any ideas for meals would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/saucy-sausage-pasta-0
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bean_and_rice_burrito
Dc are currently doing gcses but I'm on a mission to get them cooking cheap but easy meals that they can freeze in portions when they go to uni. The sausage pasta is dc2s favourite.
Also can cook chilli, chicken curry, chicken pasta, bolognaise, fajitas, plus rice, pasta, potatoes.

Chicken and veg stir fry with noodles is really easy.

Buy a skinless, boneless chicken breast or a couple of thighs, chop into pieces and fry in a wok with a bit of oil.

Chop and add veg, put the kettle on and once boiled stick a packet of instant noodles in and pour boiling water over. Add a dash of soy sauce and you are done.

Chicken wings are cheap and there are hundreds of ways to cook them. I like them with a mix of orange juice, herbs and honey - chop the wings at their joints, throw away the tips or use them for stock.

Coat them with the honey, herbs and juice and leave for 30 mins or even over night.

Stick on a tray in the oven for 20 mins or put on the BBQ.

Do they have a slow cooker? You can just stick a chicken in one, switch on and come home to roast chicken, the skin isn't crispy but you can put it in the over on high to crisp up.

Thanks both! The sausage pasta sounds good, I’ll find some good sausages as I know if it goes wrong once then they won’t like it. In fact, I’ll maybe try them with veggie sausages and cook for us all. It would be great if they’d eat the veggie stuff since they’re fussy with the meats they’ll eat.

The honey also sounds lovely and worth a go! They’re not allowed a slow cooker or air fryer in halls, but they move into a house next year and so can maybe take one there. I have one of each that I don’t use and they could have a go with.

If they don’t know already teach them to make a good omelette, cheap, quick and nutritious! They can then progress to frittata, or teach them to make a thinner omelette and slice into strips to add to a basic stir fry.

Look at other pasta dishes a basic tomato sauce which can then be adapted with chilli’s, bacon etc.

DS1 is at uni in his first year and he lives on stir fry with salmon, sausages and chips or waffles, home made pasta bake, home made Thai curry, pasta and pesto and scrambled eggs. He will add green beans to his Thai curry and a mixture of vegetables to his stir fry.

When he went away I put together a book of his favourite recipes and he seems to rotate those. He doesn't particularly like fast food, which is good I think

Tuna pasta https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta/buddy-s-tuna-pasta/

Very quick pot noodle https://www.myfussyeater.com/healthier-homemade-pot-noodle/

Halloumi wraps https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy_halloumi_wrap_57379

Chow mein https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/simple_chicken_chow_mein_92733

Ramen noodles https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ramen_noodles_with_87615

If they like the chicken wings then they can do them with salt, pepper and a bit of paprika, use spray oil on them first (or proper oil but it can be greasy) or flour and herbs and then fry or BBQ.

If they want a dip with them then a raita (finely chopped cucumber and mint sauce in Greek style yoghurt) or a garlic dip with a 50/50 Greek style yoghurt with a crushed bulb of garlic (or you could use the stuff in a tube).

If they like Thai / Indonesian then a really easy broth is boiling water, with a frozen cube of ginger and a frozen cube or garlic. Or you can use a couple of garlic cloves and about 1inch of fresh ginger (peeled).

Once that is in the pan you can add what you want, meat, bok choy, spring onion, chili (fresh fried or powdered) whatever is in the cupboard / back of the fridge again add instant noodles.

You said they liked mince, so meatballs of various types might work. Obviously shepherd's / cottage pies - probably one to make for the freezer.

Home made burgers, meatloaf, kofta kebabs, chilli, burritos.

I live on my own so I often plan to have left overs so if I make a chili the following day I will take left over chili, left over rice and often some grated cheese, put in the middle of a flout tortilla and wrap all four sides in so you have a square 'parcel', put on a baking tray in a roasting pan with the 'open' bit underneath and bake for 20 - 30 mins. They can be eaten as soon as they come out of the oven but if you let them go cold they sort of seal themselves nd you can take them in a packed lunch.

Another two stage meal I do is chicken in the slow cooker (so not yet until they get a sc, but it would work in a pan) is chopped chicken breast in the slow cooker with sliced mushrooms and I sometimes put leeks in as well, add a tin of condensed mushroom soup (which has enough salt and seasoning in it that you don't need to add any) and a pot of crème fraiche. Just leave it all day.

Serve with potatoes or eat with crusty bread.

The next day put the left overs in a pie tin or foil container and top with ready rolled puff pastry - I tend to freeze this pie.

Will they eat veg soup? I make a soup using the bits of veg you normally throw away so cauliflower and broccoli stems, cauliflower leaves and whatever is in the back of the fridge. I put them in the slow cooker with boiling water or stock and then blend with a stick blender.

Thai green curry is extremely easy. You can buy ready chopped chicken breast. You just fry it with the Thai paste and add whatever veg you like plus coconut milk. Eat with rice, they could use the microwave packets.

Another is fried rice with microwave rice. Fry some chopped bacon, the ready cooked chicken from supermarket chopped, any veg, an egg, packet of rice, soy sauce. Done.

Lentil and tomato Dahl.