Learn how to cook for university, properly! Plus a recipe for a quick pasta bake to get you started

Practically all the lists I’ve found online about how to prepare for university include the line “learn to cook”. This is probably aimed at the younger students who have literally never even turned on the oven, but there is one thing that might not occur to mature students that draws from it… Learn to cook food you like instead of ready meals or things out of the packet! There’s nothing wrong with the occasional tin of mushy peas and Smash, but you can’t live on that (something I found out when living alone at vocational art school!), plus it's cheaper to cook using simple ingredients yourself! Student food doesn't have to be nasty after all. :)

What I’m doing with my mum before the big move is compiling a recipe book full of my family’s home recipes and things I’ve tried and liked myself. That way it’s full of foods that aren’t too complicated to prepare and which I know I'll enjoy (plus if I get stuck I just need to ring up mum for help!). We started writing up recipes in February after making a long list of all the different meals, getting through a handful every few nights. There’s still lots to do, and thankfully plenty of time to try new recipes for the book too!

To make this a bit more fun, start by designing a lovely cover for your recipe book (or print out the one I designed for free). Then write up a few things you like (if you don’t know how to make them yourself but your parents do, get them to help!), and things you’d like to try. I like to categorise mine into sections: Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert work well. Now all you need to do is get writing! Spread it out so you don’t have to spend hours writing the whole lot down at once, and give yourself a chance to try out new recipes to add too. Don’t be afraid to include large batches, because leftovers are great to freeze and through the week without worrying about cooking every single day. Another fab idea is getting your hands on a slow cooker - just chuck your ingredients in and let it cook through the day, with a hot meal waiting when you get home (there are heaps of great recipes on pinterest to try out, but my favourite is to just chuck in a bunch of different kinds of beans, a bit of tomato puree, a stock cube, soy sauce and chicken - it's hearty and nice with potatoes, rice or pasta!).



To get you started, here’s a quick dinner recipe from my collection:

Pasta & broccoli bake  (Cooking time about 20mins, makes four portions)

Ingredients:

-400g pasta
-1 red onion
-1 whole fresh broccoli
-veggie stock
-a drop of mustard
-200g crème fraiche
-100g cheddar
-Fresh herbs of your choice (I go for whatever I’ve got in the house, so usually basil or rosemary)
-A couple of handfuls of breadcrumbs

Method:
Boil the pasta, chopped onion, and stalks from the broccoli in lots of water with salt for 7 or 8 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and let boil for a few more minutes. Pour about 400ml of the cooking water into a bowl, and drain the pasta and veggies. Return the water to the saucepan and mix in the stock and crème frache, adding most of the herbs and a drop of mustard to taste. Bring to a boil, and pop in all the pasta and veggies. Stir in half of the cheese until melted. Pour the lot into a baking dish, and sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs.

Heat the grill for a few minutes (most ovens have this option, if not then bake at around 175-200°). Grill the bake for 3 minutes (watch it doesn’t burn!), and lets stand for a few minutes before serving.