Pasta Marinara
Pasta Marinara, could you go wrong with this? Who doesn’t like pasta and a bit of Marinara Sauce? Its quick and easy to make while living in student accommodation and especially when you’re on the go in Dublin… an added bonus? It’s always super tasty!
This is one of my favourite things to cook as if you use all of the ingredients and measurements below you can just add meatballs for an extra €2 to change it up for the next night! That’s a total of €8.59 for two nights of delicious dinners!!
Ingredients:
| · Italian Finely Chopped Tomatoes x1 tin |
| · Naturally Sweet Sweetcorn x ½ Tin |
| · Mangetout x ½ pack |
| · Mixed Chillies x 2 chillies |
| · Organic Garlic x 3 cloves |
| · Brown Onions Loose x ½ Onion |
| · Fusilli x 1 Cup |
| · Cooking Peppers x ½ Red Pepper |
| · Italian Unsmoked Pancetta x1 pack |
| · Pure Vegetable Oil x2 tsp |
Step 1: Dice the onion and garlic and add them to the slow heated oil in the pot. Once the onions and garlic are slightly browning add the pancetta to the pot. Stir often while its cooking slowly.
Step 2: Once the pancetta is cooked add in the tin of tomatoes to the pot with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir while it cooks.
Step 3: Chop the mangetout, chillies and pepper and add them to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Then add in the ½ tin of sweetcorn.
Step 4: Leave to simmer in the pot on medium heat while you add the pasta to another pot of boiling hot water with a pinch of salt. Leave it cook for 15 minutes and Voilà, your delicious meal is ready in minutes!
| Product | Price |
| Italian Finely Chopped Tomatoes 400G | €0.45 |
| Naturally Sweet Sweetcorn 325G | €0.31 |
| Mangetout 150G | €0.79 |
| Mixed Chillies 65G | €0.59 |
| Organic Garlic 3 Pack | €0.50 |
| Brown Onions Loose | €0.27 |
| Fusilli 500G | €0.47 |
| Cooking Peppers 500G | €1.39 |
| Italian Unsmoked Pancetta 2 X65g | €0.83 |
| Pure Vegetable Oil 500Ml | €0.99 |
| total= | €6.59 |
| Add Tesco Irish Beef Meatballs 349G | €2.00 |
Eggs, Potato and Prosciutto
I don’t even have a name for this one but it’s a must try!!! Living in student accommodation and cooking for yourself every night can be tough sometimes, so it’s always nice to be able to have a really tasty and easy dinner that tastes like it has to be bad for you but it’s actually got all the good stuff!!
I first tried this one out in Spain and it spurred a bit of an addiction and I’ve managed to recreate it many of times myself (and cooking isn’t my forté!). This is also gluten free and dairy free, sounds less guilty already doesn’t it?
You can also use the leftover potatoes for dinner the next night… keep reading!
Ingredients:
| · Irish Rooster Potatoes |
| · Free Range Eggs Medium 6 Pack |
| · Prosciutto Crudo Slices |
| · Pure Vegetable Oil |
Step 1: Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can. Spread them across a baking tray and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oil. Put them in the oven and leave to bake for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Once they are 95% cooked add as many slices of the prosciutto as you want (I recommend 4/5) and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Step 3: While the potatoes and prosciutto are slowly cooking, put the eggs on the pan and fry them but make sure you don’t cook the yolk! It needs to be sunny for the added flavour!
Step 4: Take the potatoes and prosciutto out and onto your plate and place the eggs on top and DIG IN!!!
Yes, it’s that simple!!!
| Irish Rooster Potatoes 2Kg | €1.99 |
| Free Range Eggs Medium 6 Pack | €1.59 |
| 6 Prosciutto Crudo Slices 84G | €2.10 |
| Pure Vegetable Oil 500Ml | €0.99 |
| Total: | €6.67 |
Chilli Con Carne Jacket Potatoes
Even looking at that picture is making my mouth water!!! 🤤 These are cheap and delicious and also a little adventurous! There will definitely be leftovers so you can have them the next night with nachos or taco shells or in a wrap or with some rice for a more traditional chilli con carne! That’s five dinners in one… can living in student accommodation be any easier now??
Ingredients:
- Irish Round Steak Mince
- Italian Chopped Tomatoes
- Red Kidney Beans in Water
- Naturally Sweet Sweetcorn
- Mild Chilli Powder
- Brown Onions Loose
- 4 Pack Baker Potatoes
Step 1: Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Use 1 tbsp of the oil to rub over the potatoes and place on a tray in the oven for about 1 hour until cooked through.
Step 2: Chop your onions finely. Put a dash of oil in a pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 10 mins until lightly sautéed.
Step 3: Add the mince, breaking up with a spoon and stirring until turning pale(cooked). Tip in the canned tomatoes, add a tablespoon of chilli powder and season well with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Drain the kidney beans and sweetcorn and add them to the pot, cover and simmer over a medium/high heat with the lid on for about 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally.
Step 5: Take out the potatoes and open them by cutting a cross into them and add the Chilli Con Carne to the top! If you have it add cheese or sour cream to top it off!! YUM!
| Irish Round Steak Mince | €4.00 |
| Italian Chopped Canned Tomatoes 227G | €0.39 |
| Red Kidney Beans in Water 400G | €0.23 |
| Naturally Sweet Sweetcorn 325G | €0.31 |
| Mild Chilli Powder 50G | €0.69 |
| Brown Onions Loose | €0.27 |
| 4 Pack Baker Potatoes 750G | €1.99 |
| Total: | €7.88 |
Chicken Wrapped in Bacon
My favourite dish of all time! This is one I used to beg my mother to make for me to take up to my Student Accommodation in Dublin each week when I was going up! I was eventually taught how to make it myself and I realised that I didn’t have to be a 5* chef (or a mammy) to make this flavourful dish! Its so simple and easy to do without making a mess, which is my favourite part as none of us like cleaning up after the hassle of making our own dinner!!!
Ingredients:
- Medium Chicken Fillets x 1 or 2 (depends how hungry you are)
- Mozzarella x ½
- Green Pesto x 1 ½ tablespoons
- Sun Dried Tomatoes x 4
- Baby Irish Rooster Potatoes 1Kg
- Irish Unsmoked Streaky Rashers x 4
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Step 1: Chop up the mozzarella and sundried tomatoes, put them in a bowl and mix in the pesto.
Step 2: Lay your streaky bacon out in a horizontal line (4 pieces 1 by 1).
Step 3: Cut a pocket into your chicken fillet to open it up. Then place it on top of the 4 rows of bacon.
Step 4: Stuff the chicken fillet with the mozzarella, pesto and sundried tomato mix, then tightly wrap the bacon around it to close up the pocket.
Step 5: Place it in the oven on a tray and leave it to cook for 20-25 minutes.
Step 6: Meanwhile peel the potatoes and chop them in two, add them to a pot of boiling hot water and leave on medium/high heat for 15-20 minutes while the chicken is cooking.
Step 7: Drain the potatoes and mash them, adding a pinch of salt and pepper.
Step 8: Dish your mash potatoes out, take the chicken out and place it on top of the mash, pour the juice from the chicken over it for added flavour.
| Medium Chicken Fillets (3 pack) | €4.35 |
| Mozzarella | €0.59 |
| Green Pesto | €1.19 |
| Sun Dried Tomatoes | €1.09 |
| Baby Irish Rooster Potatoes 1Kg | €0.46 |
| Irish Unsmoked Streaky Rashers | €0.99 |
| Total: | €8.67 |
Chorizo Omelette
Obviously, everyone knows the omelette but often when we’re looking for a quick and easy meal we forget about this classic dish! It’s the best dinner to make when you’re in student accommodation with a shared kitchen as it takes 10 minutes to make and then you’re out of the way. Its super filling and the best part is, you can pop whatever you have in the fridge into it if you don’t have the ingredients below, almost anything will taste nice in it! In cities like Dublin and Galway you have ample shops where you can buy the ingredients, but nothing is better than being able to pop the loose bits that you already have into the fridge (that probably would have gone to waste anyway) into a couple of eggs to make a tasty dinner… it means its an extra few quid to keep in your pocket for a night out!
Ingredients:
| · Free Range Eggs Large x2 |
| · Spanish Chorizo Sausage Slices x5 |
| · Grated Pecorino Cheese |
| · Brown Onion x ½ |
| · Red Peppers x ½ |
Step 1: Heat the pan to a medium/high heat.
Step 2: Chop up the chorizo and once the pan is heated then throw in the chorizo and let this cook on a medium heat (it will release its own juices/oil so there is no need to add any).
Step 3: Dice the onion and add it to the chorizo in the pan.
Step 4: Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them together, then add the grated cheese to it. Chop the red peppers and add them to the egg mixture too. Season it will with salt and pepper.
Step 5: Pour the mixture onto the chorizo and onions on the pan.
Step 6: Turn on the grill and once the omelette is almost cooked put it under the grill to finish off the top.
| Free Range Eggs Large | €1.89 |
| Spanish Chorizo Sausage Slices | €1.69 |
| Grated Pecorino Cheese | €1.00 |
| Brown Onion | €0.27 |
| Red Peppers | €0.69 |
| Total: | €5.54 |
