Tasty ideas to upgrade your uni lunch

If you turn to the same cheese toastie at 12 pm every day, you’d be forgiven for wanting some fresh lunchbox ideas. But if you’re heading onto campus for a busy schedule of lectures or a study day, you don’t want to be spending your funds on a mediocre sandwich.

Having a balanced meal full of nutrients is also key to keeping you fueled and focused across the afternoon, so take a look at these tasty lunch tips and ideas for university students to enjoy healthy, cheap and easy-to-cook dishes.

Get saucy

Stocking up on your favourite sauces is a great way to quickly add flavour to a dish. Whether you’re spicing up your leftovers or want to add extra flavour to your sandwich, this quick hack can turn lunches from ‘standard’ to ‘special’.

Sriracha, soy sauce and sweet chilli are great for those who love Asian flavours and can be easily mixed with rice, noodles, proteins and veg for a quick meal. Hot sauce, garlic mayo and salad cream are great additions to wraps, pittas and baps.

If you want to upgrade your flavours, you can make your own dips. Whizz up some roasted peppers, chickpeas and tahini for a delicious, bright houmous. Or simply mix fresh herbs like coriander or mint into coconut yoghurt for a cooling sauce. Go wild!

Switch to veggie

Uni lunch ideas for vegetarians aren’t just for people following plant-based diets. Swapping out your meat proteins for veggie-friendly ones is an easy way to add more variety to your meals.

Change up beef or pork mince for green or red lentils. Chicken can be opted out for tofu or tempeh. If you like ham in your sandwiches, try swapping this for thinly sliced veg like cucumber or tomatoes every so often to mix things up.

Eat your eggs

Don’t worry, we know you don’t want to be ‘that guy’ who makes scrambled eggs in the library microwave. Fry up your favourite veg including peppers, onions, mushrooms and spinach, season and let them cool slightly before mixing them with beaten eggs. Then bake them in a deep, lined tray or muffin tin to create egg muffins or tray bakes.

Alternatively, add in fried chorizo and sliced, cooked potatoes and cook in a pan to create a delicious frittata. Easy to transport and tasty when cold, these are creative ways to get in your daily protein.

‘Picky bits’ packed lunch

It’s not just a super quick and easy dinner with friends, picky bits are a tasty student lunch idea too. Buy a few little pots and fill them up with the things you love.

Peanut butter and apple, carrots and houmous, pretzels, dried fruit, boiled eggs and sliced chicken are all healthy options. If you’re a snacker or want to get excited every time you open your lunch box, try out this idea.

Wrap it up

It’s a simple philosophy. Just switch out your basic sliced loaf for wraps to enjoy a healthier alternative. Take inspiration from TikTok and fill each quarter with a different ingredient before folding into a quick hand-held lunch. If you’re at home, why not fold in salsa, guac, proteins and cheese and toast for a tasty quesadilla?

Soup-er food

Super cheap and tasty, boil up a few simple ingredients in stock or water and blend to create a nutrient-packed lunch. Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and potatoes mix well with fried onions, leeks and garlic.

For a special, extra-comforting soup, add in cooked chicken, minestrone pasta or noodles. Batch cook a base soup and freeze portions so you’re always prepared. Transport in well-sealed Tupperware with a small snack box of croutons or cheese cubes.

Pasta power

A list of lunch ideas for university students wouldn’t be complete without a nod to everyone’s favourite carb (controversial, we know). Cooking up a pasta bake on the weekend and portioning it up is a super easy alternative to sandwiches.

Have a few different pasta shapes in your cupboard to reinvent classic student meals. Add rigatoni to your bolognese sauce, mix tagliatelle with creme cheese, bacon and mushrooms or switch to wholewheat pasta to pack in extra nutrients.

Up your salad game

If you think salad is just a load of limp lettuce, think again. Made a stir fry for dinner? Mix it with some shredded raw carrots, cabbage and sugar snap peas to create a filling lunchtime salad. Got leftover pesto pasta? Pack it in with fresh spinach, sliced peppers and feta cheese for a tasty summer lunchbox.

Pimp up a basic salad of chopped tomatoes, cucumber and sliced onions by adding in tasty touches like fried halloumi, falafels or meatballs. Add in fruit like chopped strawberries, grapes or apples for extra zing. Then top with a tasty dressing like houmous, garlic yoghurt or Caesar sauce.

Potat-oh yeah

Baking up a few jacket potatoes at once gives you a tasty, cheap base for a range of fillings.

Prick the skins with a fork, rub them with oil, salt and pepper and bake them in a hot oven (220°C, gas 7) for 20 minutes. Then turn the heat down (190°C, gas 5) and cook for 45 minutes to an hour for a perfect baked potato. You can also cook the potatoes in the microwave for 5 minutes on each side before crisping up in a hot oven.

To avoid the afternoon carb slump, bake sweet potatoes. Then top with classic fillings like beans, tuna mayo and cheese. Or go for something different like piri-piri chicken, chickpea curry and prawns mixed with marie rose sauce.

Tips for tastier lunches

Here are some extra tips to create delicious lunches cheaply and easily:

• Make double for your dinner and put your leftovers in a Tupperware to take onto campus with you the next day
• Freezers are a secret weapon when it comes to meal prep. Soup, pasta, baked potatoes, wraps and bread can all be frozen for quick go-to lunch bases
• Take a couple of hours on a weekend and do your meal prep for the week ahead. Write a meal plan and do your shopping and cooking all at once to eat well while saving money and time.