Like others, I learnt the basics as a student.
Really easy meals in my repetoire are:
Pasta sauce; fried onion, chopped/crushed garlic, tinned tomatoes, bit of sugar (or ketchup does the same job), chopped chilli (or chilli flakes). Cook the pasta. Serve. Easy as. And you can add or take away from what you like and personal taste.
Spaghetti Bolognaise: Fry onion and garlic, brown mince, add carrot, mushrooms (and any other veg you want. I sometimes add chilli.), tinned tomatoes, wine (doesn't matter whether red or white), leave to simmer until sauce is thick (i.e. not watery). Cook spaghetti. Serve with grated parmesean.
Curry: Use the pataks pastes (or you can start of with the cheat jars of sauces to gain confidence). Follow description on side of jar. I also add veg like peppers, carrots etc to bulk it up. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread.
All very tasty and all very easy. Learning to cook is all about the confidence to try. Yes, we've all made mistakes, but we've learnt from them and you will too.