By Taylor Strnad, Blogger
Cooking in college can be a hassle. If you live in a dorm, you have to go to the front desk and ask to borrow pots and pans or ask one of your neighbors for theirs. Then you have to go to the community kitchen, which everyone is always using to make something, so you might not even be able to cook when you want to. All of this can make cooking frustrating and not worth the hassle. But, if you’re lucky enough to have access to a microwave and a microwave-safe bowl, then you are in luck.
Here are two easy recipes for you to try!
The first combines two of my favorite things, cheese and pesto. So what can be better than making pesto macaroni and cheese? Making mac and cheese from scratch takes way too long for a busy college student and personally, those microwavable macaroni cups just aren’t satisfying.
Ingredients:
Elbow Macaroni
Salt and Pepper
Shredded Cheese
Milk
Pesto
Optional:
Cream Cheese
Any topping you like with macaroni and cheese like broccoli, chicken, bacon, onions or even hot sauce!
Prep:
Fortunately, not much preparation is needed for this recipe. Just make sure to soften the cream cheese before adding it into the mix if you choose to use it. I would take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator as you start to cook the pasta.
Cooking:
Measure out ½ cup of elbow macaroni and add it to a large microwave-safe bowl filled with ¾ cup of water. Make sure the bowl is deep enough so that the water does not spill over when cooking.
Microwave on high for four minutes. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, or until you like.
Once the pasta is cooked, strain the water out of the bowl.
Now it’s time to add the milk and cheese. Add ½ cup of shredded cheese to the pasta. I personally like to use white cheddar cheese but any cheese will do. Next, you can add the ¼ cup of milk; I use 2%. Stir until the cheese is melted completely.
Optional: If you like your macaroni and cheese really creamy, this is where you can add in a little bit of cream cheese. Add in one tablespoon.
After the cheese is melted, it’s time to add in the pesto and salt. Mix in one tablespoon of pesto and a ⅛ teaspoon of salt and whatever you see fit for pepper, then stir.
Now you’re ready to pour it into a bowl and eat! If you are feeling adventurous, you can add some hot sauce, chicken, bacon, onions or anything else you’re feeling to give it more flavor.
The second recipe is for those who love a good omelette in the morning, or for our late risers, without the hassle of a hot pan.
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
Red/Green Peppers
Spinach
Salt and Pepper
Optional:
Ham
Bacon
Tomatoes
Prep:
Like the other recipe, there is not much preparation for this meal. The only thing is to chop the vegetables you are using into small bite sized pieces.
Cooking:
Crack two eggs into a microwave safe mug and mix until the yolk is completely broken.
Once the eggs are mixed, add in the red/green peppers, spinach and spices.
Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, at the halfway point give the ingredients a good stir. Be sure to watch and make sure the egg doesn’t boil over!
After stirring the ingredients, make sure to finish the cook time on high.
Now it’s almost time to grab a fork and dig in! Be sure to let the omelette in a mug cool for at least 2 minutes!
These recipes are meant to be easy, quick and adaptable. The great thing about microwave mac and cheese and the omelette is that you can make it taste differently each time you have it. By adding different toppings to either of these dishes you can have a new meal every time!
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