This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.
If you’re anything like me, you get bored eating the same thing, but you have a small pantry to choose from – and an even smaller budget. I, as well as many other busy college students, have really had to get creative with what I can cook. Lucky for me, I have three roommates who love to go grocery shopping, so our kitchen is full of possibilities. These are my quick, easy, go-to recipes for dinner.
- Mac and Cheese: Don’t get me wrong, EasyMac works in a pinch for many, but I’m not a huge fan. I love to make it from scratch! All you have to do is cook some pasta and drain. Set it aside. Then, melt butter and milk together in a pan. Then add a pinch of flour. Finally, go through your fridge and grab literally any and every cheese you can find, and melt it together. For flavor, add some pepper and keep stirring. Add it to the pasta, and bam, you got mac and cheese. You can even bake it or add bread crumbs for a little extra texture.
- Fancy Ramen: I like instant noodle kits, but they get really salty and can get kind of old. I use Top Noodles (or Maruchan), and I simply toss the flavor pack. I cook the noodles normally, and then I toss them in a pan with soy sauce, stir fry sauce and a little bit of chicken. Don’t feel like cooking raw chicken? Throw in some dino nuggets! If you’re a veggie person, you can add cooked carrots, green onions or peppers.
- Taco Rice: I love rice. It’s so filling and has so many uses. I make tacos often, and the seasoning packets are usually way too much. I have a beloved rice cooker that cooks rice perfectly in about 10 minutes. Simply throw the rice, water and seasoning into the rice cooker, wait for a few minutes, and then you’ve got a great little snack.
- Waffle Maker Grilled Cheese: I also have an awesome mini waffle maker. Before I had access to a kitchen at school, I used my waffle iron for everything. You can simply take two pieces of bread (or steal them from the dining hall, as I did) and a slice of whatever cheese you want, and smash them together under the warmth of the iron. Perfect grilled cheese every time.
- Mug Cakes: I will rave about mug cakes until the day I die. I have made so many versions of them, and I’ve eaten so much stuff out of mugs. I love mugs, what can I say? You can buy a pre-made mix, or make your own following this recipe. I’ve also bought muffin mix from the dollar store and used one scoop at a time to make a muffin in a mug (you can also put it in the waffle iron).
I hope you find the recipes to be as handy as I have. These are my go-to’s for lazy nights, quick meals or just something cheap I can share with my roommates.