Being in college is hard, and I love food, but cooking in college can be harder. To get you started, try these quick and most of all, easy(!) recipes.
Potato Leek Soup (from the New Joy of Cooking)
This one isn’t particularly fast, but it’s insanely easy, and I absolutely love it. If you don’t have a food processor, a blender works well too. I’ve never tried substituting the chicken broth for a veg friendly broth, but I’m sure it would be tasty too!
Makes 8 cups.
3 T. unsalted butter
8 large leeks, cleaned thoroughly and chopped (white and light green part only)
3 medium or 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cups chicken stock
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Directions
Melt the butter in a soup pot over low heat. Add the leeks and cook over low heat until tender, but not brown, for about 20 minutes.
Add the potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer until the potatoes are soft for about 30 minutes.
Puree mixture until smooth. Season with the salt and pepper.
Thin out the soup if necessary with additional stock or water. Reheat gently to serve.
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Greek Pasta Casserole (adapted from Vegetarian Classics)
Quick, easy, and above all, fresh! Can be served warm or chilled, and either way it’s delicious and vegetarian friendly. I omit the pepper flakes and change the spices to fresh chopped basil and it’s super yummy!
Serves 6.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 pound small pasta shells
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (7 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, well drained and diced
1/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped black olives
2 tbsp. red wine (red wine vinegar works too!)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
½ of a red onion, diced
Directions
Bring a large quantity of water to boil in a stockpot. In a large bowl, combine everything else. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until very al dente, soft but not quite cooked through. It will continue to cook in the oven. Drain thoroughly in a colander and place back in the pot.
Mix in all the remaining ingredients. Place in a shallow 3-quart casserole (such as a 13×9 inch pan). Cover with foil.
Bake, covered, for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly, or even just to warmed through. Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes to lightly brown the top of the casserole.
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Pancakes (from scratch!)
Face it, we all love pancakes. Some days you run out of pancake mix though. Fend for yourself or make everyone’s favorite — breakfast for dinner. Yum!
To make it vegan friendly, swap out the egg for a small container of applesauce, and skip the first step, adding the milk substitution of your choice. Obviously, use vegan butter too. :)
Makes 8 medium-sized pancakes.
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray
Directions
Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to “sour”.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into “soured” milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
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Quesadilla Casserole (from McCormick Spices)
My boyfriend and I love to make this one. It’s definitely an Americanized recipe, so if you’re looking for authentic Mexican taste, skip this. Otherwise, it’s pretty easy, and makes enough for plenty of leftovers or for sharing!
Serves 8.
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 lb. Ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1can (8 3/4 oz.) whole kernel corn
1 can (4 1/2 oz.) chopped green chiles
6 flour tortillas (8 inch)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook ground beef or turkey thoroughly. Drain off any grease. Set aside.
In a large pan, heat all other ingredients, except for tortillas and cheese. Add the tomato sauce last, cooking until it reaches a slow bubble.
Add ½ cup of cheese to the sauce mixture, stirring until melted.
Add ground beef or turkey to sauce mix and let simmer for 10 minutes.
In a large casserole pan (13×9 works well) layer the sauce-meat mixture, tortillas, continuing until you run out. I like to put a last layer of tortillas on top for extra crunch. Top with remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove foil and allow to continue baking until the cheese on top is bubbly.
Remove, let cool for 5 minutes, eat, and enjoy!
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Ants in a Tree (from Sara Moulton)
This is a family favorite in my house. I usually skip the sesame oil, halve the ginger (I’m not a huge fan of the stuff) and leave out the chile paste, substituting as much Sriracha sauce as I want for the end. This one also leaves plenty for leftovers!
Serves 4 to 6.
Kosher salt
1/2 pound cellophane noodles (bean threads) or angel hair pasta
1 pound ground pork (can be substituted with other ground meats or diced tofu)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
6 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Asian chile paste
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage (do NOT use regular cabbage!)
2/3 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and bring back to a boil. Boil for 1 minute for cellophane noodles and 2 to 3 minutes for angel hair pasta.
Drain in a colander and rinse under running water. Set aside.
Stir the pork with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the sesame oil, the cornstarch, and 1/2 of the scallions in a small bowl.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the pork mixture and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the 1 cup of cabbage and the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Cook, stirring, until the cabbage is almost wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the cooked noodles and cook, cutting them slightly with the side of the spatula, until the pork is no longer pink, about 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and add the remaining scallions. Season with salt and pepper and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover loosely and simmer until the noodles have absorbed some of the stock, about 3 minutes.
Top each serving with some fresh, uncooked, Napa cabbage, add as much chile sauce as you want to make it spicy, and serve.