It’s no secret that many college students miss the warmth and comfort of a home-cooked meal. Cooking meals that satisfy that certain homecooked taste is hard to achieve in a dorm, but throughout my first semester at college, I have mastered a few meals that work well in recreating that comforting feeling. It might seem scary to cook real meals at first, but these meals do not need to be, and often are not, complex. Whether it be something you just heat up in the microwave or fully cooked meals, making delicious dishes in a dorm is not unattainable.
Here’s what I have to work with in my dorm:
- Oven
- Microwave
- Fridge
- Stovetop
Breakfast for Dinner
One of my favorite meals to make is breakfast for dinner. All you need for this meal is a pan, an oven, and any premade cinnamon roll dough. My personal favorite is the Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls, but you can make whatever you would like! For this recipe, all you have to do is:
- Preheat your oven per the instructions on the cinnamon roll container
- Put your cinnamon rolls in a pan
- Bake until they are golden brown
- Put the icing on top and enjoy!
For me, these cinnamon rolls recreate the feeling of waking up to the ease of a home-cooked breakfast. Furthermore, my hall loves to share meals together when someone cooks, and cinnamon rolls are one of my biggest hits no matter if I make them in the morning or night!
Vodka Pasta
Another big hit in my hall is my famous 4-ingredient vodka pasta! For this recipe, all you need is pasta (in any shape that you like), vodka sauce (I use Signature Select), parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes.
This recipe begins with the pasta. All you have to do is bring a pot of water to a boil, add the pasta, and let them cook until they are al dente, which is usually about 11 minutes. If you do not have a stovetop to use, there are microwavable pasta-cookers that you can buy!
After the pasta is cooked and drained, add your pasta sauce and stir it around to distribute the heat.
Now it is ready to be served! I add a good amount of parmesan cheese and red pepper to mine because I enjoy spicy pasta, but this step is personalizable to each person. This meal is also easy to refrigerate and heat up, so you could potentially meal-prep it for later in the week when you do not have the time to make an entire meal!
Ramen (with a twist)
Ramen is a staple college meal for many reasons, but with a few extra ingredients, it can turn into an elevated comfort food! For my ramen, I use Carbonara Buldak because I enjoy the cheesy and spicy flavoring but you can choose any brand you like.
First, I boil the ramen noodles, drain them, and add the sauce packet that comes with it. This is where most people stop, but this is just step 1 for me.
Next, I add an egg to make an extra creamy broth. In a separate bowl, add a small egg and stir it around. As your ramen cools down, add the egg little by little to ensure that it incorporates fully. The ramen should begin to thicken almost immediately. If you want it creamier, you can add a little bit of milk!
Lastly, I add some shredded American cheese to the top of the ramen and let it melt before stirring it in. Feel free to add any other toppings that you like!
Ramen is a quick meal, but with a little creativity, it can become a very elevated dish.
While cooking in a shared space might seem daunting at first, it is so rewarding to make and experiment with different recipes. These meals can be as simple or complex as you wish to make them, and that is why cooking your own meals can be so enjoyable.