When coming to college and gaining a new sense of independence and responsibility you might’ve never previously had, you get to know yourself on a whole new level. I come from a family who absolutely loves to cook, so before college, I never really needed to fully learn for myself. Being class of 2020, I probably had too much time on my hands freshman year in my college apartment when school was all online due to the pandemic. I made it a point to take time out of my day to meal plan, grocery shop, and make some really good meals that I probably wouldn’t have put the effort into if it weren’t for all my free time at that point in my life. I fell in love with putting my music on and making food with the kitchen all to myself, and the compliments from my roommates who I shared the meals with definitely contributed to it all as well. Being forced into the responsibility of making your own food on a daily basis for the first time in your life can be a bit daunting, but a great place to start is with step-by-step recipes on TikTok. In this article, I’ll be reviewing the trendiest meals I’ve found from being on food-tok that I believe are actually worth the hype, so maybe you can start enjoying this hobby just like I did!
Baked Feta Pasta
If you’ve been on TikTok for the past year, you’ve definitely heard of this one. Honestly, you can never go wrong when you put that much cheese and pasta together, and the best part is, you don’t have to be an advanced super-chef to make this meal happen! I’ve also heard it’s delicious with goat cheese as well, and I always add red pepper flakes to pretty much any pasta I make, so feel free to get creative with this one!
Emily Mariko’s Salmon Rice Bowl
Among all her amazing recipes, everyone’s favorite Tiktok chef, Emily Mariko, and her iconic Salmon Rice Bowl definitely takes the cake for her most popular dish. Super yum and super healthy – count me in! This is another super beginner-friendly dish, as most of the job is just heating things up rather than actually cooking them. My personal tip: add a little bit of water to the rice before microwaving rather than putting an ice cube in there like she does. This will add some moisture and make the rice a bit more fluffy.
Marry me chicken
Although this one may not be as popular by TikTok standards as the last two, I’d say it’s my favorite recipe I’ve tried from TikTok and is completely underrated. If you have a bit more time on your hands and are maybe in need of a quick restock on groceries, I would definitely go out to get all the ingredients for this dish. Eaten alone or over a bed of pasta, this rich and creamy one-pan meal will not disappoint!
Gigi Hadid vodka pasta
This one is one of the first recipes I ever made from TikTok and, honestly, it makes me nostalgic for my first rickety, old apartment in Chico. Nevertheless, it’s an oldie but a goodie and I still make it to this day. This spicy vodka pasta is a super quick and easy meal for when you don’t have too many ingredients to work with in your fridge that absolutely lives up to the hype every time.
Chopped Italian sandwich
It felt wrong not to include a sandwich, so I had to add this absolutely delicious chopped Italian sandwich. With the warm weather approaching (hopefully sooner rather than later), I will 100% be making this for sitting by the pool or the river for a refreshing and filling lunch.
Lasagna soup
Growing up in an Italian household, this one does hurt my heart a bit, but it has absolutely gained popularity on TikTok and was even considered the soup of the season by some last fall. If you couldn’t already tell with the recipes I’ve mentioned in this article, I think anything with a combination of pasta, cheese, and tomatoes will be good every time.
Cowboy caviar
Any of my roommates will tell you that one of my specialties when cooking is that I always find a way to put a bunch of different ingredients together, and it just works. Going along with this idea, I introduce to you… cowboy caviar – an amazing and healthy dip to put out when you have people over that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes!