Now that I’m an upperclassman and I’ve moved into an apartment, I have realized that I need to cook for myself. As someone who doesn’t usually cook at home (unless you count heating food up in the toaster oven), I’ve done some experimenting with which meals are achievable in the college kitchen. Besides the obvious peanut butter and jelly, pasta, and chicken nuggets, here are some nutritious, yet delicious meal options.
1. Picnic Sandwich With Asparagus And Goat Cheese
This sandwich is perfect if you’re looking for something easy to throw together in the morning for lunch. It’s absolutely delicious and full of ingredients that you would never think to put on a sandwich — but will be so glad you did. The picnic sandwich has asparagus, goat cheese, mixed greens, and olives, and is topped with olive oil and lemon juice. It’s so easy to prep the ingredients on a weekend and then put them together in five minutes or less. I love to make this meal during the fall semester when it’s warm outside; the citrus flavor is perfect for a picnic or summer lunch with friends!
2. Homemade Pizza
I know it’s so easy to just call and order a pizza, but if you feel like making your own creation, this King Arthur recipe is fabulous. It requires a bit of preparation because you’ll need to give the dough time to rise, but it doesn’t take too much effort. If you want to be extra (like me) you can always invest in a pizza stone, which cooks the pizza from underneath as well in the oven, creating a thin crispy crust. On the other end, if this idea seems like too much work, they have pre-made pizza doughs at most grocery stores that you can add your favorite toppings to!
3. Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Lemon Zucchini Noodles
This is one of my favorite recipes and I make it at least once a week. It’s perfect if you want a more filling meal or if you’re feeling like you want to be a bit more involved in your cooking. I will make this either with the zucchini noodles, or it tastes just as amazing with regular noodles too! This is a perfect meal to make if your parents come to visit or you have some extra time in your day. I also love this meal because it’s easy to clean up since you cook everything in one or two pans!
4. Creamy Garlic Tuscan Salmon with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
If you’re a fish person, this recipe is top-tier. It’s super easy to make and is super filling. This recipe feels homey and is rich with flavor without being overwhelming. I’m not usually a big seafood fan, but I would eat this recipe any day of the week. My biggest piece of advice when making this recipe is that you’re always adding less spinach than it seems! The first time I made this I thought it was an insane amount of spinach, but it reduces to be the perfect amount. I love to put the salmon and cream sauce over rice or pasta (or cauliflower would also be really good)!
5. Kale Soup
The one thing I can say about college is that you’re bound to get sick. It happens to everyone at least once a semester where you’re hit with either a months-long cold or you have a fever and are just dying for a couple of days. Either way, this kale soup recipe is so easy that you’ll be able to make it when you just want to lay in bed and it’s super calming on the throat. I love this recipe because it’s so healthy and will help you feel better while being absolutely delicious!
6. Stuffed Peppers
A classic, but with good reason. Stuffed peppers are perfect because they’re easy to prep, you can make a bunch at a time, and are scrumptious heated up. I love to make vegetarian stuffed peppers with rice, cheese, and different types of beans! This recipe is perfect because it gives you the basics, but you can add in whatever you want and use your favorite toppings! This was always one of my favorite meals growing up and is now one of my favorites to make. The best part about this recipe is that if you don’t have time to make it during the evening, you can pop it in the crockpot in the morning and just let it cook all day.
7. Strawberry Salad
Another one of my favorite summer recipes, a strawberry salad is a must. This recipe is filled with strawberries, pecans, red onion, spinach, and feta, and topped with the best poppyseed dressing. As with a lot of these recipes, I love to personalize what I want in my meal, so I like to add mandarin oranges and some grilled chicken. This is also an easy-to-package lunch or perfect for a picnic date. I love to make this salad because it’s so aesthetic with pretty colors and full of nutrients that will keep you energized all day!
8. Swedish Meatballs
This recipe is super fun if you have more time to make dinner. First you make the meatballs by combining all of the ingredients together, and then you fry them in a pan. The sauce is absolutely amazing and is a must-try for everyone. I love to put this over egg noodles and eat them for days on end. You could also combine it with regular noodles, or as the recipe suggests, some mashed potatoes. This recipe is so cozy and is one of my all-time favorite recipes to eat on a stormy or winter day.
9. Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti
Chicken broccoli ziti is so easy since it’s made of only a few ingredients — chicken, broccoli, and ziti! Just kidding, there are a few more, but this is a super easy sub-30-minute recipe that I make when I have no other dinner ideas. This recipe has a lot of added ingredients, but I usually just add a few of them together and it tastes amazing. This is a great meal to make if you’re having guests because you can cook a big batch in a large pot, and everyone loves it! It also heats up really well if you have leftovers.
10. Eggplant Raviolini Soup
This is one recipe that I completely underestimated. My mom swore by this recipe, so I felt that I had to try it, but it is now something I can’t live without. I’m a big pasta fan, so the combination of the raviolini with the rest of the soup is my favorite thing (and I often add a lot more pasta than it says to). The tomato-based soup makes it stand out from other soup recipes because you don’t have that broth-y like base. Overall, this is my favorite soup recipe to date and one that I would recommend 10/10 times.
I hope you love all of these recipes as you try out cooking and master your cheffing skills. I think these are great recipes to cook in college because they’re not too complicated but produce amazing-tasting food!