Photo by Jessica Lou
The college life, although far from the adult life, does include feeding yourself. However, with limited budgets, time and (let’s be real) motivation, it’s hard to make the effort to cook a meal. The real struggle is simply never having enough ingredients to make anything more sophisticated than the go-to PB&J sandwich. But fear not: The following five recipes are hassle-free, easy and — because they only have five or fewer ingredients — won’t require a basket full of groceries to prepare.
1. Reese’s Squares
These bars are perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth and are fun to make for dessert –– not that we would judge if you broke these bad boys out for breakfast. Peanut butter and chocolate are nearly always an appropriate addition to any meal.
These are dorm-friendly! No kitchen required — just a microwave.
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar (3 to 3 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
12-oz. bag milk chocolate chips
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and peanut butter and mix well. Blend in melted butter until combined. Press mixture into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave and spread over peanut butter mixture. Place in refrigerator to chill until just set, and cut into bars.
2. Animal-Style Potatoes
Pay homage to the In-N-Out you don’t want to drive to with these animal style potatoes. Also, potatoes are a vegetable — crushed it.
20-oz. package Simply Potatoes Diced Potatoes with Onion
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/3 cup Thousand Island dressing
3 slices American cheese
First, start caramelizing the onions by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Place the onions in the skillet and let cook, without stirring, for 5-8 minutes, until the bottom sides have started to brown. Once they start to brown, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are thoroughly browned — about 20 minutes.
After the onions have been cooking for about 15 minutes, cook the potatoes in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Cook covered until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork — about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Stir the Thousand Island dressing into the potatoes gently to coat. Tear each slice of cheese into four pieces and place on top of the potatoes. Place the lid on the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Top with caramelized onions and serve.
3. Pesto
This super easy pasta sauce tastes good and makes you look fancy. Italian food is clearly the classiest of cuisines. If you are having a particularly productive Sunday, pasta is also great for meal prep!
2 cups basil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves
Place the basil leaves and pine nuts or walnuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times. Add the garlic and Parmesan and pulse several more times. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil.
Toss with pasta!
4. Pumpkin Muffins
Satisfy your basic tendencies, and get that pumpkin-spice fix with these easy muffins.
18-oz. spice cake mix
15 oz. pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1-2 tbsp. milk to smooth batter if necessary
Nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the pumpkin with the cake mix, adding in milk if necessary. Divide batter into a muffin tin and top with nuts, if desired. Bake for 15 minutes.
These muffins can also be frozen and thawed later, so an extra big batch can reap sweet pumpkin-spice rewards in the future.
5. DIY Easy Mac
It’s better than the box and easier than a pan! Mug mac ‘n’ cheese is a no-brainer. Plus, once you have this one down, the possible mug-pasta combinations are endless!
These are dorm-friendly! No kitchen required — just a microwave.
1/3 cup uncooked pasta
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup 1 percent milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Combine the pasta and water in a large mug or bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, then stir. Repeat for at least 2-4 more minutes, stirring at each 2-minute interval. The water should absorb completely, and the pasta will be cooked through. Remove from the microwave and stir in the milk and cheese. Microwave for another minute. Stir the cheese thoroughly into the pasta and eat up!
Now go impress your roomies with all your culinary skills and tricks! These recipes are sure to be crowd-pleasers. College cooking is now within reach to even the least domestic of students.
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