It is sometimes difficult for students to cook due to lectures, deadlines, part-time jobs, socializing, and other obligations. Students living in dorms or shared apartments often lack access to a full kitchen. But a microwave is capable of more than reheating food. With a few cheap products and a microwave-safe mug or dish, you can easily cook breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a dessert.
This article will give you some simple but tasty microwave meals for students that will take little time to prepare. Cooking times may differ between different microwaves, so check the readiness of the meal every time.
1. Microwave Mug Omelette
Eggs are an affordable product containing lots of protein and are perfect for quick breakfast cooking. To make this cheap student meal, you need to whisk two eggs with a bit of milk in a microwave-safe mug. Then add some grated cheese, tomatoes, or other vegetables you have at home.
Cook the omelette in short intervals, checking the readiness between each interval until it becomes completely ready. Leave it to settle for some time. This is one of the easiest microwave meals for students, as it needs to be prepared fast and easily and is adjustable.
Add spices, herbs, cooked vegetables, or chicken to your meal to make it more filling.
2. Microwave Baked Potato
A baked potato is a very cheap and universal student meal. Wash the potato well and puncture it several times with a fork. Place it on a microwave-safe plate and cook it until it becomes soft, turning it from time to time during the cooking process.
Then cut the potato in half and add your favorite toppings. For example, use grated cheese and beans or other toppings such as tuna, corn, vegetables, or yogurt.
As potatoes are cheap and easy to store, this cheap student meal is great for when your food budget is low. You can use different topping combinations in the same recipe all week long.
3. Microwave Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is an easy dish to prepare without using the stove. Put pasta and water in a large microwave-safe bowl, ensuring that there is enough space to boil the water.
Follow the instructions on the pasta packaging and cook the dish, stirring occasionally. When the pasta is done, strain off any leftover water and add milk, grated cheese, and some spices. Then microwave for just a few minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Use a big bowl to accommodate the mixture, which may rise during the process. Moreover, you can add some peas, vegetables, or even some chicken pieces, turning a simple mac and cheese into a full-fledged dinner.
4. Microwave Rice and Bean Bowl
Combine some microwave rice with canned beans and vegetables to make a quick lunch or dinner. You can also add some cheese, salsa, or additional seasoning. Microwave the rice and beans in a microwave-safe bowl until both dishes become completely warm. Remember to stir the mixture once or twice during heating.
It is one of the most practical recipes, as you can store the ingredients to prepare them several times. Microwaved rice, beans, and even frozen vegetables can be used by students to get cheap and fast meals without spending money on buying fresh ingredients each time.
Moreover, the dish can be varied with various seasonings, sauces, and toppings so that you can get a different taste from the same products.
5. Microwave Oatmeal With Fruit and Peanut Butter
Oatmeal is perfect if you want to have breakfast fast. Put the oats with milk or water in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave the dish according to the package. Mix the ingredients and add bananas, berries, peanut butter, cinnamon, or nuts.
The combination of oats and peanut butter will provide energy, while the fruit will give some natural sugar. One of the advantages of the meal is that the majority of the ingredients can be stored for a relatively long period of time. The oatmeal is quite cheap, and any kind of fruit is good for it.
Moreover, you can save money and use seasonal fruit or even frozen berries for the dish.
6. Microwave Quesadilla
The preparation of a microwave quesadilla requires a few ingredients. Place a tortilla on the microwave-safe plate and add some grated cheese. You can also include cooked beans, chopped veggies, or leftover chicken.
Microwave the tortilla until it is folded, the cheese melts, and the filling becomes hot. Wait a while to cool down before serving the dish. The quesadilla will come in handy if you have some leftovers. There is no need to throw away the small amounts of chicken, beans, veggies, or cheese. They are turned into an instant meal.
Add some salsa or any other topping that you prefer to add some flavor to the dish.
7. Microwave Egg Fried Rice
It is a good choice for using leftover cooked rice in order to make a new meal. The ingredients are placed in a microwave-safe bowl, including the rice, frozen veggies, and beaten egg. Some soy sauce or other seasonings should be added.
Microwave the ingredients in stages, stirring the dish from time to time to ensure the egg is cooked. The use of frozen veggies and cooked rice makes the preparation of such a dish quick and cheap. Also, you may add some chicken or another type of cooked meat.
The food safety aspect should be considered carefully when you cook with the leftover rice. It should be cooled quickly after cooking and reheated until it becomes hot.
8. Microwave Pasta With Tomato and Cheese
Cook some pasta in a microwave or take some cooked pasta and combine it with tomato sauce and cheese. Cook the mixture in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring it occasionally if necessary.
Some vegetables like spinach, peas, mushrooms, tuna, or beans can be added in order to make the meal more nutritious and satisfying. Such a meal comes in handy when you need microwave food ideas that feel like a dinner but do not require too many pans and effort to prepare.
Have a jar of tomato sauce and a bag of pasta ready in your kitchen, and you will have the basis for a quick meal anytime.
9. Microwave Nacho Bowl
As an alternative option for a snack or a fast dinner, put tortilla chips, beans, grated cheese, and salsa into a microwave-proof bowl. If you have some extra vegetables, you can also include some sweetcorn or tomatoes.
Heat it up in the microwave for a while to melt the cheese and heat the ingredients. Put salsa or other toppings afterwards. This particular recipe is especially useful if you want to quickly prepare something and use what you have in your pantry. Beans will add bulk to the dish but won’t significantly increase its cost.
However, tortilla chips tend to get soft after being heated. For this reason, prepare only the amount of the meal you are going to eat right away.
10. Microwave Mug Cake
If you are a student looking for desserts, this one can be easily made in a microwave without a conventional oven. Take flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, milk, and some oil and stir the mixture in a microwave-proof mug.
Heat it for some time – the time may vary depending on your microwave, so watch out not to overcook it. Before cooking, you can add some chocolate chips or peanut butter to the mix. Wait until the cake cools down a bit since the mug and cake can be extremely hot. Though this is a dessert and not a meal, it can help you complete your list of student microwave recipes.
How to Make Student Microwave Meals Cheaper
The easiest way to lower your expenses on food is to buy those ingredients that can be used in multiple recipes. Eggs, oats, rice, potatoes, beans, pasta, cheese, tortillas, and frozen vegetables can form the base for many different dishes.
You may save money by buying store-brand products if their quality doesn’t differ from the branded ones. Rather than buying all of the ingredients for every separate meal, you can build several recipes around the ingredients you already have.
Using leftovers can be another helpful money-saving trick. Cooked vegetables, chicken, beans, and rice can easily become the fillers for quesadillas, rice bowls, pasta, or any other easy meals.
Frozen vegetables are very convenient to use since they usually keep well longer than many fresh vegetables and can be added to different microwave meals.
Microwave Cooking for Students: Safety Tips
It is important to use only microwave-safe containers when cooking in microwaves. Metal, foil, and unsuitable plastic containers should never be used in microwaves.
Do not cover containers tightly while cooking; it is necessary to ensure that steam has an escape route. Be careful while removing covers; steam can burn you.
Food such as eggs, meat, and leftover food should be fully cooked in microwave cooking. Stirring food during cooking helps to heat it up better, while leaving food to rest after cooking will help to finish the process.
Follow the instructions on packets for ready-to-eat foods; also keep in mind that microwave cooking times can vary depending on the wattage of microwaves.
Conclusion: Easy Microwave Meals Can Make Life of a Student Easier
It is not necessary to have a big kitchen and complex recipes to prepare food. With a microwave and some cheap ingredients, you can cook quite a lot of food in no time at all.
A mug omelette is enough for breakfast, while a baked potato or a bowl with rice and beans will suit for lunch; pasta or a quesadilla can serve as a fast dinner. Oatmeal and even a mug cake can help you through a busy day.
The secret to preparing easy meals in the microwave for students is having different ingredients in stock and combining them differently. Some planning will allow you to make sure that your microwave will not only heat your food, but also become one of the most useful cooking devices for your student apartment.
Contact Us
Contact us for a free consultation for student or visitor visas. Our immigration experts are ready to assist you
