10 Amazing, Easy College Dinners Using Only a Hotplate
It's hard being a student. Balancing classes, internships, jobs, and social obligations – who has time to cook? But that doesn’t mean that dinnertime should consist of ramen noodles on repeat (even though we do love ramen).
If you're in a studio apartment with limited access to a glamorous kitchen, or if you're simply looking to get some use out of your mom's hand-me-down hotplate, here are 10 amazing and easy college dinners that won't send you scurrying all over the kitchen.
Recipe 1: Spring Vegetable Sauté
Who doesn't love a meal of crisp, delicious vegetables? (recipe link)
Serving Size: Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, cut crosswise into thin slices
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
1 pound asparagus
1 15-ounce can lima beans, drained of juices
1 15-ounce can fresh corn kernels, drained of juices
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
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Instructions:
Wash and dry the asparagus.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the skin off of the bottom half of each stalk.
Cut the asparagus diagonally into slices roughly 1/2-inch wide.
Wash the sugar snap peas. Trim and remove strings.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
Sauté the shallots until they are tender. Remove the shallots.
Turn the heat to high. Add the snap peas along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sauté until tender.
Return the shallots to the skillet and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the asparagus and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Sauté until the asparagus is tender.
Add the corn and lima beans and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to thoroughly heat.
Recipe 2: Stovetop Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Despite all previous reports Chicken Parm CAN be made on a hot plate! via Creative Kitchen
Serving Size: Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
Italian seasoned bread crumbs to coat
1 whisked egg
Favorite spaghetti sauce
Pasta of choice
4 to 6 oz. Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions:
Prep water for pasta, bring to a boil & turn on low.
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes.
Dip cubes into egg, and then put in ziploc bag with bread crumbs and toss to coat.
Heat oil in skillet, and fry up chicken nuggets.
Make spaghetti sauce or heat up sauce of choice.
Make pasta per directions and drain.
Add chicken nuggets and pasta to sauce.
Add fresh mozzarella and stir around till melted in.
Recipe 3: Roasted Veggies and Pasta
A lovely, colorful, easy, college meal. Adapted from Betty Crocker, via Joy In My Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 medium red, yellow
1 orange bell pepper
2 medium zucchini
8 oz. mushrooms
4 oz. shredded mozzarella (or Italian-style) cheese
2 medium tomatoes
2 cups whole wheat pasta (uncooked)
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tbs. olive oil
Instructions:
Cut the red, yellow, and orange peppers into 1-inch pieces.
Quarter the zucchini and the mushrooms and dice the tomatoes.
Prepare pasta.
To reduce heat in the kitchen, add the pasta to the water right away. Then, heat to a slow boil and turn off the burner.
Cover and allow the pasta to cook in the cooling water until desired doneness is reached.
Drain.
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large stir fry pan.
Add veggies and saute until crisp/tender (about 7 minutes).
Season with seasoning.
Add in the tomatoes and saute for an additional minute.
Turn off the burner. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.
Cover and allow the cheese to melt.
Serve over the pasta.
Recipe 4: One Pot, Stove Top, Creamy Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
2 cups large elbow macaroni, uncooked (about 1/2 lb)
2 cups low fat milk (about 16 oz)
1 tablespoon butter, for flavor
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
generous dash of nutmeg
1 cup grated cheese**
additional toppings: bacon bits, bread crumbs, chopped parsley, diced tomatoes
black pepper to taste (optional)
Notes on Ingredients:
**if more milk is needed, additional 1/4 cup milk at a time for final cooking.
**Macaroni pasta varies so much! have additional milk on hand, or be ready to increase the heat if your macaroni doesn't absorb fast enough.
**Choose any one or combination of jack, cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan*, asiago*, pecorino*
**Hard cheeses are best combined with a secondary, softer, better melting cheese. Cheese varies in flavor and salt level too!
Instructions:
Place raw elbow macaroni in colander and quickly rinse under water. Let drain.
In medium sauce pan (about 3.5 qt), add milk, raw elbow macaroni, salt, butter, mustard powder and nutmeg.
On medium heat, slowly bring milk/macaroni mixture to a simmer, stirring the macaroni frequently as it comes up to a simmer.
This will separate macaroni and keep them from sticking together.
Once mixture comes to a simmer, immediately turn down heat to LOW.
Continue to stir the mixture frequently so that macaroni will cook evenly and absorb milk evenly.
Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until milk has been fully absorbed.
If macaroni is not cooked fully, add a little more milk or water to mixture.
When milk has evaporated, stir in grated cheese of your choice.
Stir the cheese evenly into the macaroni.
Turn off heat. Place lid on top of pan and cover for about 5 minutes.
This rest period will allow macaroni to plump up and absorb any excess milk.
Take a final taste and add additional salt to taste.
Before serving, stir one final time to mix everything together.
Serve immediately.
Recipe 5: Gambas a la Plancha
In English, please? This yummy dish, "Shrimp on the Hotplate" or "Pan-Grilled Shrimp", came from here.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons/45 ml olive oil
2 teaspoons/less than 2 g chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon/less than 1 g dried crushed red pepper
12 large shrimp (1/2 pound/240 g), peeled and deveined
Salt
1/2 lemon
Instructions:
Combine the oil, tarragon and crushed red pepper in a medium bowl.
Add the shrimp and toss to coat.
Marinate the shrimp at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle the shrimp with salt.
Add the shrimp to the hot pan and cook for 1 1/2 minutes per side, or just until the shrimp are cooked through.
Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp and toss thoroughly to coat with the lemon juice.
Transfer the shrimp and the pan sauce to small tapas dishes and serve.
Recipe 6: Sweet-and-Sour Pork
Serving Size: serves 2-4
Ingredients:
1 pound lean boneless pork
½ large green or red bell pepper
¼ cup baby carrots
1 green onion, optional
⅓ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
⅓ cup, plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Tips:
**Adding cornstarch and water is a quick way to thicken the sauce.
**Always mix the cornstarch with water in a small bowl first. Never try adding the cornstarch directly to the sauce.
Instructions:
Cut the pork into cubes.
Wash and drain all the vegetables.
Cut the bell pepper into cubes, and cut the baby carrots in half. Dice the green onion, if using.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and ⅓ cup water, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium to medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the pork cubes and brown.
Drain off the fat from the pan and add the sauce.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender.
Combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl.
Increase heat to high and add the cornstarch mixture, stirring to thicken.
Reduce heat to medium and add the green pepper and carrots.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the green onion if using.
Serve hot over rice.
Recipe 7: Hot Wings
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hot-Wings-368590
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temp)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
6 whole chicken wings
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Grapeseed or other neutral oil
1/2 jalapeño, very thinly sliced crosswise
Instructions:
Separate wings and drumettes, remove wing tips.
In a small saucepan, heat the sauce over medium heat until hot.
Whisk in the butter, a little at a time.
Continue whisking until the mixture is emulsified.
Whisk in salt to taste, then reduce the heat to low to keep the sauce warm.
Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the chicken and let stand for 5 minutes to release the moisture on the skin.
Sprinkle the cornstarch all over the chicken and toss until evenly coated.
Fill a large skillet with oil to a depth of 1/2 inch.
Heat over high heat until hot and simmering
**tip: when the oil is ready, a cube of bread dropped into it will turn golden in 15 seconds.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the drumettes first, then the wings in a single layer.
Cook, turning the chicken with tongs, for 4 minutes.
Raise the heat to high.
Cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is golden brown outside and no longer pink inside, about 4 minutes longer.
Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and add the hot sauce and jalapeño.
Toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.
Recipe 8: Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Panini
Inspired by the Green Goddess Dressing recipe by Molly Wizenberg in Bon Appétit.
image source
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, finely chopped, 1 oil-packed anchovy, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest (about 1 lime)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, chopped fresh cilantro, & extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, 1 tbs. finely chopped shallot
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into smaller cubes
1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
8-12 slices sourdough bread
Instructions:
Add garlic and anchovies to a mini-prep food processor and pulse for a few seconds until finely chopped, almost like a paste.
**if you don’t have a food processor, you can always just chop the ingredients really well with a knife on a cutting board.
Add in the lime zest, parsley, tarragon, cilantro, basil, shallot, mustard and cream cheese and pulse again until well blended.
Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and stir in the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.
Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat.
For each sandwich, spread a generous amount of the cheese mixture onto one slice of bread.
Close the sandwich with a second slice of bread. Brush a little olive oil on top.
Grill for 5 to 6 minutes until the cheese is melted and oozy and bread is toasted.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe 9: Roasted Vegetable Soup
That’s right – you can make soup on a hot plate. As long as you have a blender. For more info, visit this recipe link.
Serving Size: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
2 pounds cooked root vegetables (roasted, steamed, or boiled)
4 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)
1 tablespoon grated or minced fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
Instructions:
Bring the vegetables, broth and thyme to a boil in a large saucepan.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat; set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Transfer the vegetable mixture to a food processor or blender and puree.
Return to the saucepan over medium-low heat.
Add the half-and-half and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, just until warmed through.
Taste, and if desired, season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with lemon zest (and pecans, if using) just before serving.
Recipe 10: Mexican Steak Salad
Add a little zest to your life tonight! This mexican dish is a fun spin on salad, provides your protein, and satisfies your craving for savory! Check out the recipe here.
Serving Size: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
10 oz. pkg. mixed salad greens
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa
1 lb. boneless sirloin steak
1 cup French salad dressing
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Instructions:
In large bowl combine beans, salad greens, avocado, tomatoes, and cheese and toss.
Add salsa and toss to combine.
Brush steak with 2 Tbsp. french salad dressing.
Grill steak on two sided dual contact grill for 5-8 minutes until medium doneness.
Remove steak from grill, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
Slice against the grain into 1/4" thick slices and place on salad.
Drizzle with french dressing and top with tortilla chips.
Serve immediately.
