• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
College Magazine logo

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
    • Find Your College
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
Home » Latest Posts » CollegiATE: The Top 10 Dorm Room Recipes
Food Life

CollegiATE: The Top 10 Dorm Room Recipes

FacebookTweet
Caitlin Mason October 5, 2015

Getting used to dorm life again after spending a summer at home is a serious adjustment–small rooms, more people, fewer bathrooms and a half-ass kitchen to top it all off. If you’re sick of dining hall food and your dorm room “kitchen” only has a microwave, here are 10 recipes you can pull off anyway.

1. Cheese Fondue

pixabay.com
pixabay.com

Cheese fondue is a delicious and low-key recipe to make in your dorm, with the added bonus that it doesn’t even feel like dorm room food. The ingredients: Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese, white wine, flour, nutmeg, salt and a loaf of bread. All super easy to get (with your I.D.), and you can find them all at your local grocery store. And who doesn’t like cheese?

2. Pizza Bagels

commons.wikimedia.org
commons.wikimedia.org

If you’ve been spending too much money ordering Domino’s but still want to get in your pizza fix, pizza bagels are calling your name. All you need are bagels, your favorite tomato sauce, shredded cheese and whatever toppings your heart desires. The best thing about pizza bagels is that they’re classic but also versatile, because you can add anything from pineapples to peppers. A microwave will work just fine in a dorm, but you could always use a toaster oven if you’re feeling fancy.

3. Brownie in a Mug

flickr.com
flickr.com

Who says you need an oven to make brownies? Certainly not food.com. This recipe is an ultra-fast and simple way to make a brownie. Best of all, you just need a microwave and your favorite coffee mug. Get some cocoa powder, sugar, flour, vanilla, butter and salt when you head to the grocery store. All you have to do is mix them together in a mug, microwave it for a little over a minute and you’ve got yourself a quick and delicious brownie. Plus this is probably one of the most “college” things you’ll ever do, which is strangely satisfying.

4. Fancy Salad

wikimedia.org
wikimedia.org

Most people hear salad and think of diets or a meal that won’t hold you over for more than two minutes. But they make the list of college-y meals, because they’re super simple to make when there’s no oven to be found. You don’t have to cook anything, so you can just chop up a bunch of vegetables and toss them over lettuce. Add chopped up fruit, nuts, croutons and your favorite dressing, then it’s a real party. The Food Network has 50 (!) simple salad recipes, most of which don’t even require a microwave.

 5. Scrambled Eggs in a Mug

commons.wikimedia.org
commons.wikimedia.org

Mugs and microwaves are for more than just coffee. If you like how your brownie came out, try cooking scrambled eggs in the microwave. Just mix eggs, milk and salt and pepper in a mug then microwave while periodically pausing to stir. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even trying adding some chopped up peppers, mushrooms or cheese for a mom-approved breakfast.


trending

107

How Graduation is Causing Me a (Good) Existential Crisis

Gretchen Rubin, author of Life in Five Sense
96

Awaken Your Five Senses with #1 NYTs Bestselling Author Gretchen Rubin

77

Adulting with Your Mom Is Fun


6. Yogurt and Fruit Parfaits

flickr.com
flickr.com

If you’re looking for a new breakfast, or even a healthy snack, yogurt and fruit parfaits are a fresh option. Just get a glass (or even your handy dandy mug) and alternate layers of yogurt with layers of granola and berries. You don’t have to cook anything at all, and you can tailor the recipe with your favorite kinds of berries and yogurt. Plus this is super healthy, which will be a nice change from all that greasy pizza (bagels).

7. Chips and Homemade Guac

commons.wikimedia.org
commons.wikimedia.org

The reality is that you’ll be snacking a lot by yourself and with friends. You can find lots of pre-made dips and salsas at the grocery store, but it’s even better to whip up your own. Just grab some avocados, tomatoes, onions and a few spices, mix it all together, and you’ve got guac without paying the $2 extra. Get a bag of your favorite chips and you’re ready to snack.

8. Mac and cheese

flickr.com
flickr.com

…in a mug. If you’re living in a dorm room with an incomplete kitchen, a mug and microwave will save your life (and your stomach). Mac and cheese is classic and delicious, and when you can make it in a mug with a microwave, there’s no reason to buy prepackaged cheese dust. You just need to microwave elbow macaroni in some water or milk until cooked, then add desired cheese and nuke it some more. Stir it up and you have yet another mug meal.

9. Autumn Fruit Salad

pixabay.com
pixabay.com

Fruit salad seems like a no-brainer to make in your dorm, but it can be tricky with all the summer fruits slowly disappearing. Luckily, there are still plenty of delicious fall fruits available like pears, apples and grapes, which you can make into a really tasty fruit salad. This recipe adds a cinnamon Greek yogurt dressing and some pecans to top it all off. The fall fruit salad makes regular fruit salad look like a saltine cracker. Plus, you’re still keeping things fresh, healthy and easy.

10. Microwave Risotto

flickr.com
flickr.com

Maybe you have friends coming over, or you’re just feeling fancy and want to treat yourself. Either way, microwaved risotto is the way to go. It takes a little longer than most recipes on this list, but it’s worth the extra two minutes. With basic ingredients of Arborio rice (risotto rice), white wine, butter, garlic, onion and broth, you won’t be spending a ton of money and you can tailor the recipe however you want. Some suggestions are: butternut squash and sage; mushroom and thyme; and bacon, kale and mushrooms.

About Caitlin Mason

Caitlin is a senior English and Theatre major at Boston College. She likes books, theatre, and inspirational quotes, and knows way too much about cheese.

Q&A with ASCEND app Creators Sydney Campos and David Richeson

How a Last-Minute Gap Semester Changed My Life

Is Online Learning Right for You?

10 Things All International Students Understand

5 Pre-Finals Rituals to Follow for Optimum Study Time

Life Lessons I Learned in Fitness Classes

A Dream Deferred

So I Moved Back Home After Graduation…

I Adopted a Kitten During Midterms and Here’s How That Went

Previous Post:Eating By Internet: Eating Disorders in the Digital Age
Next Post:I Caught The Basic

colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

College Magazine logo

Copyright © 2023 Powered by BizBudding